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Both girls took a pause and looked over at Freddie simultaneously, but this time, Freddie was looking right back at Anne. The two adults immediately looked away from each other and then Eponine engaged Margaret in conversation about her latest book, and George got Freddie talking about beginning his job tomorrow morning. This gave Anne a second to think about the newcomer for herself.
There is no way that Lord George would have created an entirely new position in the household and failed to tell me about it. That simply does not sit right with me. There has to be some explanation for why I was not made aware of Mr Austen’s existence until he was standing right in front of me. Although it may take me some time to discover it, I am bound to get to the bottom of this puzzle!
After they had eaten, Eponine took Anne aside and said, “I would like to have some time alone with the children before they go off to sleep. Please take the rest of the evening to yourself, and we will see you in the morning.”
Although this was not an uncommon thing for Eponine to suggest, and Anne knew that she was only doing it because she genuinely wanted to spend some time with her children, Anne still felt very guilty. When Eponine took the children in the evening like this, Anne always worried it was secretly because she thought that Anne was not doing an adequate job, and so the children needed their mother to sweep in and rescue them.
Doubts like these weighed heavily on Anne’s mind, but she knew they were unfounded; the Grahams consistently praised her for the wonderful impact she’d had on the children, and she just needed to remind herself of that in these moments.
Anne watched Eponine walk away with Andre, Margaret, and Amelie, and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw George and Freddie walking off together. They were probably going to discuss the finer details of Freddie’s new position. So now, having nothing to do for the rest of the evening, Anne decided to go and find her best friend in the house.
She walked downstairs quickly and excitedly darted down the long hallway towards her destination. When she arrived, she knocked softly on the door. She knew that her friend might be in the middle of their duties, but there just might be a chance that if she baited them with gossip about Freddie, they would speak with her for a little while.
“Enter,” came a gruff but friendly voice from the other side.
Anne pushed the door open and beamed at her closest friend, who just so happened to be Alfred Buxton, the Grahams’ butler.
Alfred tilted his head towards the floor and looked up at Anne over his glasses. He was a large, intimidating-looking man with black hair that was greying in places. His face was quite square, and most of his features seemed almost unnaturally exaggerated; he had huge eyes, large lips, and ears that stuck out like an elephant’s. The only part of his face that did not seem oversized was his nose. It was delicate and very pleasantly shaped.
Alfred had truly atrocious eyesight, and so it took him a moment to realize who was in his presence. He continued scowling at her as he squinted and tried to see who was visiting him.
“Veruca, why are you down here? You should be in the kitchen right now, as I have told you …”
“Alfred,” Anne said impatiently, “it is Anne, and you should really see about getting yourself a new pair of spectacles.”
A look of delighted surprise came across Alfred’s face, and he no longer looked quite so big and intimidating. Anne likened the man to a teddy bear, which the rest of the house could never understand. However, the rest of the house rarely ever got to see Anne’s gentler side either, and so she and Alfred were shockingly well-suited to each other.
“Annie!” he cried delightedly, closing the book he was writing in with a snap. “I was hoping that you might grace me with your presence today, but I had not expected you to come so early. Did Lady Eponine take the children to bed?”
Anne nodded, but before she could answer anything more, Alfred continued, “And I know that you didn’t think for even a moment that she did that because she felt that you were inadequate, now did you?”
She opened her mouth to respond, but she could not. Alfred knew her better than she knew herself. “Only for a moment this time, and it was quickly shelved when I reassured myself.”
Alfred winked at her. “Well done, my dear. In that case, what brings you here? Do you have any news to share with me about this grand house we inhabit?”
Anne nodded emphatically. Alfred leaned forward and placed his hands upon the table knitted together. “Oh,good. What did I miss today?” he asked.
“I will tell you right away, but first I must ask you if you were privy to any information regarding a new member being added to our household?” Anne asked him.
Alfred looked off into the middle distance, and then when he’d made a realization, he quickly looked back at Anne. “You’re joking. I thought that Lady Eponine’s nausea was caused by the bad bit of beef that the cook accidentally used the other night; I did not think for a moment that meant that …”
“No, no,” Anne interrupted, waving her hands in front of her to signal for him not to go any further with that line of thought. “I did not mean to insinuate that Lady Eponine might be with child. No, I meant adding a new member to our household through the hiring process. It seems that Lord George created a new position, interviewed for it, and hired someone all without telling any of us.”
Suddenly, Alfred’s look became stormy. “Lord George... hired someone? Without my knowledge? For a position that he created himself? What is it, the ‘Head of Keeping the Watering Cans in the Conservatory Full’?”
Anne chuckled. “Sadly, no. This time it is far more serious: he’s hired a property manager.”
Alfred nearly fell out of his chair. “A p...pr...property manager? How in heaven’s name... why would he... but he has me! He’s had me for the last ten years!”
Anne nodded along with him in a very understanding way. “Believe me, Alfred, if anyone is as baffled as you are by this news, it is I. What would he need a property manager for when he has you?”
“Precisely!” Alfred practically squawked. “What would a ‘property manager’ give him that I could not?”
“If there is one good thing that comes about because of this,” Anne said light-heartedly, “it is that you now understand how I feel when Lady Eponine says that she will take the children for the evening.”
Alfred looked taken aback until he realized that Anne was simply teasing him. “Yes, yes, I suppose that if I must endure this torture of being made superfluous, my pain might be slightly lessened by the fact that I better understand your pain.”
Anne giggled and then leaned forwards and rubbed Alfred’s upper arm. “Come now, Alfred. I’m sure that Lord George had a perfectly reasonable explanation for creating this position and hiring Mr Austen.”
