A Fine Caprice - A Regency Romance by Harper Kate

Author:Harper, Kate [Harper, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Thanks to his lordship’s industry, by three o’clock that afternoon Abbey Cross had received more attention than it had in years. Mrs. Flannel, the landlord’s sister-in-law, proved to be a surprisingly good find and quickly organized the two maids, the cook and the man who was to be the general dogsbody – and who would later evolve into a gardener, if they ever came to grips with what was required inside the house – with brisk efficiency. Apparently she had arranged for several more people as well but they were not expected until the next day.

Caprice predicted that the housekeeper, closely followed by the cook, would take one look at the kitchen and run but Mrs. Flannel was made of sterner stuff. Admittedly, she did pause on the threshold and Caprice heard a swiftly indrawn breath but it was only a momentary hesitation and she forged ahead resolutely. The cook, a Mrs. Siddons, was not nearly as stoic and was heard to say that some tasks were beyond a body but Caprice was relieved to hear Mrs. Flannel chide such a lamentable attitude.

‘There’s a decent kitchen under here somewhere Mrs. Siddons. It just needs a good clean.’

‘A good clean.’ Mrs. Siddons almost whimpered. ‘I’ve never seen the like in all my life!’

‘Nonsense,’ Mrs. Flannel returned, voice bracing. ‘Now… let’s set to.’

Caprice grinned and reflected that his lordship had landed on his feet with that particular female. By two o’clock a dray turned up pulling a wagon with a remarkably large amount of food. Mrs. Flannel saw to its distribution, while giving the lad who’d brought it instructions as to what would be required the next day. Meals at Abbey Cross, it seemed, might possibly become a regular event.

The brisk activity clearly found no favor with Mr. Ravener or the Grand Duchess, although Maria was far better at conceal her chagrin than Hadley. Caprice watched them covertly and was interested to note the low voiced conversations between the two. Mindful of her instructions to lurk, she flittered carefully about, eager not to be seen but equally eager not to be snaffled by Mrs. Flannel in the cleaning assault that was being waged on the house. The housekeeper had jobs for anybody she spied and unfortunately she had identified Caprice as a potential source of labour. Everybody was kept running, especially the poor fellow who had come to do the heavier jobs and who was instructed to move a seemingly endless amount of junk. Remarkably, the hallway was cleared of debris by late afternoon, showing off a surprisingly spacious entry area. Even more remarkably, the kitchen began to actually emerge as a room that might possibly produce food, a miracle considering the sorry state it had been in at breakfast.

Lord Merridew continued his investigations in the library, going through what papers of his uncle’s that he could find. Caprice focused on drifting around after Maria and it was to the library that she followed the woman. The lady had obviously gone to seek his lordship out.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.