“Actually, I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Aunt Hester said. “The marriage happened, and nothing can be done about it, so it will be best if I can have some time with your new wife to show her the way of things and give her some guidance on what it means to be a Carrington. Fear not, I’ll bring her up to snuff. None of this was done properly, and you should know how much the appearance of propriety matters when you are a duke!”
Henry realized his aunt was vocalizing one of Grace’s fears before they were married regarding the ways in which she did not feel she was qualified to be his duchess. Maybe she had a point and he should have listened to her more closely, but he did not for one second regret choosing to marry her.
“I can understand your concerns from the outside,” he said, trying to placate his aunt. “Not knowing Grace, from the outside she may not seem like who you would consider a good match. But I assure you, I knew what I was doing when I decided to ask for her hand, and once you get to know her, you will see that she is a kind, empathetic, and intelligent woman who will make an outstanding duchess.”
“I guess we shall see,” his aunt responded with a sniff. “I’ll prepare for travel today, and set off for Highland Manor tomorrow. I look forward to getting to know this woman you seem so passionate about. And don’t you worry, I’ll make her a worthy duchess for you.”
After joining his aunt for tea, Henry left with some trepidation. Based on her initial negative thoughts toward Grace, he was not entirely sure asking her to return to the manor was the best idea. On the other hand, she was a wealth of knowledge about the family, the Carrington line, and maintaining tradition. Still settling into the role of duke himself, he knew the wisdom Aunt Hester could impart to Grace could help her feel more comfortable before they joined society next season.
CHAPTER31
It had been a trying week since Henry’s aunt had joined Grace at Highland Manor. She had first met the dowager the morning after she returned, and Grace had been polite, but reserved. Aunt Hester on the other hand was quick to speak her mind about the changes Grace had made and to comment on the areas where Grace needed to grow in order to present well as a duchess. Grace did not take offense, understanding her initial skepticism, and tried to present her kindest and most patient self to the dowager.
That first morning after Hester’s arrival brought the first challenge for Grace. “Good morning, Aunt Hester,” she said with a smile. “I hope you slept well. It must be nice to be back in your own bed after traveling.”
“Good morning, Grace. I must admit it is nice to be home although I was enjoying time with friends, such a nice change of pace,” the dowager said. Just then, two footmen entered the breakfast room, one placing a pot of tea in front of Aunt Hester, and the other placing steaming plates of food in front of them. “What’s this? Where is the buffet?” Hester asked, eyes widening as she took in the plate.
“I’ve asked Mrs. Nelsen to prepare individual plates in the morning rather than the buffet to cut down on food waste and lighten the workload of the kitchen staff,” Grace answered.
“Well, I never!” Hester replied, affronted. “Are we not able to choose what we wish to eat any longer?”
Examining her own plate, Grace could not see what all the fuss was about. It looked like a delectable plate of food with a slice of a mushroom, spinach, and onion quiche; some poached salmon in a dill cream sauce; a fresh summer tomato salad; and a rack of toast with fresh raspberry preserves on the side. “I think this looks delicious, the cook has outdone herself.”
“That is not the point,” Aunt Hester sputtered. “One wishes to have a say in what they consume in the morning. Besides, having a buffet is tradition, we have always had one as other ducal households do,” she emphasized to Grace. “We must keep up appearances.”
Taking a deep breath, Grace chose to leave the topic alone. It was not worth a fight. She returned her attention to the plate and enjoyed her food instead.
The peace only lasted a minute before Aunt Hester said to Grace, “I suppose now that you have married my nephew, you should tell me more about yourself.”
She spent the next few minutes revealing how she had met Henry at Fitz and Moira’s, suspecting Hester would approve of their having friends with a title. Grace also shared an abbreviated version of her history, explaining her father’s death, the aborted coming-out, her marriage to Lord Camden and subsequent time away from polite society in the north.
“I am sympathetic to what you have experienced,” Aunt Hester said after Grace was done with her story. She looked a bit more contrite than previously. “It speaks well of you that the Countess of Geffen is a friend.” Grace prevented herself from rolling her eyes at the expected response.
Staff returned to clear their plates away and Grace shared with Aunt Hester her plans to visit some of the tenant families that day as she was still getting to know them.
“You should be careful not to get too intimately involved with the tenants. Becoming too familiar can cause problems,” Hester cautioned.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Grace was truly astonished by her response. “Henry said you have a strong tradition of care for the tenants.”
“Care, yes,” the dowager replied. “It is up to us as landlords to make sure those living on our land are happy and well taken care of. But there is a line we should not cross. It does no good to get too involved or they will come to rely on us too much. There is a certain distance that should be maintained between the classes.”
“I’m afraid I don’t share that sentiment,” Grace said, becoming agitated with the woman’s attitude. “I’m rather surprised you feel that way.”
“Yes, well, judge me all you like,” Hester sniffed. “Things look different when you are in charge, and it would behoove you to remember that.”
Yes, living with Aunt Hester was indeed a lesson in patience. She was never outright unkind to her, and Grace even suspected that over the past week she had begrudgingly come to like her. But oh, how she made comments. Many, many comments and moves behind the scenes.
The morning after Grace’s initial breakfast with Aunt Hester, she noticed that the buffet was back. Letting it slide without comment in the moment, after the meal she went downstairs to inquire about the change.
“I’m so sorry, Your Grace,” Mrs. Nelsen apologized. “The Dowager Duchess asked me about the changes to breakfast yesterday, and later in the day Standish asked me to change things back to how they had been before. I didn’t know what to do as I can’t go against Standish, I need to keep my position.” The poor woman looked wretched, upset at being put in an unfair position. “I truly am sorry. If you want me to go back to individual plates, I can. Standish will understand if it’s a directive from you.”
“Please don’t upset yourself Mrs. Nelsen,” Grace sought to calm her. “For now, please continue to do as Standish asked. I don’t want to create a rocky relationship with the dowager right from the start. In the grand scheme of things, it’s really not a large enough issue to cause a commotion over.” Mrs. Nelsen thanked her for being so understanding, and neither Grace nor Aunt Hester had commented on the presence of the breakfast buffet each subsequent morning. It did pique Grace learning that Standish was not in her corner, but rather was still devoted to the dowager.
Other comments continued throughout the week. Grace could only thank the good lord that the first parcel of dresses form the London Modiste had arrived the day before Aunt Hester had so she did not have to trot out any of her older dresses in front of the woman. Even so, there were more sniffs and comments about the plainness of the cut which Grace preferred, because as a duchess, she now must set the trend and be an example.
Beyond spending too much time getting to know the tenants, Aunt Hester also had an opinion on how Grace chose to spend her time. When she was found reading a volume of the history of agriculture to better understand what was happening on the estate, there was a comment about how she should leave the men’s work to the men. When she found Grace in the kitchen gardens one day with a member of the kitchen staff, not being able to find fault with the activity outright, there was still a comment about it being unbecoming to cover herself in mud. This was conveyed, of course, with an accompanying sniff.
The dowager was not malicious in her delivery or intent, rather she was more concerned with maintaining appearances than either Henry or Grace, and she valued tradition more than anything. Grace could tell that there were times when she tried to restrain herself from commenting even further than she already did, yet she could not always help herself from offering the advice which flowed out of her, putting Grace on edge.
