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Heading back inside, Louisa headed to the kitchen while thinking about the Duke’s mother, how she had not been born in the peerage, and how she managed to hold unto her humanity even while living along with a set of people who hardly cared about those who lived underneath them.
But what kept her attention was how deeply his mother’s love had run for his father that she could hear him and know what he would have wanted for her. Deep inside, Louisa knew she wanted the same love, and wondered how long it would take for her to be so in tune with her husband that his love would not die inside her if he passed on first.
It might not even be a matter of years; it might just be a matter of who the man is—how special he is to me.
“You are a tad late, Miss Stone.” Mrs. Wickham’s stern expression and her sad face struck a twinge of apprehension inside Louisa.
“I apologize, Mrs. Wickham,” she said, while tying her apron. “I was woolgathering and lost track of time. I assure you; it will not happen again.”
“Make sure it does not,” the housekeeper ordered, then turned, the tails of her black taffeta dress swishing as she walked away.
Breathing out in relief, Louisa joined the rest, helped with the meals, and shared the portions. After the kitchen was clean, she took her supper to the servant’s dining hall and finished her meal. When she took her plates back to the kitchen and washed them, she wondered if the Duke’s mother would have liked if they had met.
I won't ever know.
She went off to bed, thinking about the past hour in the garden, and feeling touched that Isaac had made sure to tell her about her, just to put her at ease. Louisa knew that even if things did progress between her and Isaac, that she would still feel a bit undeserving of him and substandard to the real ladies of his class.
While preparing herself for bed, Louisa gently slid the comb from her hair, rested it with the others, and then disrobed. Taking out the book again, Louisa read until her eyes grew heavy, but shehad finished the Knights Tale.
The meaning sat heavily on her heart—it was about the love of one woman that transformed the two prisoner men into animals. After pining for her, onwas set free only to live in exile, while the other continued to live in prison, both jealous and fearful of the other. One could see the lady every day from the tower, but the other had the power to kidnap the lady and take her away by force.
She went to bed troubled and vowed to ask Isaac when the meaning of the tale was.
Chapter Nine
Louisa was awake before dawn and readied herself for the day. As she fixed her hair, it was with a smile that she slid Isaac’s combs into the simple bun. To know that he wanted her—genuinely wanted her—made a warm sensation settleinto her heart.
She stepped into the kitchen to see the usual hustle and bustle, and as she went to help prepare the morning’s meal,she waitedwith an eager ear for Isaac’s ring for his morning coffee—but it never came. Cook Morna must have seen her distracted mindset and drew her aside.
“If you’re thinking about His Grace, he left this morning to Lord Ashford’s home,” she said. “So, you will not be taking his coffee to him, but later on, I will send you to the town today to get a few things for me, a few spices and so.”
“Yes, Miss Morna,” Louisa said, trying and happily succeeding in hiding her disappointment of not meeting Isaac that morning. “What time would that be?”
“In the afternoon, MissStone,” Cook Morna confirmed while nodding and hurrying off to the stoves. “Until then, please see to your duties.”
Holding in her disappointment, Louisa nodded and went off to finishing her part of the cooking, and after having her morning meal, went off to clean. She was back in the library again, and after dusting and wiping, stole a few moments to look at some books and found a book that had her brows rising and her skin flushing—it was a sensual poem about Eros and Psyche.
Closing the book, she left to her other duties, cleaning out a few rooms on the lower level, a solarium and a music room that had a pianoforte and other musical instruments that Louisa had never seen or heard anyone play before. When Louisa was summoned for the trip to town, she changed into a walking drees, donned her coat, and slipped a few pennies into her reticule.
She held her bonnet inher hands while going to the kitchen and there, the cook handed her a list of what she needed, and a slip of paper signed by the Duke. Miss Morna told her that she did not need money to carry with her as the supplier had a contract with the Duke and was paid beforehand. She only needed to hand in the signed voucher for the goods, and she would be fine.
Cook Morna nodded, “I’ll send for the servant’s hackney, so you—”
“I would rather walk, thank you,” Louisa interrupted, then blushed at her rude disruption. “My apologies.”
“No, no.” Cook waved her apology off.“If you are more comfortable walking, please, go ahead; just don’t linger, MissStone.”
“Yes, Miss Morna,” Louisa replied while looking at the paper in her hand. The list had a few familiar spices that they used every day, and after tying the bonnet on, she grasped the basket and headed out to the town.
The township was in the opposite direction of the estate where Amelia lived, and that direction soon had the wooded roadmerged into a wide cobblestone road and passed the town square. The bells of a lofty church were ringing, and people were coming in and out of shops and eateries.She passed a stationary supplier, a barber and bookstore before she arrivedat the storeroom where the trader handled the spices.
It did not take her long to get the broad tins in her basket and she left to take the road back to the estate—but found herself lingering at the glass panes of a millinery and at the lavish hats put on display. One even costten shillings and a sixpence, and another, half-a-crown; it was not much money, not even enough to pay a day’s wages of a skilled tradesman, but it was money she would never spend.
She drifted along the line of shops and spotted jewelry, fine clothing and lastly, she passed a bakery and forced herself to walk away from the buttery, sweet, cinnamon-sugar aroma before temptation set in. But the warm enticing fragrance had her stopping at the corner of the street, forcing her to wonder if she could use the penniesshe had to buy a sweet bun or a sweet.
“Miss. Stone?” Isaac’s voice cut thought her thoughts and her head snapped up.
Blinking, Louisa looked at him; he was standing, covered in a great coat and a hat, and peering curiously at her. When she found her voice, she asked, “Your Grace, w-what are you doing here? Miss Morna said you were off visiting Lord Ashford.”
