Read Online Mistress of Merrivale by Shelley Munro - Free Book Online Page B

more regularly. Of course that meant Arabella would dine with them too. Dismay grew at the realization. Jocelyn straightened her posture as if preparing for battle. It would be best if she acted decisively and demonstrated that Leo was her husband in all ways. Jocelyn was here to stay.
    “I’d like two footmen to help me move the furniture in my chamber, and if you could spare a maid to remove the curtains, I’d be most appreciative.”
    “The color is bright to the eye,” Mrs. Green conceded.
    “Do you know if there are suitable furnishings to replace those that are there?”
    “The furniture Mr. Sherbourne’s mother used is in one of the attics. I can get the footmen to bring it down and the maids to polish it before you choose the items you’d like to use.”
    “Excellent, thank you, Mrs. Green. I have a feeling you’ll know exactly what I have in mind.” At least Jocelyn hoped she did. “I have several things that require my attention today. Why don’t you decide on the replacement furniture for me?”
    The faint approval that crept into the housekeeper’s cheeks told Jocelyn she’d read the women correctly.
    “Do you require everything done today?”
    “There is no hurry.” Jocelyn preferred to sleep in Leo’s chamber. She suspected they would share a bed again this evening anyway. “Thank you for your help, Mrs. Green.”
    Jocelyn stood and went in search of Woodley. A quick conversation with her butler told her he was enjoying the change and wasn’t experiencing any difficulties, other than a little frostiness from the rest of the staff. He assured Jocelyn it wasn’t a problem.
    “Do you know where I’ll find my mother and Tilly?”
    “I believe they are taking a turn around the gardens,” Woodley said. “They have Miss Cassandra and her nurse with them.”
    Jocelyn strove for an impassive expression. “Thank you. I think I’ll join them.”
    Voices and childish giggles guided Jocelyn in her search. She spied the group by a lavender hedge. Arabella strolled ahead, a lacy parasol shading her face while her mother carried a basket and was busy gathering flowers and herbs. Tilly and Cassandra followed in the rear, her stepdaughter chasing a blue butterfly.
    “Good morning. Mother, did you sleep well?” Jocelyn shot a quick glance at Tilly, her raised brows asking her mother’s nurse silent questions.
    Tilly dipped her head in a quick nod while her mother burst into excited conversation, much of it about her room and the gardens. Jocelyn listened with half an ear while studying the child.
    “You must be Cassandra,” Jocelyn said when her mother stopped talking.
    “No, I’m Cassie.” Her stepdaughter wore a daffodil yellow dress covered with frills, and someone had arranged her golden hair in tight ringlets. Jocelyn saw none of Leo in the young girl.
    “I’m pleased to meet you, Cassie. I hope you’re feeling better today.”
    “Belle gave me medicine.” Cassie crept behind a leafy bush and peered at Jocelyn uncertainly.
    “I’m glad you get to spend time with us then. Mother, let me carry the basket for you,” Jocelyn said.
    “No, I wish to carry it to keep my cuttings safe.”
    They walked through the garden picking rosemary, yarrow, angelica, more lavender and handfuls of rose petals.
    “Could you make a special rinse for Leo to use in his bath?” Jocelyn asked, glad that Arabella had vanished around the bend in the path. No mocking eyes to offer Jocelyn discomfort. “I thought he might like one.”
    Her mother started thinking out loud, muttering about herbs and spices and craning her neck as she searched for the various plants in the garden. She darted away to pluck leaves and blooms from a geranium and exclaimed loudly when she sighted a patch of marigolds. Her mother disappeared with Cassie skipping after her.
    Tilly sighed. “I’d better follow them before they get up to mischief.”
    “I’ll keep an eye on them,” Jocelyn said. “You find Woodley. Spend half an