“Ready?” he asked Harriet as he shoved open the squeaky door that would need greasing, but he would leave that chore for later.
She looked up at him with a gleam in her eyes. “Yes, I cannot wait to start scrubbing. What jolly fun we shall have.”
He shook his head and laughed lightly. “You are an odd, little thing.”
But he surely liked George’s sister and her winning smile.
The chapel was musty and Max coughed upon taking a step inside.
Bits of dust floated in the air now that the door was open, but he made certain the door remained propped open wide to allow in a desperately needed breeze.
“Where shall we start, Miss Comeford?” He would have preferred to call her Harry and tweak her chin, but they had to maintain formality while in the company of others. Not that scrubbing floors was in any way formal. “Will we all be able to work in this confined space?”
“Oh, yes. Would you mind if I assigned the duties?” She donned her apron and withdrew a hideous mobcap that was hidden in the apron pocket. She must have borrowed the cap from one of the scullery maids.
Gad, it was…well, she looked all big-eyed and adorable with it practically swallowing her head. “Go right ahead, Miss Comeford. Consider yourself in charge of this project.”
“Oh.” She blushed, obviously not expecting his complete subservience.
She rubbed her hands along the fabric of her gown, the same russet one she had worn yesterday. Not that he had an issue with her choice of attire, since she could not wear any of the finer gowns his grandmother had given her. “I was thinking to partition the work, assigning a footman and two maids to each sector.”
He nodded. “Go right ahead.”
She wasted no time in issuing instructions, sending one team to clean the area of the altar, another to the pews, and teams three and four to the ceiling and walls.
“What about us?” Max asked, confused because she now led him outside. “Aren’t we going to scrub floors?”
“We are, but your staff needs to get to the dirt built up on the altar, benches, walls and ceiling crevices first. Quite a bit has piled up over the years of neglect. They’ll sweep as much of it off the floors as possible, and then will we start scrubbing. It won’t take them long. I expect they’ll finish within the next twenty minutes. The chapel is small and there are many hands at the task.”
“So we have nothing to do yet but relax?”
She nodded.
“Come with me.” He led her to a pond not far from the chapel and took off his jacket to place on a large rock by the shore. “Here, have a seat.”
“You do realize your jacket is much finer than my poor specimen of a gown.”
He grinned. “I was thinking more of providing comfort for your delicate derriere.”
She laughed. “Ah, all right. If that is the reason for your chivalry. Myderrierethanks you.”
He remained standing by her side, skipping stones across the tranquil waters as they spoke. Harriet was the first to make conversation. “How was your evening? I heard music, so I suppose there was dancing.”
“Yes, it went on quite late into the night. The Upper Crust is used to these late hours. I hope we did not disturb you too badly.”
“Not at all. The music was lovely. I wish I knew some of these dances. Unfortunately, I am only familiar with country reels and none of the more elegant dances.”
He turned to face her. “Then you do not waltz?”
“No, I never have done,” she said, her eyes taking on a dreamy aspect that he found beguiling.
He turned away and concentrated on skimming stones along the water instead of concentrating on her.
The rock upon which she was sitting was more of an outcropping than a single rock, several smaller rocks forming stepping stones that reached into the water. The pond itself was surrounded by grass and bordered by reeds and lilies that grew naturally wild around its circumference.
Harriet reminded him of one of those wild lilies because she was as beautiful and natural as these flowers. “I could teach you some of those dances, Harry.”
She cast him one of her sunburst smiles but shook her head. “It isn’t necessary. I am never going to dance in an elegant ballroom.”
