A forced smile, Tulip imagined, because she must have been grieving the loss of her husband.
But one required food and shelter even while in the midst of grief.
Only the wealthy could afford to sit home and mourn without such life-threatening concerns.
Tulip had to admire the woman for showing strength despite her sorrow.“And what about the succeeding dukes?What were they like?”
Mrs.Granger’s smile faded as they walked upstairs to the bedrooms.“They were a difficult bunch, I will admit.I did my job and tried to stay out of their way as much as I could.Some of the things that went on in this house are too shameful to speak of aloud.”
“I heard rumors,” Tulip murmured.“Gossip was rampant in Burnham.That’s where I grew up and lived for most of my life.”
Mrs.Granger sighed and shook her head.“Well, it is not my place to speak ill of the dead.I served them as dutifully as I served the old duke.It wasn’t always easy.”
“I think you will find my husband to be honest and fair.There won’t be any such nonsense going on now that he is the duke.He is respectful of others, and a very good man.”
They entered the duke’s suite of rooms that at first glance appeared quite grand and impressively furnished.However, on closer inspection Tulip noticed the curtains were fraying and the walls looked as though they could use a fresh coat of paint.
The bed and the bed linens appeared to be in good shape, however.
Indeed, the linens looked new.
Mrs.Granger smiled when Tulip mentioned it.“Yes, we tossed out all the old ones, the mattress included, and purchased new.We thought His Grace would appreciate it and understand the reason for the added expenditure.”
“Oh, he will,” Tulip said, knowing Alex would burn down this entire place if given the choice because he blamed the old duke and his father for destroying his mother.
As far as Alex was concerned, they tainted everything they touched.
She walked to one of the windows to peer out.“The view is magnificent, Mrs.Granger.”
“Yes, quite beautiful,” the pleasant housekeeper agreed.
There was an expansive garden that sloped toward the waters of the Bristol Channel glistening in the distance.The shrubbery beside a willow tree in the garden’s corner seemed a bit overrun.It encroached on the flower beds and pebble pathways, but a little pruning would easily fix that problem.“Look there, by the willow.This would be the perfect spot for a little reading nook.A bench would go perfectly right there.”
To her surprise, Mrs.Granger became suddenly flustered.“Oh, we shouldn’t.That is…Ernfield will not allow it.You see, it was the old duke’s wishes to leave that spot untouched and Ernfield vowed it would remain so.”
“Why?”
“Truthfully, I don’t know.I think the old duke might have buried some of his favorite pets there when he was a child.Of course, you are in charge here now and can do whatever you wish.It would be a nice spot to sit and read.”
Tulip thought it odd that a hard man like Alex’s grandfather would be so devoted to his pets.“We shall leave it as it is for now.No reason to disrespect his wishes.”
There was a fountain in the center of the garden, but Tulip could not tell from this distance whether it was working or not.
“The duchess bedchamber is next door, Your Grace,” Mrs.Granger said, pointing to an interior door between the two rooms.“You mentioned that all the trunks were to be brought in here, but would you not prefer your privacy?How are you to dress or bathe while His Grace and his valet are about?And what of him?Is your lady’s maid to be standing here while he traipses about half dressed?”
“What you say is sensible,” Tulip admitted.“You can move my things into the duchess quarters since it makes sense not to have spectators while I am washing and dressing.But the door between our chambers is always to be left unlocked.”
She marched into the duchess suite of rooms and found them a little shabby, too.Nothing too serious that could not be easily refreshed.The room was a good size.The furniture was more delicate than the duke’s furniture, and obviously designed for the lady of the manor.The view was similar to that from the duke’s chamber.
It looked as though no wives had spent time in here in over a decade.Well, this was not surprising.From the gossip she had heard while growing up in Burnham, the last five dukes had either been widowers or bachelors when they inherited the title.
The lack of feminine touches showed.
However, the bed linens appeared to be new.
“We purchased new linens for both bedchambers,” Mrs.Granger confirmed as Tulip surveyed the room.“However, this mattress and everything else in the duchess quarters, from the furniture to the drapes, has been left in place since the time of your husband’s great grandfather.”
“That long?Has there been not a single lady of the house since his great grandfather’s time?”Tulip was surprised.
