Traveled Hearts (First In Series Book 1) by Mahara Veronica & Mahara Veronica

Author:Mahara, Veronica & Mahara, Veronica [Mahara, Veronica]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Veronica Mahara
Published: 2019-06-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty-three

It took over a month before Jessica found a rhythm to her household, and with each passing day she felt more of the weight of her new responsibilities. Hannah was her main housekeeper. Frederick had allowed Jessica to choose the cook, though he insisted the woman must be able to prepare English food. It was a challenge, but after many interviews, she hired Miss Benton, who agreed somewhat reluctantly to consult with Hannah for recommendations of Liverpool’s favorite dishes. These included stewed meats and game pies, boiled chicken with vegetables and a jellied broth, tea service with the right biscuits, and always a good and presentable pudding. To Jessica’s relief, Frederick seemed very pleased with his meals.

Her next task was finding a kitchen maid for the cook. She hired a girl by the name of Gretchen Giles. Though barely seventeen years old, she seemed strong enough to handle the rigors of the kitchen and Miss Benton’s authoritative personality. Her final hire was a helper for Hannah. Angie Greer was also young and sturdy, and Hannah took to her immediately. Kevin worked with Frederick’s choice of stableman, Sam Richards, and a gardener was hired to come regularly to tend to the grounds. Keeping her household running smoothly, she defined herself as mistress of the house. It barely gave her time to indulge in her artistic passion, but she managed to squeeze in a few painting sessions each week.

Frederick had surprised her with a small glass summer house down a grassy hill from the main house. It stood like an eager child, ready to play. Paned French doors opened like welcoming arms. The gabled roof structure was painted white with light blue trim. Inside, the high ceiling gave the space a palatial feel. Jessica left the doors open when she could. The cool, soft breezes were refreshing. She felt a sense of freedom here. Frederick provided her with the money she needed to make it her own, and it became one of her favorite escapes. A wooden, tabletop easel rested on a small desk. A soft-pink chaise, her most prized possession, stretched against one of the walls. At times she would unlace her shoes, kick them from her feet, step onto the thick, flowered rug, then lie on the chaise, letting her mind wander back to her life in Hartford–her and Jacob’s wild horseback races, their intimacy, her parents’ love, her brother’s teasing. How safe she had felt.

Today she retrieved the picture she had painted of Jacob and her by Mary’s Pond and bravely hung it in her studio as a bittersweet memory. She gathered her art supplies and sat on the manicured grass outside her studio. She breathed in the mild, sweet air. A large eucalyptus tree stood close by. The striped bark and draping branches filled with blue-green leaves intrigued her, and she began to pencil in what she saw. A gust of wind blew its rich scent her way, making it all that much easier to capture the tree’s essence.

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