Beatrice agreed that it would be helpful and followed Mrs. Jenkins up the grand staircase from before. As they entered the stunning room she had been in earlier, she turned to the housekeeper. “This is truly my room?” she asked.
Mrs. Jenkins smiled. “It is. Now, we haven’t a lady’s maid on the premises, but one of the girls, Guinevere, is talented with hair and such. I've asked her to come take the position of your lady’s maid for the time being, and we can decide in a week or so if you'd rather have a formally trained maid from the city. She’ll be up in the morning to take care of you, and I’ll help you with anything you need tonight.”
“I’m sure Guinevere will be lovely,” Beatrice assured Mrs. Jenkins. She had no need of a lady’s maid, except maybe to do up her dresses if they were all as complicated as the one she was currently wearing. “Do you suppose Lord Dunham would mind if I joined them in his study?”
Mrs. Jenkins gave her a smile. “I’m sure he would be delighted to see you.”
Beatrice doubted that. The man barely knew her.
But since she knew him more than she knew anyone else here, and Mrs. Jenkins had her own work to do, it seemed best to go see him and discuss what she should do with her days.
She had no experience with being a lady, and thus far hadn’t been told much of what she was expected to do in that role. Some clarification would be useful before she decided to spend all of her days in the library reading.
Perhaps she could ask for some paper to make a list of everything she needed to do. She needed to make sure her library was taken care of, her things were fetched from her house, and her friends were told where she was.
Yes, a visit to the study was in order.
And maybe she would get to pet the kitten she had spotted earlier.
As she made her way back down the grand staircase, her heart pounded in an unfamiliar rhythm. The feeling surprised her. Why should she be nervous? She was only going to Lord Dunham’s study, a room she had been in plenty of times before.
Though this would be the first time she would enter the room as his wife.
Chapter six
Alexander
Alexander opened the doorto his study just in time to watch his new wife descend the staircase. She was absolutely stunning, dressed in the blue gown his mother had worn so often, her chestnut hair tumbling down around her face in waves that looked absolutely effortless.
The word “wife” felt strange, and yet, also completely normal.
“Hello,” he said as she approached, smiling at him.
She was shorter than he’d realized. He’d never been so close to her, except for their wedding ceremony, and he’d been rather distracted then. “I don’t suppose you would like to go for a walk with me?” he said.
She glanced at the window, then back at him.
“I know it’s cold out,” he added, “but I enjoy getting a little fresh air in the evenings before I retire, and I thought perhaps you would like to see a little more of your new home.”
Beatrice smiled at him. “That would be lovely, my lord.”
“It’s Alexander,” he reminded her.
“That would be lovely, Lord Alexander,” she said, with an impish grin.
He could acknowledge the effort she was making, even if he would rather her be more comfortable with him. “I will accept that for now,” he warned, “but I hope that you will soon consider using my name, Lady Beatrice.”
“We shall see,” she responded.
“Shall we?” he asked, offering his arm. “Let us see if your cloak is still around here somewhere.”
Before he could even call, Jenkins had appeared with his coat and Beatrice’s cloak in hand.
“That is what you came in?” he asked, staring at the lightweight cloak, the shame of not sending a carriage for her once again rushing through him. “I cannot apologize enough, my lady.”
“It is perfectly all right,” Beatrice said, as Jenkins helped her with her cloak. “I am used to the cold, my lord.”
“Be that as it may,” he responded, “I should know better than to expect a lady to walk miles through the snow.”
