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“Can we just go to bed?” she mumbles.
Maxim gently clasps her chin and tips her head back so Alessia opens her eyes. “Your wish is my command, Lady Trevethick. Thank you for this evening and tonight. You were spectacular. You must be starving too.” He brushes her lips with his.
“No. Just tired. So tired.” She gives him a sleepy smile, and he drops the towel, scoops her up off the floor, then places her on the bed.
* * *
Alessia is asleep before I step back and cover her in the duvet. I move a stray strand of hair off her face, and she doesn’t move. “My brave, strong girl. Thank you,” I whisper and kiss her forehead.
I finish drying myself, drag on my PJs, and crawl into bed beside my wife, where I snuggle up to her and inhale her scent…
It’s the rattle of cups that wakes me. Danny has entered our room with a very welcome tray of coffee and breakfast. The smell is tantalizing, and my mouth pools with saliva.
I am fucking famished.
“Good morning, your lordship. I hear you had quite the night.”
“Good morning,” I mumble, not wanting to wake up. I open my eyes, and Alessia’s eyes flutter open but close again.
Danny places a tray at the end of our bed. “It’s after eleven, my lord. I thought you might need some breakfast,” she says, and I cannot remember the last time she brought me breakfast in bed.
I must be in her good books.
Or maybe it’s Alessia.
It’s probably Alessia.
“Thank you, Danny.” I sit up, and Alessia is still fast asleep beside me.
Danny looks down at my sleeping wife, her face soft and sweet with a fondness I don’t think I’ve seen before. “Oh my lord, you chose well,” she says, and with that, she seems to come to her senses. She straightens, clears her throat, gathers our filthy clothes from the floor, and leaves.
Breakfast smells enticing.
Bacon, eggs, mushrooms, toast.
I pull the tray toward me, and Alessia rouses.
“I smell food,” she says sleepily.
“Hungry?” I ask.
She offers me a sleepy grin. “Starving.”
* * *
Alessia is becoming familiar with the rhythm of the house. In the morning, after they’ve washed and dressed and maybe made love, she and Maxim have breakfast with the staff in the large kitchen—usually, it’s the second sitting. Afterward, she and Danny meet to discuss the day’s menu, bookings, and requirements for the holiday houses, which includes the Hideout, and any household issues or tasks that need to be completed. When that’s all done, Alessia has been going to the great barn to help with the lambing and moving ewes with their progeny to the bonding pens.
She’s even driven herself.
Without Maxim.
He was anxious, but he let her go.
And she succeeded.
She needs to apply for a driver’s license. And take a test.
All in good time, Alessia!
During the week, the Home Farm has welcomed 197 lambs and counting.
Alessia has done two more night shifts to help. And she loves it.
She loves it here.
She loves that she feels… useful.
She now knows all the estate workers by name, who lives-in, who lives nearby in Trevethick village, and who lives farther afield. They are all delighted that she’s there to share the workload.
And she is m’lady.
To everyone.
In the early evenings, she enjoys a walk with Jensen, Healey, and her husband. The dogs adore her husband almost as much as she does… though he assures her the dogs were Kit’s. The four of them have roamed the estate, and Maxim has regaled her with stories of his youth and his many, many misdemeanors, and she’s built a mental picture of an idyllic life led by Maxim and his siblings here on the estate.
No wonder he loves it so much.
They’ve taken a couple of walks along Trevethick beach, and she’s breathed in the fresh, salty air by the sea.
He has given her the sea… again.
And she loves it.
But tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow, after church, they’re returning to London for Alessia’s audition that will take place on Monday. She’s been studying for that in the afternoons. Losing herself in the colors of her music in the great music room.
Maxim, too, has been busy. As well as the new still idea, he’s been preoccupied with the concept of regenerative farming. He’s holding a meeting of all the tenant farmers at the Hall this evening, with a farmer who’s come from a place called Worcestershire—which she finds impossible to pronounce—to share ideas. Snacks and drinks are being provided—Danny, Jessie, and Melanie, one of the part-time staff who helps Danny, are serving, but Alessia will also be on hand. She’s looking forward to it, as it’s the first time they’ve entertained at the Hall, and she, too, wants to learn about these new farming practices.
Alessia’s only concern is Maxim. He seems a little distracted sometimes. And she’s not sure if it’s the estrangement with his mother or something else. She’s asked him about it, but he says he’s fine. In fact, he says he’s never been happier.
