Heavenstone 02 - Secret Whispers

Dobson nor Doris ever lied to my father or me about anything,” I insisted. I would never even consider the alternative, no matter what she said.
    She kept her smile, but the warmth left it so that it looked more as if she wore a photograph of her face.
    “Whatever you choose to believe you can believe,” she said. “I simply want you to understand your place in this historic and important mansion and family. It’s one thing to treat your servants decently and fairly but quite another to place yourself on their level. There has to be a professional distance between you, me, and your father and them, Semantha. Some servants understand that distance well, and there’s never a problem. Some really resent being servants themselves, and no matter how they smile or speak to you, they really hate being at your beck and call.”
    “But . . .”
    “And there are some who don’t even realize themselves how much they resent being servants.Mrs. Dobson and Doris strike me as like that.” Her face hardened, her eyes more steely cold. “Now, I grew up with house servants, too, and most of my friends did the same. I know a quality servant when I see one. I’m not sure Mrs. Dobson and Doris are up to what’s required in a home this prestigious, working for a family this important.”
    “Oh, but they are!” I cried. “Mrs. Dobson has worked in the homes of lords and ladies in London.”
    “Titles are bought, and some are so thin they border on the ridiculous.”
    “Whatever. Mrs. Dobson has been more like a grandmother to me, and—”
    “Exactly. That’s my point.” She pounced. “A servant is not a member of your family, Semantha.” She relaxed her shoulders and smiled again. “However, let’s not talk about this right now. There are too many far more important things to discuss. We’ve got to lay out the wedding and reception as intelligently as we can on these grounds.” She looked at her watch. “Mr. Manglesthorpe, my wedding planner, is arriving soon. There’s enough time before dinner. We’ll walk the grounds and design everything. I’d like you to walk with us. Here,” she said, sliding the notebook across the table. “You can look over the set pieces, and if you have any suggestions, don’t hesitate to make them. I love seeing things through younger eyes. Sometimes innocence has a refreshing point of view.”
    “How come you don’t ask my father to help with all this?”
    “How come? Simple. He’s thrown the wholething in my lap, which is fine,” she said, smiling. “I only hope I live up to his expectations. Your opinions are very important to me, Semantha, not only in relation to the wedding but also for how the house will be run.”
    “The house?”
    “We’ll have to make changes to keep up with the times and our needs, won’t we?”
    “I suppose,” I said, though I had no idea what she meant by “our needs.” It seemed that my father’s and my needs were very well attended to as it was. “Daddy doesn’t like to change much in the house, though.”
    “Nothing will be so dramatic a change, something that would detract from the Heaven-stone image or anything, but a house is more than a furniture collection, statuary, and paintings. This is like a living, breathing animal.” She narrowed her eyes. “That’s why I really want you to take your time deciding what to do next, why I suggested you don’t rush right into working at the stores. I’ll have a great deal to do in and out of this house, and I’ll be depending on you to be involved and alert about what goes on within it.”
    Now what was she talking about? Involved and alert about what? Neither Daddy nor I nor even Cassie thought the running of our house was so complicated.
    She finished her wine. “In the meantime, peruse the wedding planner’s book. I want to run in and change these shoes. We have time before it gets too dark, but I’m sure I’d break a heel traipsing over the lawn.”
    She rose and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.
    “I’m so glad we had this little chat. I look forward so much to our intimate little chats to come. We’ll be each other’s trusted confidant and in no time be comfortably revealing the deepest secrets in our hearts.”
    She turned and hurried into the house. A moment later, I felt Cassie standing beside me. I didn’t look at her and spoke before she could.
    “That’s the sort of woman you would have become,” I told her.
    When I turned around, she was gone.
    Not