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Chapter Six
“Perfect timing,” Cook called out as Wren entered the kitchen, cheeks warmed by dashing through the gates and into the house. Still breathless, she only managed to nod. Her heartbeat had yet to slow after the encounter with Grant Murray. Now, she glanced around the kitchen wondering if any of the cook’s assistants noticed her discomfort.
“There you are.” Her aunt appeared in the doorway. “A word.”
Her stomach plummeted. Had someone seen her with Lady Roberts’ friend? They walked out to the side of the house and just past the garden gate. Her aunt scanned the surroundings.
“See that you remain away from Lady Roberts’ sight. Do your best to stay away from the windows near the parlor and never walk past the kitchens.”
Wren couldn’t help looking at the area in the garden where she was to work. “Why? What will happen if she sees me? What has happened?”
Her aunt’s lips pressed into a thin line, and she gave a slight roll of her eyes. “Despite her age, she wishes to be the most attractive woman in the household. I do not know if you have noticed that most of the servants here are quite plain.”
“I had not,” Wren replied. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
Despite the tone of the conversation, her aunt chuckled. “Lass, you’re bonnier than most.”
Wren waved her comment away. “Be that or not. I will avoid being seen and will wear my straw hat low on my brow.”
“Good lass.” Her aunt looked past her to the garden. “You do not have to work here. Perhaps Lars can get you a position in one of his shops in town. I hate to see you toiling outside.” Her cousin Lars owned a printing shop in town.
But Wren didn’t want to go to town. She liked working in the garden and being out of doors. “For now, I do not mind. Once winter comes, if they still wish me to be outside, I may have to reconsider.”
Her aunt shrugged, probably realizing that she couldn’t change Wren’s mind. At least now. So they went back inside, and Wren ate before heading out to work in the garden.
Tim was surprisingly energetic that day. Wren wasn’t sure why the change until she noticed that the maids had thrown open the windows on the second floor and were shaking out the linens. The maids peered down on occasion to ensure no one was directly below. Tim would wipe his brow with a flourish, and glance up to ensure they saw him.
Weeding was time-consuming, but it was also a thoughtless activity that gave her time to consider what to do about Grant Murray. The ride to the estate had been like no other experience. She’d ensured to keep the conversation light to keep from allowing herself to muse about the proximity of his body against hers.
The smell of whiskey on his breath made her wonder where exactly he’d been and from where he was coming. Twice she’d seen him in a state of disarray, which was unlike the time when he’d visited Lady Roberts and had been impeccable from head to toe.
No matter what his state, he remained too handsome for words, and she knew it would be a horrible mistake to allow any kind of friendship to continue between them. The repercussions could be very bad for her since, if Lady Roberts found out, she would not hesitate to fire her, or worse, also fire her aunt. Yes, Wren could possibly find employment in town, but where would Aunt Mairid go? She was too old to seek new employment, and Wren wouldn’t make enough money to support them both.
Still, she couldn’t help but think about how he’d asked to call on her. Strange. Surely it was to toy with her, as there was no other plausible reason for his statement. Wren shook her head, recalling the skip of her heart and the plummeting of her stomach when he’d posed his question.
A phrase had immediately popped into her mind: “Yes. Yes. I do wish to see you again.”
From here on in, she’d do her best to avoid him. Wren looked up to the window, and realizing she was just outside the parlor, she quickly ducked. Not only was she to avoid windows, the front of the estate, being in rooms other than the kitchen, but now she also had to hide from Grant Murray. Still, she couldn’t help herself from giggling at her situation and Tim gave her a questioning look.
She worked hard, and by the end of the day, Wren could barely stay awake. Exhaustion filled her entire body and she fell asleep on the ride back home. That evening, they ate a simple meal, after which Wren bathed to remove the dirt from her body and climbed into bed.
The next morning, she woke feeling refreshed and wandered into the kitchen. Her aunt looked up. “You look much better. Do not overdo it today.”
Wren sat and ate the porridge, her aunt motioned to her and said, “I will spend most of the day bundling herbs, which means sitting on my bum.”
*
“Lady Roberts expectscompany and wishes for you to fill these with flowers,” Berta, the housekeeper, told Wren as she motioned for two lads to place four large vases on a side table in the kitchen. “I will tell you where they should go once you are done. There should be flowers in the garden, or about, I hope.”
The vases were quite large, and she wasn’t sure there were enough flowers in the garden to fill them. Not only that, but the woman had insisted that there be plenty of blooms for the upcoming event she was hosting.
“Where am I to get flowers?” she asked Cook.
The woman shook her head. “The Lady expects us to perform magic at times. I suggest you hurry and ask Rufus to take you to a shop in town.”
Wren raced outside and to the areas surrounding the house, but Rufus was nowhere to be found. At her wit’s end, she paused and scanned the area. There was a small corral where the household horses were allowed out to feed. She noticed there were wildflowers amongst the tall grasses along the edges of the fence. She hurried to the garden shed, grabbed shears, and went back.
Finally, she was able to make arrangements of wildflowers, tall grasses, and just two flowers from the garden in each vase. Wren embellished them with some cattails that grew wild in the swampy areas behind the shed. In the end, she was satisfied. Her head swam and her hands shook with exhaustion as she went and found Berta.
