Reluctantly Royal(25)

“My lady, Rachel, the palace aide, has arrived.” Gerard met me at the top of the stairs. “I believe that she has put together a press conference to address the township.”

“Yes, thank you.” I looked toward Marty’s door and frowned. I didn’t want him to have to attend the event with me. It was going to be hard enough at the actual funeral.

“Shall I see to your father?” The butler’s face remained blank.

“No, he won’t be attending.” I glanced at a mirror on the wall before descending the stairs.

“Yes, ma’am.” The butler followed behind me, careful to keep his distance.

“Would you make sure that the nanny is available for Marty? I’m not sure how long today will take.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

“And would you see to it that breakfast is served in the dining room?” I smiled at him.

“I believe the cook has everything ready. Including, a proper pastry for the young Marty.” His eyes twinkled.

“You mean a Pop-Tart?” I laughed. Marty had begged for his favorite food when we’d first moved into the large, strange house. He’d just wanted something familiar. The chef had been horrified that he’d rather eat something out of a box than one of her creations. It had taken a lot of explanation and placation on my part to keep feelings from being hurt. “Did the cook cry while putting it in the toaster?”

“She was distinctly not amused, my lady.” His lips curved upward.

“Well, Marty will be grateful.” I brushed at my skirt. “Is Rachel in the sitting room or the dining room?”

“I believe she is waiting for you in the sitting room.” He stepped forward to open the door for me. “Do you require anything else?”

“No thank you.”

Gerard let me walk through the door before pulling it closed.

“Good morning, my lady.” Rachel stood up and bobbed her head.

“Please, call me Meredith.” I tried to not let the curtsy give me the heebie-jeebies. There was something very weird about having a dignified, older woman bow to me. Especially when not that long ago I might have been her maid. Or a cocktail waitress at an event she was hosting.

“Thank you, Meredith.” She smiled.

“Have you eaten breakfast? The cook has prepared something for us.” I motioned toward the dining room.

“Oh, that would be lovely.” She started gathering her papers. “I had a quick cup of tea and hurried over here. I didn’t want to leave you to handle all of this on your own.”

“Leave the papers. We’ll come back here to go over stuff.” I smiled, despite my annoyance. Why did every one seem to think I couldn’t handle the situation on my own? “No reason to ruin good food with paperwork!”

“Well, thank you so much.” She looked around the house as we walked to the dining room. “Thysmer Manor is a beautiful home! A friend of mine was one of the caretakers over the years. He took great pride in keeping the house in the same shape it was left.”

“I’ve never lived in a place as grand as this one.” I opened the dining room door for us. The smell of food wafted across my face and made my stomach growl. “It’s been interesting to learn some of its secrets.”

“Did you know that there used to be a servants’ quarters behind the stables?” She took a seat next to the head of the table. Avoiding the ornate chair, I sat across from her instead. The last thing I wanted was for my father to walk in and see me sitting in the duke’s spot.

“I did! You can still see where the original foundation sat.” I poured some tea into my cup. “Supposedly, the place was burned down by a rival.”

“Yes, just before the Thysmer family left.” She shifted food on to her plate. “It was during all of that terrible mess with the would-be usurpers hundreds of years ago. Thankfully all of the servants were unhurt and it is said that the duke left them each a sum of money before he left. The Thysmer family treated their workers well.”

“It still must’ve been hard for them to find themselves homeless and jobless.” I frowned thinking about it. “And the township could have fallen into disrepair.”

“The crown saw to the townships, appointing stewards and finding jobs for those who were left without anything.” She shrugged her delicate shoulders. “It was a terrible time for many, and no one could blame the families for leaving to protect themselves. If your children are in danger, you drop everything and find a way to shield them.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right.” I frowned. Wouldn’t I do anything to protect Marty? Even if it meant giving up everything we’d been given? Damn straight I would. We’d find a way to make it work.