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housekeeping were low, what with his having lived necessarily rough on all those ships of his, but she wasn’t about to take Mrs. Tupper to task about it. Things would change soon enough.
    “Aye, ma’am.” Mrs. Tupper held out her arm to lead them across the entry hall.
    “Thank you.” Lizzie stayed put for the moment, wondering at the space and light. Before her, a half circular stair rose gracefully from the floor of the entry hall like an elegant swan’s neck. Her hand rose of its own volition to her throat. It was almost too good to be true.
    “Major projects first, ma’am,” Mrs. Tupper was reporting. “Roof slates repaired. Then all the windows repaned andsealed. And the floors beneath the windows repaired of water damage.”
    The herringbone pattern of the parquet floor was in excellent polish. Her shoes made a pleasing patter as she crossed the threshold into a bright reception room.
    “The windows here repaned as well, and the doors re-hung.”
    No, not a reception room—a salon, or better still, a music room. The ceiling was high and there, at the end of the room, before the bay of tall windows, was the perfect spot for a pianoforte.
    Yes. Lizzie felt excitement bubble up inside her. Oh, the paint was peeling here and there, off the delicate plaster molding, but it was so very lovely. Though empty, the room was sunny and inviting, redolent with the scent of lemon and beeswax. She hadn’t yet caught a whiff of damp.
    “Lovely. And in just a fortnight? Well done, Mrs. Tupper. Then the underlying structure was sound?”
    This time Jamie answered. “I’d hardly buy a house falling down, Lizzie, no matter how charmingly covered with roses.”
    “Hmm.” The ceiling had some very pleasing plaster decorations as well. “But you’ve owned the house for over four years, and only just hired competent staff?”
    He didn’t argue the point. He just winced, scrunching up the right side of his eye and cocking his mouth open to the side. His lips were far too soft for a man. It was disarming.
    “I was at sea. My cousin Wroxham was meant to be seeing to it for me.”
    “Ah, yes, the Honorable Jeremy. What dreadful connections you have, Jamie.”
    “Not my fault my mother’s sister married above herself. I haven’t tainted my bloodlines with nobility.”
    He was trying to be amusing, but with the exception of her mother, she happened to agree. Most aristocrats were useless as parasites, good only as ornaments and unfit for the privilege they demanded as their due. But no one wanted to hear such radical, even revolutionary, ideas in the current political climate. The news from France was thoroughly revolting in more ways than one.
    “He rather tainted your house with neglect. I hope you didn’t forward him funds?”
    He didn’t respond. That was answer enough. Too honest and open for his own good.
    “Dreadful man, your odious cousin. You deserve better.”
    He smiled at her slowly, one corner of his mouth opening up.
    “My dear Lizzie. That was very nearly sentimental.”
    His words were teasing, but his wide gray eyes saw too much. She turned up her chin and went away up the stairs.
    There were two separate hallways, one along the north wing, leading away toward the back of the house, and another in the main body of the house itself. Lizzie strolled down the wing.
    “Bedchambers, ma’am,” Mrs. Tupper interjected, “with smaller dressing rooms, and then farther on, the schoolroom and nursery, and then servants’ quarters. There are only attics above.”
    Lizzie went no farther, as she could foresee no use for either a nursery or a schoolroom, and the servants’ rooms would all be shut up and empty. Though the general state of repair was good, the house still felt deserted and ill-used. Or, more likely, not used at all. It was sad to think of such a lovely house so cold and empty. But she was here now, and things would be different. She would see to it.
    “The principal bedchamber is this way,