For the briefest of seconds, she found herself devoid of an answer because, while Rhenick’s question was a fairly simple one, the very idea that he was asking her what she wanted to do in this situation instead of taking charge because he was a man reinforced the idea she’d had often of late—that being the fact that she’d clearly misjudged Rhenick right from the start.
Rhenick, unlike other men, never ignored her opinion but actually sought it out often, a novel experience and one she couldn’t deny she enjoyed.
Frankly, she’d come to enjoy quite a few things about Rhenick over the past weeks, as he was a man who was well-versed in a plethora of subjects and didn’t expect to limit their conversations to the weather.
Many of the conversations they’d shared during the time they spent together revolved around the improvements that needed to be made in the castle, or discussing what classes should be considered of the utmost priority once the academy was up and running.
Rhenick, it turned out, possessed some incredibly helpful insights when it came to deciding what lessons would be the most beneficial to the young ladies of Chicago, that insight a direct result of him spending the majority of his time being surrounded by members of the feminine set. Those feminine members were not simply his sisters, but a variety of cousins, neighbors, and—not that he’d said this, but his mother certainly had—numerous young ladies who apparently longed to spend as much time in his company as possible.
Truth be told, she couldn’t blame those ladies, not when she’d found herself—a woman who’d vowed to avoid the company of men—looking forward to the time she and Rhenick spent together, mostly because Rhenick never failed to make her feel as if she was the center of his attention, something she’d never experienced before.
He also never hesitated to answer any of the many questions she directed his way, and when she’d asked him about his love of architecture, he’d taken the time to explain how he developed his fascination for building when he was young and visited his father on different sites, then pursued his passion for creating structures when he went off to college and studied architectural design.
When they weren’t talking about her plans for the academy or his love of design, they were immersed in castle renovations. Thankfully, those renovations hadn’t been as extensive as Drusillahad feared, most of the work centering around maintenance issues such as getting the coal furnace up and running, fixing the water pressure to where it wasn’t soaking a person anytime a faucet was turned on, and inspecting gas lines so that it would be safe to use the gas sconces that were installed on every wall.
“We could always put off this meeting with Umberto if you’re having a difficult time deciding how to proceed,” Rhenick said, recalling Drusilla to the fact she’d not said a word in reply to his question, which was not something any lady well-versed in proper decorum would usually do, not when turning mute in the middle of a conversation was certainly considered rude.
“Forgive me, Rhenick,” she began. “I fear I was quite lost in thought, but know that I have a general idea of what I’m going to say to that man.” She sent him a nod. “I’m going to keep it short and direct.”
“And if he doesn’t accept short and direct?”
“Then I may need you to intercede, as I would hate to lose my temper and begin shrieking at him in frustration since that would hardly be appropriate for a future headmistress to do.” She smiled. “Shrieking, as I’m sure you know, would be very bad for business, especially if word got around that a lady who’s supposed to be the picture of decorum displayed behavior that was anything but.”
Rhenick drew her into motion again. “I don’t think shrieking on your part would harm your academy in the least because what you don’t seem to understand is this—the mothers of the Chicago daughters who are to be enrolled in your academy will not bat an eye if it’s discovered that the headmistress of a soon-to-be-esteemed ladies’ academy may have a bit of a temper. Not when her academy will go far in making sure that the embarrassment Tilda endured during a Vanderbilt dinner, or the embarrassment my own mother endured when she was snubbed at the Palmer House, won’t happen to their daughters in the future.”
Drusilla’s pace slowed. “Wilhelmine never mentioned being snubbed at the Palmer House.”
“I would have thought she’d have mentioned that at some point as a way to solidify why she wants you to open the academy. And while it’s not my story to tell, I don’t believe Mother would mind me explaining how she was given what amounts to a cut direct, and by ladies who not only snubbed her, but felt it was their job to point out what they thought were her glaring deficiencies.”
A sliver of temper slid through her because, even though she knew it was simply the way society comported itself and had often witnessed ladies of the New York Four Hundred giving the cut direct to more members of the nouveau riche set than Drusilla could count, Wilhelmine had been more than kind to her, and because of that...
“Do you think your mother would be receptive to taking a few lessons in propriety?” she asked, earning a blink from Rhenick in return.
“I don’t believe she’d be opposed to it, but you already have almost sixty students wanting to attend your school and only three instructors. Offering my mother personal classes might be too much for you to take on.”
She waved that aside. “I wouldn’t be giving those lessons. I’ll ask my mother since she’s already grown incredibly fond of Wilhelmine, especially after your mother somehow convinced mine to give up her widow’s weeds, which has left my mother enjoying a far more comfortable existence of late. That comfortable condition has improved her frequently querulous nature by leaps and bounds. Because of that, I don’t think she’d hesitate to extend a few lessons in propriety to Wilhelmine.”
Rhenick settled a smile on her, but before he could do more than that, a whistle coming from the vicinity of the gate drew her attention, as well as caused her to realize that she’d almost reached the gate but had been completely unaware of that, whatwith how focused she’d been on Rhenick. It was a curious thing, losing track of her surroundings, something she’d never been prone to doing before, and...
“It’s about time,” a man yelled through the gate, snapping her out of her thoughts, her pace slowing when she got her first good look at a man she assumed was Umberto Zambarello.
To say he fit the image of a man who might still be a member of the criminal persuasion was an understatement, even if he’d supposedly gone legitimate, because he stood over six feet tall, had a scar bisecting one of his cheeks, and was as broad—if not broader—than Rhenick. Add in the fact that he was currently scowling at her with dark eyes that were narrowed in what could only be described as a menacing fashion, and it was little wonder that a shiver took that moment to travel up her spine.
She forced herself to meet his gaze directly. “I understand from my groundskeeper that you’d like a word with me. Mr. Zambarello, I presume?”
“Of course I’m Mr. Zambarello, and you’re that Merriweather chit, but know that it would be easier to have that word if you’d open the gate and let me in,” Umberto snapped. “I’m unused to being left lingering outside anyone’s door.”
“You wouldn’t be left lingering if you’d simply accept that I’m not interested in selling, and calling me a chit is hardly going to convince me to have a lengthy talk with you, even with a gate separating us.”
“Would addressing you as Miss Merriweather convince you to let me in?”
“I believe that moment has passed, not that I ever had any intention of inviting you inside as, again, I’m not selling the castle.”
Umberto’s eyes hardened. “Then why has Whittenbecker and Company had crews roaming around here?”
She lifted her chin. “How disconcerting to learn you’ve been spying on my castle, but to answer you’re rude demand knowthat I, along with my sister, brought Whittenbecker and Company on because we needed a few maintenance issues addressed, nothing more.”
“What kind of maintenance issues?”
