Downstairs Rules Read Online Free PDF Page B

when he and his wife came to visit. I noticed him noticing me. But he was discreet about it. Lord Baxter is a moral man, unlike Chatworth. I hope it will not offend you that I make the observation. Everyone knew how dreadful he was to your former Lady.”

    “No offense taken,” Ella said. “Sometimes I think she died of a broken heart.”

    “It’s my comfort that the woman who preceded me in my husband’s bed did not. As happy as I am to be with Lord Baxter, I never wanted it to be like this. He loved his wife very much, and her death was a terrible blow to him. I know there are those who criticize him for marrying quickly, and to one so young. But Alastair’s late wife never gave him children, and he would have a son before he is too old to teach him to hunt and shoot.”

    She stood and walked to the window. “But he is, I think, disappointed in me. I’m not like her. I’m not the grand lady who nods and smiles and has no mind of her own. And I’m afraid I built up an imagined life in my mind so vividly that I find real life failing to match it. In my mind, Lord Baxter was always an indulgent husband. He is the man who lifted me onto his horse on a whim, a man who tells me how pretty I am every day. But the real Lord Baxter, while generous, is also very strict. He does not like how outspoken women have become. He hates talk of the vote, and frowns on women becoming political. He refuses to discuss politics with me and is embarrassed when I engage our guests on matters of the day. This has led me to rebel in my own way, with circumstances.”

    “Just for speaking your mind?” Ella felt angry.

    “Am I indignant?” she asked. “Yes, but I also try to understand that Lord Baxter’s way of life, the way of life that I enjoy, is rooted in tradition. Change erodes tradition, he said. Too much will threaten the way of life of our kind. He does not want me to be a soldier in such a war, nor even an advocate. He forbids it. He says it is a threat.”

    “And York no doubt shares those views.”

    “Oh, does he ever,” Lady Baxter affirmed. “York is as protective of our traditions as Lord Baxter, moreso perhaps. His father served Lord Baxter’s father. I’ve always said that David York was born a butler, and probably emerged from the womb in full livery, with clean gloves no less!”

    Ella giggled at this.

    “They may not be able to stop progress on the outside, Malcolm and York, but I harbor no doubts that Baxter Hall will be the last house in England to fall to any change that sweeps through the kingdom.”

    “So what do we do?”

    “I don’t know,” Lady Baxter said, furrowing her elegant brow and twirling the end the long braid Ella had put in her hair thoughtfully through her fingers. “My husband was sly, bringing you here. I’m sure he instructed York to be strict with you, and York certainly has no problem with that. I think he knew you would be concerned for me, and that I would be concerned for you. He knew we’d seek to protect one another, and he knew I’d be less likely to be so bold if it mean consequences for both of us.”

    She frowned. “He’s a rather crafty fellow, is he not? In a diabolical sense, I mean.”

    “You could always just capitulate,” Ella offered. “Even if you do not prefer an obedient life, I’ve seen enough want and sadness to tell you that a grand life with restrictions is better than a free life in poverty.”

    “You speak frankly to me,” Lady Baxter observed. “I’m glad for it. Please don’t ever stop. I need to hear what you’re saying. But one of the faults of the aristocracy is that we tend to say what is on our minds. I’ve done it all my life. It hardly seems fair to expect me to stop, or to participate in the excitement of change.”

    Ella stood and turned back Lady Baxter’s bed. “We don’t have to make any decisions tonight,” she said. “Perhaps we can sleep on it.”

    There was a knock at the door.

    “It’s my