Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess

thoughtfully touched his fingertips together. “Upon which things do you and Olivia disagree, other than which man you should marry?”
    With her back still too him, McKenna closed her eyes. She had said far too much and he already suspected she was not being honest with him. “Brother, two women always have their differences, it cannae be helped.”
    Still not getting a straight answer from her, he decided to change the subject, “Tell me about my brother’s wife. He wrote that she nearly ran him down with her horse and buggy.”
    McKenna giggled, “Twas the very best way to get his attention.”
    “ She did it deliberately?”
    “ Not at all, it was an accident, a very happy accident. It had just rained; her carriage hit a hole in the road and splashed our poor brother with mud. Flora stopped the buggy, climbed out, took her handkerchief, and tried to wipe it off his face. She managed only to smear it and the worse it got, the more she laughed. Oh brother, she has the most wonderful laughter in the world. It is like music.”
    “ What did Cameron do?”
    “ Can you not guess? He drew her to him, hugged her tight and got mud all over her .”
    “ I can believe that,” he said.
    “ They have not been apart since.”
    “ She sounds perfect for him.”
    “ She is. I cannae wait until you meet her. I believe they might come in August or perhaps September. He promised to come, I just do not know when.”

    Excited to be excused finally, Ronan set the dinner dishes in the deep gray washing sink in the kitchen. Sassy sat wide-eyed at the table with the rest of the staff and it seemed tonight’s entertainment was to come from the cooks instead.
    Halen stood with her hands on her hips glaring at her adversary. “Say it again and you will regret it.”
    Jessie’s Scottish brogue became more pronounced as her anger rose. “I dinna say ye be a bad cook, but ye will be when the duchess comes a callin’. I dinna please that one in all the years I tended her, not one time, I’m a tellin ye.”
    “ What’s this?” Prescot asked as he entered the room. Instantly, both cooks sat down and stopped talking. “Halen, are the two of you at it again? What is it this time…breakfast, lunch or dinner?”
    Sassy could be silent no longer. “Jessie is right. I only seed the duchess get upset once…”
    “ Saw her get upset,” Keith corrected.
    “ Aye, saw her and she’s a holy fright if ever I seen one.”
    “ Saw one,” said Keith.
    Sassy glared at Keith. “Am I a lady’s maid or am I back in school? I hated school, I mean to warn you.”
    “ Apparently so,” Keith muttered.
    “ What did she do, Sassy?” Sarah asked.
    “ Well, far be it for me to talk out of turn,” she answered, ignoring the giggles of the others, “but that one be having a mean streak wide enough to drive a team of horses through.” She glared at Keith, daring him to correct her English, but this time he said nothing.
    “ What did she do exactly?” Sarah tried again.
    “ Millie, that be her lady’s maid, was always in tears on the ship.” She quickly glanced at Keith, who had his lips puckered ready to speak. Just in time, she said, “I mean, she were always in tears.” Sassy rolled her eyes and continued. “I like Millie, she let me wear her frock and an apron, so as I’d not embarrass Miss McKenna with my…I was not so very clean when I got found, you understand. Then Millie got thrown on…scalded her good!” She nodded to emphasize her point.
    “ Got thrown on?” asked Charlotte.
    Alistair decided he should stop this conversation before anyone said too much. “The Duchess accidentally spilled her tea on Millie.”
    Sassy looked at Alistair’s firm expression and decided not to contradict him. “Best be out of reach of that one, case she… spills …her tea on anyone else.” The point was made, she supposed.

    Everyone was up early the next morning.
    Solving the problem between the cooks turned out to be easier than McKenna expected, and the first thing she did was hand each a sheet of paper. It was simply a matter of making a menu and giving each cook a different responsibility. For breakfast, Jessie would make the biscuits while Halen cooked oatmeal, bacon or ham and eggs. At lunch, Jessie was to make soup while Halen made the bread. The duties were again set out for the evening meal, and all of it was reversed for the following day. If the cooks could not decide, the decision had to be made for them. Not