Read Online The Lady's Disgrace by Callie Hutton - Free Book Online Page A

housekeeper flushed and jumped up from where she sat, writing in a ledger.
    “Thank you.” Abigail perched on the edge of one of the comfortable chairs in the room and adjusted her skirts. She smiled in the older woman’s direction. “I thought you might give me a tour of the house and introduce me to the staff. That is, if this is a good time for you.”
    “Any time you wish, my lady. May I send for some tea before we start?”
    “No, thank you. I just finished luncheon, and Mr. Fox is out of the house, meeting with the contractor for the school building. I would prefer to start on the tour, if it is all the same to you.”
    “Of course.” Mrs. O’Neill closed the ledger. “Do you wish to see the kitchen?”
    “Yes. Please. I’d like to see the entire house.”
    “Very well, then. That is where we will start.”
    The wonderful smells coming from the kitchen greeted them long before they entered the room. After being introduced to Cook, who in turned introduced her to the assistants, they made their way to the servant’s eating area, and then to the larder.
    Except for the smaller size of Joseph’s house compared to Manchester Manor, things seemed to be run very much like her childhood home. Everywhere they went, Abigail saw efficiency, and cheerful, hard-working servants. Each one she’d been introduced to was polite and spoke of Joseph in a caring and respectful manner. He apparently enjoyed a great deal of regard from his staff, which was really no surprise, given everything she already knew about her husband.
    “This room has not been used since Mr. Fox moved in, because until recently, there was no Mrs. Fox,” Mrs. O’Neill said as she threw open the door to the master suite.
    “Were you here then when Mr. Fox bought the house?”
    “Yes. Most of the staff came along with the purchase, as the prior owner, Lady Wentworth, sold it and moved to Lancashire to reside with her eldest daughter.” She lowered her voice, as if the woman could hear her miles away. “Lady Wentworth had grown somewhat forgetful, and her daughter, Mrs. Brightmore, insisted she move into her home.”
    They’d entered into the suite through the sitting room door, which connected the two bed chambers. Abigail was startled to realize she’d been brought to Joseph’s bed chamber yesterday, and had spent the night there. When she’d awakened this morning, she hadn’t paid much attention once the maid had arrived to help her dress.
    Married couples of her station did not generally share the same bed for sleeping purposes, although her parents had done so all the years her father had been alive. Her brother and his wife had also adopted their parents’ habit. She would have to speak with Joseph soon about the sleeping arrangements. Did he intend for them to share the same bed?
    “Of course, I am sure Mr. Fox will want you to decorate your bed chamber whatever way you wish, my lady.”
    Mrs. O’Neill had been speaking while Abigail pondered her husband’s preferences regarding where she would lay her head each night. “Yes, well . . . I will speak with him about that.”
    As they continued the tour, Abigail listened with half an ear, caught up with thoughts of the future of her marriage. Soon she and Joseph would have to speak seriously on some issues. What exactly did he want from this marriage?
    Because of her dowry and his trust fund, he now had all the money necessary to build the school, hire a teacher, and buy supplies.
    Lack of cooperation by the parents was one of the pitfalls of schools for the lower classes. Most schools run by churches charged a penny a day for each student. When a parent didn’t have the penny, the child couldn’t get a lesson that day. By Joseph funding the school on his own, that obstacle to education had been removed.
    What would be her place in their life? She would love to teach. She grew excited at the idea of instructing the children how to read and to write with a clear hand. It would be