Cathryn smiled. “I can respect that.”
The housekeeper had opened her book and quickly read whatever it said. “What time do you like to dine in the evening?”
“If we’re alone, probably seven-thirty. Later, of course, should we have guests.”
Mrs. Thompson began writing in her book while Cathryn discreetly watched. The woman had been here quite a while so Cathryn decided the housekeeper knew a lot more about the estate.
“How long ago did the previous lady need to purchase things like sheets and bath towels for the house?”
“Everything is pristine and new. Since she knew the estate was up for sale, and would probably be sold as is, furnished, she instructed that everything be replaced with new.”
“Which you did?”
“Of course,” the housekeeper replied.
“That’s awfully thoughtful for a woman who is selling her home.”
“I suppose since she moved in here when it was in a neglected state, she would make sure the next resident wouldn’t have to deal with that.”
Cathryn took a moment to digest what she’d just been told. It was highly unusual for a mistress of the house to do something so generous, but the gesture wasn’t lost on Cathryn. “Is there anything I should be aware of?”
“No, but if you’d like to meet, I can take you through the house tomorrow morning.”
“I think that’s a splendid idea. The only thing I ask is that the temperature in this room be kept consistent. It’s better on the instruments and I’ll be using this room quite a lot.”
“Yes, milady. Is there anything else?”
“Not now. I’ll meet you here in the morning.”
Mrs. Thompson nodded her head, turned, and walked out of the room. Cathryn decided she and the housekeeper were going to get along quite well. Mrs. Thompson wasn’t condescending because her new mistress was young and seemed to listen to everything Cathryn had to say. Having someone who knew what she was doing and didn’t need to be watched over gave Cathryn peace. The last thing she wanted to do was spend most of her days taking care of household matters.
Returning to the piano and sitting down, Cathryn began to play a piece by Beethoven she liked to play for practice. As her fingers flew across the keys, she kept going. She would practicesomething extra for the prince in case there was time during her upcoming performance.
Noticing a stack of music on a nearby chair, Cathryn left the piano bench and stood over the sheets. There were many pieces of various composers; the two who seemed to stand out were Mozart and Handel. Mozart’s music could be quite dark.
She decided to separate the music sheets by composer. It would give her a good idea of what she had to work with. One by one she made piles on the floor, and if a sheet came up by an unknown composer, she placed it in a pile of its own. Unfortunately, there were none like this, so she stuck with her task until it was finished.
One by one she picked up each pile and stacked it neatly in its own file on a small table. She ended up with five different composers, all of whom she had played at least one piece of theirs. Everything was now neat and tidy, making all easier to go through the piles.
Wondering what Charles was doing, she left the music room in search of him. She knew he wouldn’t have been able to stay in one place for long, so she backtracked to where Frazier was working.
“How long ago did he leave?”
“It’s been a while now, milady,” came Frazier’s reply. “He did mention he was heading to the stables.”
“Makes sense.”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
She shook her head. “No, I just thought I’d see what he might be doing,” she replied.
“He doesn’t seem as overwhelmed with everything that was entailed with this move. When we moved from Wight, he was quite anxious.”
“That was different. It wasn’t his choice. This time it is his decision.”
Frazier arched a brow. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of it that way.”
“He’s going to be okay, Frazier.”
