“Mrs. Ellsworth?” James asked. “Is it really you?”
“You know me?”
“Yes, of course I do. What are you doing here?”
“I heard in the village that you’d returned and I had to see it for myself.” Her gaze swept the length of him. “You’re quite large.”
James chuckled. “I’m no longer the scrawny boy you remember?”
“You were always sturdy. Constantly outside, running about and getting your clothes muddy.” She smiled, shaking her head. “Goodness me, you look fine though. Handsome. Just as I knew you’d be.”
“I’d invite you in for tea but I’m afraid there’s no staff. The architect I’ve hired will be here shortly. I’m afraid to say, the estate is in a terrible state.”
“Then the rumors are true? You’ve come back and plan to live here?”
“Indeed. I plan to return Ashford Manor to its original beauty.”
“I’ve come to greet you, of course, but also to offer my services. If you need a housekeeper, you need look no further.”
“You’re not currently employed?”
“I have been. Until recently. The woman I worked for in the village passed away. God rest her soul. I’ve been staying with my sister and brother-in-law the last few weeks. When I learned of your return, it seemed divine intervention. I’ve missed working here all these manyyears. And your family too. I’d been employed by the Ashfords since I was a young woman. It was all I knew and then suddenly it was no more. It broke my heart to send you children away but there was nothing I could do.”
“Mrs. Ellsworth, it would be an honor to welcome you back. However, I’ll need a few weeks to repair the kitchen and staff quarters to make them habitable once more. I don’t know if it’s safe to reside here, to be perfectly honest.”
“Are you living here?”
“Yes, I brought a cot with me to sleep on and managed to clean the chimney in the main bedchambers to help with the chill. I must say, it’s not making much difference. The rooms are frigid and damp. I’m used to rough dwellings. But it wouldn’t do for you.”
“I’m available to start right away,” Mrs. Ellsworth said. “I can stay with my sister until we have the staff quarters restored. If you need me, I can help to put the kitchen back into working order. I know several women in the village here who would be happy to help. Work is hard to come by these days.”
“Yes, that would be most welcome. My cook will be arriving next week. If we can have the kitchen in working order by then, I won’t have to eat at the pub every night. Mrs. Honeycutt cooked for me at the tavern I owned in Brighton and she’s agreed to come to the manor.”
Mrs. Ellsworth was shaking her head. “I heard rumors you won that tavern in a card game. Is it true?”
“Indeed, I won the tavern in a bet.” He grinned, tickled by her horrified expression.
“Well, I’m glad that life is behind you now.”
“Yes, now here we are. The Ashford name’s been restored and I plan to do the same with the manor.”
“It will take some time to do so,” Mrs. Ellsworth said, peering over his shoulder at the manor.
What must she think, seeing it like this? Did it break her heart as it did his own to see how the wind caught the broken shutters? Or how weeds had overtaken what was once a sweeping, manicured lawn? Ivy crept like rot up the facade of the great house, choking the windows and curling over the cornices.
He crossed his arms against the chill and stared up at the cracked windows of the east wing, where water damage had turned the plaster walls to flaking parchment. The old ash tree near the gate leaned like a drunkard over the crumbling boundary wall, its limbs bare despite the spring thaw. Beyond it, the stables sagged under the weight of disuse.
Before he could offer to take Mrs. Ellsworth inside, the sound of a carriage drew their attention. “This is the architect,” James said to Mrs. Ellsworth. “I’ve not met him yet.”
“I’ll let you alone then,” Mrs. Ellsworth said. “But if it’s all right, I’ll call on you tomorrow. I’ll be ready to do whatever needs doing.”
“Wonderful. I’ll look forward to it.” He resisted the urge to take her hands. Instead, he gave her a sincere smile and thanked her again for calling on him.
The carriage was almost to them by then. Mrs. Ellsworth gave a wave and then set back down the road toward the village on foot, pulling her coat tighter around her small frame.
The carriage halted and the driver stepped down to open the doors.
He really hoped the architect wasn’t a pretentious dandy type in garish clothing.
