“I certainly don’t think we will need any more food, but if you could bring me a pot of tea, it would be most welcome.” Before she could ask his name, he bowed again and swiftly left the room. Returning to the buffet, she plated a variety of offerings and joined Henry at the table. “Do you know if a buffet is offered every morning?” she asked him as she took a bite of her eggs.
“I believe so,” he answered. Pausing to think, he added, “I’m pretty sure it has been that way as long as I can remember. Why, is it not to your liking?”
“Oh, no, I have no problem with it. Everything looks and tastes delicious . . . It just seems like an awful lot of food to prepare for just the two of us. Do you know if anyone else will eat any of this spread?”
“I’m not sure, but I appreciate that you are conscious of waste,” he replied. “You are welcome to change it for the future if you like. You can manage things however you think best.”
Henry gave her such an encouraging smile she almost didn’t know how to react, still adjusting to having someone around who thought her capable. It warmed her to feel his support. “I’ll ask the cook and Mrs. Green about it later. I don’t want to make any moves before I have all the information.”
After finishing breakfast, Grace left Henry to a meeting with his land manager, catching up on what had happened in his absence, and she wandered downstairs to find Mrs. Green. Passing the kitchen on the way to the housekeeper’s office, she stopped to greet the cook, a young woman named Mrs. Nelsen.
“Good morning, Your Grace,” the cook greeted her, bowing her head before resuming her stirring. “I hope the breakfast was to your liking.” Overhearing the greeting, Mrs. Green stepped out of her office and joined them in the kitchen.
“Everything was delicious,” Grace said, “but I did have a question for you regarding the meal.”
“Oh, was something the matter, Your Grace?” Mrs. Nelsen looked concerned, and Mrs. Green turned toward her in curiosity.
“No, nothing was the matter,” she assured the two women. “I was simply wondering if such a lavish buffet was always presented, even when there are no guests at home. It seems like a lot of food for only His Grace and I, and I don’t want the food to go to waste. Do the staff partake in any of the food as well?”
“Oh,” Mrs. Nelsen replied again, seemingly taken aback by the question. “We’ve always done a buffet regardless of how many people are at home,” she said. “No, none of the staff eat the food. We have our morning meal prior to preparing breakfast for you and His Grace, as we are up hours earlier.”
“What about luncheon, are you able to repurpose any of the food for either the staff or His Grace?”
“Some of it won’t keep,” Mrs. Green spoke up, “but Mrs. Nelson is good at reusing what she can, where appropriate.”
“I see,” Grace said. “Mrs. Nelsen, would it be more work for you or your staff if you were to make individual plates of food for His Grace and I, rather than preparing a buffet? I’d like to cut down on the food waste as well as be more economical, but only if it will not cause you more work.”
“Lord, that’s kind of you, Your Grace,” the cook said, wide-eyed. “While more food would need to go into the luncheon prepared for staff, it would not be more work . . . In fact, it might be easier, as I would not be forced to be as creative with leftovers. The staff would appreciate having more fresh food as well, and preparing less food in the morning for you and His Grace would reduce our workload.”
“Excellent,” Grace said, smiling at the two women. “If you both are amenable to it, I think it would be wonderful if only two plates were prepared in the morning for His Grace and I, and feel free to make anything you would like for the staff luncheon moving forward.”
Mrs. Nelsen smiled in appreciation, and Mrs. Green noted that it would lead to savings on the larder bill. Grace encouraged Mrs. Nelsen to be creative and surprise her with what she decided to make based on what was seasonal and abundant. Leaving the kitchen, Grace followed Mrs. Green to see the rest of the manor, feeling accomplished in her small victory.
“That was very bold of you,” Mrs. Green said as they made their way back up to the main floor. It was said in a kind tone, but Grace felt a twinge of insecurity creep in at her comment.
“What do you mean?” she asked tentatively. “Do you not approve? Should I not make changes so fast?”
“I do approve. I just meant that change has come slowly here in the past.” Seeing Grace’s look of concern, she was quick to add, “It was a swift decision, yes, but not an uninformed one. You asked all the right questions before you decided to make a change. That’s all we can ask for, and it leads to happy staff members.” Smiling at Grace, she offered a final commendation. “Well done, Your Grace,” she said.
* * *
The rest of the day passed in a blur, and before Grace knew it, it was time for her first dinner at the manor. It had turned into a wet night and she listened to the rain tapping against her window as a summer storm was unleashing after quickly mounting that afternoon. She sat at the vanity watching her new lady’s maid, Lucy, bustle about the room and pick out items for a suitable dinner dress. Seeing her struggle, Grace apologized for the state of her wardrobe.
She had already known her apparel was lacking but trying to make herself presentable as a duchess made it clear that refurbishing her wardrobe needed to move to the top of her priority list. Her life in Yorkshire had been relatively isolated and the need for formal wear almost nonexistent. Now, her nicer gowns were horribly outdated and came from the time she had been preparing for her coming-out seven years before. Grace had stretched her wardrobe as far as it would go at the house party, updating them herself as much as possible with only passible dressmaking skills, and grateful that her size had not changed dramatically in the intervening years.
Thankfully, Grace had nothing but time to fill while Countess of Camden and decorated many of her simpler gowns with flowery embroidery. But it was clear as she attempted to dress for dinner that what had looked nice in Yorkshire now looked rather shabby in comparison to the well-appointed house around her. While she was not a vain woman, the drapes in her room were made of nicer material than most of her gowns, and she was self-conscious about going down to dinner.
“Don’t you fret, Your Grace,” Lucy said, now arranging her hair. “I’ve a fine hand with a needle myself, and I’m sure His Grace won’t even notice. You know how men are, he’ll be too distracted by your pretty face to even notice what you’re wearing. That is, until he goes to take it off you later,” she said with a wink.
“Lucy!” Grace admonished while turning crimson. “You should not speak of such things. And yes, His Grace is a perfect gentleman and would never comment on my attire even if he did notice.” Pulling on her gloves, she was finally ready to head downstairs. “Thank you, Lucy. I appreciate your help. I’ll talk with the duke this evening to see about arranging for some new dresses to be made. And I would like you to accompany me when I go to the dressmaker.” Grace still had a long way to go to feel confident she was the woman Henry thought her capable of being and looking the part would help her pretend until she was comfortable in her new surroundings.
Grace was relieved at how pleasantly dinner was going, Henry being easy to talk with and the food divine. She had told him about the breakfast changes, and he not only supported her decision but was happy she was already making changes to feel at home. As dessert was served, she tentatively raised the idea of funds, something they had yet to discuss.
“Henry,” she said, not looking at him while fiddling with her spoon, running it through the custard at the bottom of the pudding bowl. “I wondered if I might ask you a question regarding how much I am able to spend for the household and other items.”
“I’m not entirely sure how much has normally been budgeted for the household as Aunt Hester remained in charge when I took over the title, but I can look in the books and Mrs. Green can cover normal monthly expenses with you,” he replied, seemingly unconcerned.
“Yes, she showed me the books today,” Grace replied. “Mrs. Green and Standish run a tight ship without skimping on what is needed to live comfortably. I suppose I’m asking more about what I might be allowed to spend on items that are more frivolous and less necessary in nature.” She now looked up at him and saw that he seemed puzzled as to what she was really asking. Not surprising as she was being rather vague, finding it hard to gather the courage to plainly ask for what she needed.
