Page 12 of Love and Other Disasters

“Yes, madam.”

Sophie bit her lip. So, Lord Jasper remained, but for how long? Hopefully not too long at all. It would be a horrible time if he did. Not that he’d ever come to the nursery or had any reason to. She was deeply sorry he was still here. She might have enjoyed herself more, been herself again, if he were anywhere else.

When the servants were gone again, and the food eaten, Sophie set the boys to work on their mathematics and sat herself down at the window with a heavy sigh. But there was nothing to see outside her window besides endless green gardens. No carriages or people out for a stroll. Even at the orphanage there had been something to see outside her grimy window. Sophie missed London and her friends terribly. She missed the excitement and noise so, so much.

After an hour of solitude contemplating the empty grounds around the palace, Sophie glanced around to find the butler standing at the door, watching her. She shot to her feet. “Mr. Seymour?”

“Mrs. Radcliffe.” The butler remained at the door. “I trust everything is in order here?”

She hurried to meet the more senior employee at Ravenswood Palace. “Yes, sir. The children have been working diligently at their lessons this morning.”

“Very good.” He turned away.

“Sir,” she called, hurrying out the door after him before he could disappear downstairs to his usual post. “Might we speak a moment in private?”

He looked pained but inclined his head. “Very well, but I am quite busy today.”

“Of course,” she said, although how busy could he be with most of the family gone away? She wet her lips before speaking softly. “Lord Nash left the estate.”

“Yes. He and the duke journey to a summer house party.”

Sophie gaped. “But the children were supposed to go with their father as well, but I was told the end of the week?”

“The duke’s plans changed unexpectedly, and they have gone early.”

“Oh,” Sophie whispered. “Are we to travel there on our own later?”

“No. The children are to remain at Ravenswood for the summer, and with you.”

She closed her eyes briefly, holding back a curse she shouldn’t ever let the butler discover she knew. She had been looking forward to a change of scenery. “If I may also ask, why wasn’t I told about the holiday everyone else seems to know about?”

Seymour sniffed. “The staff of Ravenswood were given a choice to stay or go.”

“But I am a servant, too,” she protested. “I would have liked a chance to return to London and visit my friends, too. They are my family.”

Seymour winced. “I had assumed Lord Nash had mentioned the matter to you.”

She shook her head. “Lord Nash told me nothing, sir. Not even that I should not pack up the children to attend a house party with him when he had ample opportunity last night.”

The man pursed his lips momentarily and then offered her a sympathetic smile. “The household staff has been reduced by two-thirds for the summer months and consists mostly of men now. Very few female staff remain. But I assure you, the children’s needs will not be neglected.”

“That was not truly my concern,” she blurted. “It just struck me as odd that the servants who normally came to assist them were gone without warning. A staff holiday did not occur last summer.”

“Of course not. The late Duke of Ravenswood entertained lavishly last summer.”

“I see, but the new duke will not do the same?”

The butler’s expression soured. “Obviously not, since he will not return for months now.”

Months? “I see. Well, thank you for letting me know,” she said. “I assume most of the palace will be closed up then. Will the long gallery still be available for the children to play in? And the library, too?”

“That would be Lord Jasper’s decision to make but I think it likely you will find less of the palace available to you and the children now,” he warned. “Lord Jasper is in charge. Kindly remain upstairs with the children until told otherwise.”

She grimaced inwardly at hearing that Lord Jasper would remain, and in charge, until Lord Nash returned. They did not deal well together. “But in the evenings, when the duke was not entertaining, I had permission to visit the library to peruse the shelves for new reading material for the children and myself. I must be allowed to continue their usual routine. Lord Nash would expect that of me, even if he’d not specified it before leaving. The children’s outdoor games are stored in the long gallery, too. They use that room on rainy days. Perhaps Lord Jasper needs to be reminded of that?”

The butler tugged on his waistcoat, clearly bothered by her request. “Lord Jasper is extremely busy, but I will mention your concerns and send word back to you about his final decision. Remain upstairs until told otherwise.”

The first time the butler had promised to pass along a concern of hers to Lord Nash, it had taken a month to get an answer back. Although the last thing she wanted to do was appeal to a rake like Lord Jasper, Sophie might have no choice but to seek him out herself. It was for the children. She would do anything to ensure their happiness. “Perhaps I could speak to Lord Jasper myself?”