After today, she was not expected to step foot in the kitchen.
She really did not like that rule.
Shouldn’t she know what was being purchased?What was spent.What was being pilfered, for this was another thing Dillie had warned her about.There was always someone sneaking out with an extra loaf of bread, eggs, or fresh meat.Some might be more brazen and attempt to sneak off with some of the silverware, which was why she needed to keep the silverware under lock and key, and keep an accurate count of the pieces.
Mostly, Dillie overlooked the petty pilfering.However, she made certain to let her staff know she was aware of it.
Action was taken in the rare instances it got out of hand.
Tulip intended to follow this advice.
However, she was pleased how this place was run.The cook, housekeeper, and head butler all seemed to be taking their positions in the household quite seriously.While the Davenport dukes were profligate, their staff was not.
She and Mrs.Granger left the kitchen and made their way back down the narrow hall, their next stop the study.
The door was still closed, which meant the men were probably still working.
She knocked anyway.
“Enter,” Alex called out with ducal authority.
She could not help but smile when she saw him with his jacket off and his expression serious as he made a notation in what appeared to be a ledger book.He still had on his waistcoat that accentuated his broad shoulders and trim torso, and she thought he looked very handsome indeed.
He remained immersed in the ledgers a moment longer, studying them with a sharp-eyed look.
When he finally glanced up, he smiled with genuine warmth upon realizing she had been the one to knock and not the butler.“Did you enjoy your tour?”
She nodded.“Yes, very much.”
He rose to come around to the front of his desk.“Good, then you can show me around later and point out what you particularly liked.”
“All right.”It seemed an odd request since this house was as new to her as it was to him.Well, he had lived here as a boy, but so much must have changed since that time.
Back then, he was looking at Thornwycke through the eyes of a child.
He clearly was not asking for either Mrs.Granger or Mr.Carver to accompany them and serve as guides.“Our cook, Mrs.Crabbe, asked when we would like supper served.She also wanted to know when we would like to take our other meals.”
Alex shrugged.“What is your preference?”
Tulip responded with a shrug of her own.“Oh, it makes no difference to me.Whatever suits you.”
“Newly married and you are already being difficult,” he teased, chuckling lightly.“Very well, how about supper at seven o’clock in the evening.Breakfast at eight o’clock in the morning.And one o’clock for a midday meal?”
She smiled.“Sounds perfect.”
“But it ought to be nothing elaborate for the midday meal these next few weeks because it is likely I’ll be riding out with Mr.Carver every day for the foreseeable future.”
Tulip turned to Mrs.Granger.“Would you please relay this information to Mrs.Crabbe?”
She bobbed a curtsy.“If I am not needed here, I’ll take care of it now.”
Alex dismissed her with a nod.
Once their housekeeper had walked out, Alex drew out one of the chairs beside his desk and motioned for her to take the seat.“Join us, Tulip.I’m sorry I abandoned you, but I was eager to attack these ledgers without delay.”
“Not at all, I know you meant to arrive here days earlier.”
And without a wife, she could have added.
