Arabella shook her head stubbornly. Perhaps she had lost their initial battles, but she wouldn’t lose the war.
Chapter Five
Do take care, dearest Arabella. Lord Danvers is reputed to be impossibly seductive.
– Fanny Irwin to Arabella
The odd sound of sawing woke Arabella the next morning. Prying her eyes open, she glanced at her bedchamber window. The curious noise was coming from outdoors, along with several male voices.
Puzzled, she rose to peer out the curtains and blinked in the bright sunlight. From her bedchamber, she could see the rear of the manor-the gardens and the terraced lawns beyond, which led down to the river. The grounds below were swarming with an army of gardeners, all pruning and clipping and raking years of overgrowth away.
Thoughtfully, Arabella turned from the window to wash and dress. She had risen later than usual since she’d slept poorly. In truth, she had tossed and turned much of the night, images of a certain sensual nobleman inhabiting her restless dreams.
She had just donned a gown of yellow sprigged muslin when she heard a soft rap on her chamber door, followed by Mrs. Simpkin’s low voice. “’Tis I, Miss Arabella. I’ve brought your breakfast.”
When Arabella bid entrance, the housekeeper bustled in with a laden tray, which she placed on the dressing table. “I suspected you didn’t wish to breakfast with Lord Danvers, so I took the liberty of bringing yours here.” She had also kindly sent up a dinner tray last night so Arabella wouldn’t go hungry.
“Thank you, Mrs. Simpkin,” Arabella said with genuine warmth, glad to avoid being alone again with Marcus so soon on the heels of their disastrous dinner. “By the way, who are those laborers in the gardens?”
“They are from London. His lordship sent for them to tidy the landscaping. Oh, and there are a half dozen tradesmen and merchants awaiting you in my accounts room.”
Her eyebrows rose with curiosity. “Awaiting me?”
“Yes. Lord Danvers sent to London for them as well. He means to set the manor to rights, to replace all the shabby furnishings and wallpaper and draperies in the house from top to bottom. But he said he wishes you to make all the decisions, since he doesn’t know brocade from buckram.” The housekeeper returned to the door but paused there to address Arabella again. “I must say it will be good to see the Hall live up to its former glory. And it will be even better to have a mistress here once more.” The smile the elderly servant gave her was somewhat secretive. “Perhaps his lordship isn’t so disagreeable as we feared.”
Arabella wondered what had precipitated Mrs. Simpkin’s sudden change of heart, for she’d been as worried about the new earl as his reluctant wards were. But likely the housekeeper was merely grateful that the manor would finally receive some beautifying after the former lord’s tightfisted ways.
“Perhaps Lord Danvers isn’t entirely disagreeable,” Arabella said noncommittally.
“At least he has forgiven me for the wretched dinner last evening.”
It had dismayed Arabella to think Marcus would hold the housekeeper responsible for her own actions. “I told him you weren’t to blame for the dinner, Mrs. Simpkin.”
“I know, but all the same, I don’t like to be in his lordship’s poor graces.” Her brown eyes twinkled. “Thankfully he decided not to bring any toplofty London chef down after all, and he gave me leave to hire a new cook. I will be glad for the respite from the kitchens, I must say. ’Twill be a full-time job to oversee all the maids he instructed me to employ. Simpkin is already hopping to keep up with the footmen Lord Danvers sent from his London house last week.” Again the housekeeper paused. “Shall I tell the merchants you will be down shortly, Miss Arabella? They are eager to show you their wares.”
“Yes, as soon as I finish breakfast.”
Mrs. Simpkin’s warning was true, Arabella learned when she had quickly eaten and gone downstairs to the housekeeper’s small office. Marcus had indeed summoned an army of tradesmen to refurbish the manor house. There were seven merchants eagerly awaiting her with armfuls of fabric samples and catalogues and sketchbooks.
All of them bowed politely to her, but when they began clamoring for her attention, Arabella held up a hand. “Pray, give me a moment, good sirs.”
Turning quickly, she went in search of Simpkin and found him occupied in supervising the group of new footmen in cleaning and polishing all the lamps in the house.
“Where may I find Lord Danvers?” she asked.
“I believe his lordship is in the study, Miss Arabella,” Simpkin answered.
She made her way through the house to the study, where she found the door open. When she entered and spied Marcus, however, she came up short. He was settled comfortably on a sofa, reading the morning papers, which must also have been delivered from London.
The sight of him made Arabella’s stomach flutter. He was dressed far less formally than last evening, in a russet-colored coat but no cravat or waistcoat. His linen shirt was open at the neck, showing an immodest expanse of chest, much like last week when she’d interrupted his fencing match.
His slow smile of greeting suggested he understood the affect his casual attire had on her.
“Arabella, what a pleasure,” he said, rising. “I confess surprise that you would voluntarily seek me out after hiding from me in your room all morning.”
Resolving not to let herself be provoked, she repressed a wry retort and instead asked about his d
ecision to spend what surely would be a fortune. “I don’t understand your desire to refurbish the entire house. Why would you go to such expense?”