Seduction Becomes Her by Shirlee Busbee Read Free Book Online Page B

glass he was polishing, and he continued, “It is true that some of the early Beaumonts were, ah, inclined to violence, but that was in a less civilized age. There are, I regret to say, a few distasteful stories…or legends, if you will, that have survived to this day.” He added disapprovingly, “And some people, and ones who ought to know better, I might add, have no business repeating them merely to frighten children and awe impressionable youths.”

    “Deplorable,” Daphne said properly, wondering how she was going to discover the names of those people. Perhaps, Mrs. Hutton….

    It was late afternoon before Daphne had a chance to arrange a meeting with Mrs. Hutton. They met in a cozy room near the rear of the house that Daphne had decided would make an excellent office. Seated behind a dainty cherry-wood desk, she was ostensibly going over the menus for the next week, but she dealt with them quickly, hardly looking at them.

    “We have only been here a few days, but I can see already that the servants of Beaumont Place are well-trained,” Daphne said with a smile as she handed the menus back to Mrs. Hutton. “Your staff has done an excellent job of making us comfortable and of seeing to our needs—no mean feat when suddenly saddled with a trio of strangers.”

    Mrs. Hutton flushed with gratification. “Thank you, Miss! We all hoped that you and your sister and Sir Adrian would be happy here.”

    “I think that there is no question about that,” Daphne replied, thinking of the cramped rooms in London and the nights she’d lain awake worrying about how far she could stretch the pitiful amount of money she had at hand.

    “Well, then if that is all, I shall take these to Cook immediately,” Mrs. Hutton said, waving the menus in the air. “She is delighted to be actually cooking again…Sir Huxley’s appetite was so poor those last months that he subsisted on little more than broth and bread, and then, of course, the house sat empty for all that time.”

    “After Sir Huxley’s death, the house was vacated?” Daphne asked, interested.

    Mrs. Hutton shook her head. “Not exactly. We periodically aired and dusted, and the gardeners kept the grounds in check, but except for the stable hands who stayed with the horses, no one lived here.” Her lips tightened. “Lord Trevillyan told us even before Sir Huxley’s burial that we’d be turned off with little more than a recommendation once the estate was his.” She sniffed. “He made no bones about it—he already had a fine home of his own and servants aplenty and no need of another house in the area or more staff.” She looked outraged. “He was going to abandon the house, just let the place fall into rack and ruin. Shameful, I call it—a fine house like Beaumont Place. Why Sir Huxley would have turned over in his grave.”

    “As long as they do their job, no one needs to be worried about being turned off,” Daphne said mildly. “Sir Adrian has no plans to change anything at this time. He has been very satisfied with the way Beaumont Place is run.” And as long as Cook continues to ply him with goose and turkey pie, Daphne thought wryly, he wouldn’t care if Beaumont Place came tumbling down around his ears.

    “Oh, Miss, that is so good to hear! It has been very difficult for many that used to work here these past few years. Sir Huxley made appropriate bequests for most of us, but without continued employment, it’s been hard for some. We were overjoyed when Mr. Vinton told us about the discovery of the new heir.”

    Not meeting Mrs. Hutton’s eyes, Daphne fiddled with a knob on one of the drawers of the desk. “Er, I was wondering,” she began, “do you know who I should speak to if I wanted to learn to more about the history of the family and Beaumont Place?” She laughed nervously. “Until we received Mr. Vinton’s letter, we didn’t even know of its existence or of Sir Huxley. We have much to learn.”

    Mrs. Hutton beamed at