Page 25 of The Trouble with a Dare

The next five days settled into a pleasant routine. Grace would awaken to find Sterling had long since departed, but he would return to the house to join her for breakfast at a reasonable hour. Grace would chatter about her plans for the house and the garden, and Sterling would listen attentively. He still offered little in the way of conversation, but he seemed to take pleasure in listening to her plans, and that was a such an improvement on her first days of marriage that Grace was hardly going to complain. Then she would spend the rest of the day drawing further ideas for the garden designs and making lists with Mr Gladwish. She spent a great deal of time ordering items from the increasing number of catalogues that littered the parlour, and answering correspondence.

In the late afternoon, Sterling would come back to find her, and they would take a walk together. Dinner, like breakfast, would find Grace doing most of the talking, but occasionally she coaxed him into a conversation, and she hung on his every word, eager to know more about this man who guarded himself so closely.

At night, he never came to bed until after she was asleep, for which she was profoundly grateful. Though she welcomed the growing understanding between them, and the way they were slowly coming to know one another, it would certainly make sharing the same bed increasingly fraught for her, and she would find herself wondering if he might change his mind about waiting until after the baby had come before he would touch her.

This morning, Grace was pouring over the books of material samples she had laid out on the dining room table, for which room they were currently choosing new curtains.

“I think the lambrequin valance is very elegant, Mrs Oak,” Mrs Gladwish said, staring at the design in the book with approval and something close to avarice. The lady had surprisingly expensive taste.

“It is indeed,” Grace replied, studying the design thoughtfully. “And if this were Holbrook House or even Saxenhurst, I should not hesitate, but that one is a little too grand, I feel. This one here, is simpler.” Grace pointed at another style of valance, still with the sides coming farther down the window, but with far fewer swags.

Mrs Gladwish looked so crestfallen that Grace hurried to explain.

“I promise, if we choose a truly sumptuous fabric, that it will look just as lovely,” she said, hoping to reassure the woman. “But this handsome old house does not need such a fuss of frills and garlands. Indeed, I fear poor Mr Oak should dislike it very much, and I do not wish to make him feel uncomfortable in his own home.”

“Aye, reckon there’s truth in that,” the housekeeper said with a wistful sigh as she picked up a heavy square of deep red fabric with a glossy pattern woven into the material. “And I do like this red jacquard very much, especially with that heavy gold fringing. We must at least have the gold fringing; don’t you think, madam?”

Grace bit back a smile, for Mrs Gladwish was clearly enjoying herself immensely and would put gold fringing or bobbles on every possible surface, given half a chance.

“Indeed, we must.” Grace gave an amicable nod and Mrs Gladwish beamed at her.

“My, the old house is going to look splendid. Does my heart good to see the place prettied up. Mind you, your mother-in-law is going to have an apoplexy if she ever sets foot inside.”

The housekeeper gave a bark of laughter, which quickly died when she noted Grace’s stricken expression.

“She hates me, doesn’t she?” Grace asked, her stomach knotting with anxiety. “She thinks me a—”

“You are mistress here now,” Mrs Gladwish said firmly. “And any decisions are yours and Mr Oak’s and none of anybody else’s. You never mind me and my tongue, for it runs like a fiddle if I don’t mind it when I ought. Bless me for a fool, for now I’ve cut up your peace, and we were having such a pleasant day.”

The poor woman looked so wretched for having spoken out of turn that Grace set her worry aside and mustered a smile. “Oh, no. It’s not as if I didn’t know it. It is not your fault. Indeed, the situation plays on my mind, and I wish I could reconcile Sterling to his mother, or her to me.”

Mrs Gladwish shook her head, arranging the discarded material samples into a neat pile.

“There’s some in this world what don’t want to be pleased, Mrs Oak, if you take my meaning, and people like that drain the pleasure from everyone around them too. If she’s taken it into her head to stay away, then you count your blessings and leave her be. You take my advice. Best let sleeping dogs and troublesome mothers-in-law lie.”

Grace’s lips twitched at the analogy, but before she could reply there was a sharp rap at the front door.

“Whoever can that be?” Mrs Gladwish said, bustling off to answer the door.

Grace had returned her attention to the sample books when, a moment later, Mrs Gladwish rushed back in, bursting with excitement, and bearing callings cards in her hands. Eyes wide, she almost tripped over her words in her eagerness to get them out.

“V-Visitors, madam,” she breathed. “The Marquess and Marchioness of Bainbridge, and Mr and Mrs Stanhope.”

“Oh!” Grace exclaimed, her heart giving an erratic thud in her chest. She flew from the room to the more formal drawing room where her guests awaited her.

“Arabella!” she said, rushing into her friend’s arms.

“Darling!” Arabella said, pulling her into a fierce hug before Florence complained and took a turn, both women fussing over her and talking at once.

“Yes, we are here too, you know. Do we not merit a mention?” came a deep, amused voice from behind Arabella.

“My Lord Bainbridge,” Grace said, curtseying as she turned her attention to the impressive figure of the marquess. He was as overbearing as ever. “I do beg your pardon. It is very good to see you… and you, Mr Stanhope.”

“Never mind my lording me, Bainbridge will do,” Bainbridge said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Now, where’s this husband of yours?”

“H-Husband?” Grace said, quailing a little at the not entirely friendly look in the man’s eyes. “Well, he’s at work on the farm.”

“Hmph. Doesn’t he have people for that?” his lordship said with a frown of consternation.