“Goodness me,” Miss Mayton said quietly.
The doors to the house were thrown open as the carriage came to a stop. A butler, housekeeper, and bevy of footmen hurried forward, followed by an elegant lady and her very pretty younger companion.
That must be Lady Theodora! Cordelia had nursed a private hope that she would come with some defect—a humped back or squinty eyes would not have been unwelcome.
But there she was and looking rather perfect.
They were helped down with quiet efficiency, Lynette coming out last and standing to the side.
“Lady Cordelia, Miss Mayton,” the duchess said, coming forward. “How pleased we are that you have accepted our invitation.”
Cordelia curtsied low and said, “Your Grace.”
“Goodness, we are in the countryside, let us not have that sort of formality, Duchess will do very well. Here is my daughter, Lady Theodora.”
“You are both very welcome,” Lady Theodora said prettily.
Blast it. She was so charming!
“Now, I will not have you standing on the drive a moment longer,” the duchess said. “My housekeeper shall show you to your rooms where you can rest and change from your traveling clothes.”
“Oh Mama,” Lady Theodora said, “do allow me to show them the way. I do know the ins and outs of those rooms. Mrs. Blowton can show the maid, what is your name?”
Lynette bobbed a curtsy and said, “Lynette, my lady.”
“Mrs. Blowton can show Lynette to the servants’ quarters,” Lady Theodora said. “Mr. Graves has put aside two of our best spare rooms for her use.”
The duchess nodded her assent. Lynette appeared positively delighted and rather reassured that she would not be lorded over. She was also probably filing this moment away for a future communication with Fleur.
Cordelia really wished Lady Theodora would stop being so utterly charming. She did not suppose it was every duchess’ daughter who would inquire into a maid’s name.
“We meet in the drawing room at seven,” the duchess said. “By then, the duke, my son, and Lord Harveston will have returned from their manly pursuits.”
“We are to be a small party, then?” Miss Mayton asked.
“For tonight,” the duchess said. “The rest of my guests will descend like pigeons to roost on the morrow. I did so wish to give Lady Cordelia and my daughter some time to become acquainted with one another beforehand.”
This was rather marvelous. Not so much because Cordelia wished to become acquainted with Lady Theodora, she was already almost sickened by how charming the lady was, but because it would be a small party with Lord Harveston. She supposed there was every chance she would be seated next to him at dinner.
They were led into the house and Lady Theodora showed them up the stairs.
“As you might guess,” she said, “this is a very old house, full of…well, I would call them quirks, though others might call them oddities and deformities.”
Cordelia could see for herself that the house had passed down through many hands. The very staircase showed it. The dark wood had been worn smooth, a testament to all those generations who’d run their hands along it.
“You have probably also noticed that we have an excessive amount of floors,” Lady Theodora said. “At a party such as this, one might expect the unmarried ladies to be in one wing and the gentleman in another. In this house, the ladies are on this floor and the gentleman on the next up.”
They had come to a landing, and indeed Cordelia could see the staircase running up another two floors. The servants would be at the very top, which must be a long climb for them.
“Goodness, your servants must be run off their feet,” Miss Mayton said, speaking precisely what she had been thinking.
“It is a defect of the house, to be sure,” Lady Theodora said. “To remedy the situation, each servant has two rooms—one on the top floor and one on the basement level. They move between them as they like and sometimes they do get the better of us. If it is very hot, they are cool in the basement, and if it is very cold, all the heat of the house goes right up to their accommodations.”
“I applaud your care of your servants, Lady Theodora,” Cordelia said, hardly able to imagine Lynette’s delight with the circumstance.
Cordelia did not wish to applaud the lady, but what could she do?
“My father says that in a house like this everybody must all pull together—if people are unhappy, they will no more pull for you than a bad-tempered pony will pull a cart.”
