She looked away. “We can manage, Your Grace.”
“But you how are you managing to keep up with twice the workload! Especially considering how much work the castle needs! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to get to some of the repairs? From what I saw, none of them seemed terribly complicated, though admittedly I am no expert in the field.”
“They aren’t,” she agreed. “I would love to get to them, but we don’t have time at our current size. And I don’t need to tell you that the castle requires more attention than what we can currently offer.”
“Then, let me help where I can. Let me hire more staff.”
She smiled. “It’s wonderful that you’ve already taken such an interest in the estate, but perhaps you should speak to His Grace about it before you start putting out adverts for new staff.”
She frowned. “Why?”
“I’m sure he would be more than happy to agree to it since you are the one asking, but he has gotten used to having such a small staff. It might be a shock to expand it suddenly with no warning.”
Veronica shook her head, not quite understanding the other woman’s diplomatic tone. “But why would me asking make a difference?”
She chuckled, “you are his wife, and given how long it took for your relationship to come to fruition, I’m sure he wants to do what he can to make you comfortable here.”
She forced her smile to stay in place, but she was sure she did not fool the older woman.
“You do not believe that to be true?”
“To be entirely honest, no I do not. I think that there is nothing but resentment between us, and worse yet, I think that he is unwilling to even try to move past it.”
“May I speak plainly, Your Grace?”
“Please do,” she motioned to a chair for her to sit.
“Your husband is not a very talkative man, or one who enjoys sharing his emotions. And while I may suspect some things that occurred in his past, I believe it is up to him to talk about them with you.”
She took Veronica’s hand then as she continued. “I don’t think that he is even aware of everything he is feeling, but a man who resented his betrothed would not do everything in his power to marry her when he thought he was going to lose her. Even if it was his duty.”
“I am not sure I agree.”
A knock came then and Daisy entered carrying a tray with a mountain of food.
“I thought I was supposed to starve today,” Veronica sniffed.
Daisy blinked in confusion, looking to the housekeeper before asking. “Why would you think that, Your Grace?”
“It's what my husband said before he stormed off.”
The maid gasped at her words. She could see the two women preparing to defend him, and knew she had to change topics. If she focused one more second on her husband she was sure to lose her mind.
Veronica sighed, moving over to take a look at the food the kitchen had sent up for her. Besides the generous pieces of pie, there was a small loaf of bread warm from the oven with fresh butter and herbs, roasted potatoes and garlic, and a piece of salmon. It was far nicer than she would have expected given the state of things.
“Actually, Daisy I was wondering if you could stay a minute. I think you might be able to help me with some of the changes I wish to make around here.”
“Of course, Your Grace! I would love to help!”
She nibbled at her meal while she looked over her list.
“Is there anything that can be done to make your work easier?” Veronica asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I know the staff here is rather small, and since growing it might be a bit of a problem, I wish to focus on efficiency. Besides, I doubt helping me is your only responsibility.”
“No, I also help with general cleaning and with the cooking when it’s needed.”
