Veronica picked up her book on the estate with a sight. “Well, I want to get a few more of the renovations done before they arrive if we can pull it off.”
“Do you think that’s likely?”
“I can’t say for sure. I need to check in on a few things.” She sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “Can you go let Mrs. Carter know I’ll need to speak to her as soon as possible?”
“I will. Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“Not at the moment, but when she comes to speak with me, could you look after Shaggy and Teddy while I meet with her? There are a few things I want to check in person with her and they still have a habit of getting into trouble when they are left alone for too long, especially little Teddy.”
“Of course. I will do anything you need. I’ll go tell her you need to speak with her.”
“Thank you.”
Then she made her way from the room.
While she waited, Veronica turned her attention back to her to do lists.
Only a few minutes later, Daisy returned with Mrs. Carter. The older woman stepped in.
“You wanted to see me, your Grace.”
“Yes, I just received word that my family will be visiting in a few weeks. It's a bit sooner than we had talked about before.”
“It is, but you must be so excited to see them again.”
Veronica smiled but it felt wrong on her face. “I’m worried things won’t be ready when they get here.”
“I won’t let that happen. I will do everything I can to make sure Ashton Castle is in a state you can be proud of when they arrive.”
“Thank you,” Veronica said, her Mrs. Carter’s words offering more comfort than she would have expected. “If it isn’t too muchtrouble, I was hoping we could go over the renovations we’re working on and we can talk about the next steps.”
“Of course. Did you want to do this now or schedule a time later on?”
“Now would be perfect if you have a moment.”
“For you, I would find one even if I didn’t,” she smiled.
Relief washed over her. “Thank you.” She got to her feet before turning to her lady’s maid. “Daisy, I know I asked you earlier, but can you keep an eye on the dogs while we’re gone?”
“Of course,” she lit up. “You can count on me!”
“I know I can,” she smiled. “Thank you for all your hard work.”
Daisy beamed at the praise.
Then Veronica picked up her papers about the renovations then led Mrs. Carter out to the halls.
“How do you feel about our progress so far?” she asked Mrs. Carter as they walked down the hall.
“I think we have gotten a lot done for the short amount of time we have been working on it.”
“Especially given the amount of people we have working on the project.”
“I must admit, I was surprised you haven’t asked about hiring more staff in some time.”
“Yes, well, if we can manage at this size, who am I to demand that we expand?”
She smiled. “I see, and did Duke Ashton factor in to this decision perhaps?”
