Bessie by Jackie Ivie

Author:Jackie Ivie
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2015-05-10T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“I tell you, I know what I’m doing, and they don’t!”

“And I’ll not take this sort of insolence from a young pup. Out of the way!”

“Will you take it from me, Francis?”

Bessie breezed into one of the drawing rooms. She’d heard the shouting from the hall, as had the ladies with her, Lizzy, Regina, and Olivia. Uncle Francis turned and glared at her. Bessie was so used to it she ignored his scowl and went to stand directly between Henry and his uncle.

“I’ve taken more than I can stand from you, Mistress.”

“Excellent. Perhaps you’ll find the North wing more to your liking? I understand it’s nearly habitable.”

“I’ll not move to the North wing.”

“May I politely disagree? I’ve decided to renovate your chambers next. You will find it exceedingly uncomfortable to stay there. Do I need to be any clearer?”

“You threaten me, when all I was trying to do was keep my nephew from making a fool of himself? This is the thanks I get?”

“What has Henry done that you’d classify as foolish? Henry?”

Bessie swiveled sideways and looked up to Devon’s fourth brother. She was beginning to notice subtle differences about them. Henry’s hair wasn’t as dark as Devon’s, nor was he as tall. He also looked unsure at the moment.

“They were scaling the floor down. It’s stupid.”

“The floors have to be repaired. They slope toward the outer wall in every room on the lower floor. Whose plan was that?”

“It was to keep flood waters out.” Uncle Francis answered.

“That may have been the reason, but there’s not a water mark from the lowest spot of the dungeons upward that I have seen.”

“It could still flood.”

“And it could stay dry, too. In the meantime, we all slide downhill?”

“Why tempt fate?”

“Fate needs the exercise. Better yet, since I’m replacing all the tables in the Great Hall and I’m not having them designed with longer legs on one side - which was the prior method of correcting a poor design - we will need floors that are level. I don’t care what you say about it.”

“You’re replacing the tables?”

“With the heaviest, most expensive oak. Don’t fret, Francis. I can always have the old ones delivered to the North wing for your use. You’ll have some work to do to keep them from falling over, however.”

“You’d allow my nephew to be a workman? With all this fancy talk of education and refinement?”

“Is that what this is all about, Henry?”

“They’re scaling the floors down. I know it’s wrong.”

“Why is it wrong?”

“You’re going to listen to the advice of a lad? I can’t believe my ears.”

“You’re free to leave, Francis. The rest of us will listen. Go ahead, Henry.”

“I got to thinking. It could still flood, and the design isn’t that incorrect. But all we’ll accomplish by chipping the stone floor down is a lot of work. I propose setting heavy timbers on their sides, from the highest point in the room...right here, for example.”

The girls, Bessie, Uncle Francis, and several workmen stood back as Henry passed between them and stopped at the doorway.

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