Lessons in French Read Online Free PDF

maidservant was not always so
    eager to oblige, but she was clearly enthralled by a handsome gentleman who called her
    "Miss."
    Callie was fully conscious of the master stroke he delivered in complimenting the maid
    and openly ordering her to remain as chaperone. Lilly was sure to portray it in a positive
    light to Mrs. Adam. From there it would be passed to all the society of Shelford who
    might be supposed to have any business to comment upon Lady Callista's concerns. This
    comprised a large circle, even discounting the goats.
    His manners could be faultless when he cared to exercise them—a strict grandfather of
    the ancien régime and a gracious mother had seen to that. He perfectly comprehended the
    most arcane demands of courtesy, even if he had always been equally pleased to
    disregard them at his whim.
    "Lady Callista—tell me—what do you think?" he asked bluntly as he sat down.
    Callie bit her lip. "She's very happy that you're here."
    He made a sound in his throat, a half-angry laugh. "Overdue as I am, you mean. God
    forgive me." He closed his hands on the arms of the chair for an instant and then said, "I'll
    summon a medical man from London tomorrow. What can some country surgeon know?"
    Callie only nodded, watching Lilly pour the tea. She feared that another physician could
    do no more than ease the way a little, but she did not wish to say so.
    "Please, if you can aid me in finding some staff— the expense is no object," he said. "A
    housekeeper and cook and some maids. And someone who can coax this abominable
    chimney to draw. Whatever is required. I wish the best that can be had, but I have no
    notion how to discover them."
    "Of course. I'll commence to look directly in the morning. We can find a temporary
    cook and a maid in a few days, I think," Callie said. "But the neighborhood is thin of
    help, I fear. A good housekeeper may take some weeks to procure."
    "Weeks!" he said.
    "In the meantime, I'll make certain that things are managed better here."
    He looked up at her. Callie met his eyes for just an instant. She saw the same f lash of
    knowledge and despair that she had seen in his mother's face. "I would be grateful," he
    said. "What an insufficient word."
    "I'm truly glad if I can be of use," she said. "I haven't many duties to engage me at
    home now."
    "No? But surely you're busy at Shelford Hall."
    She gave a small shrug. "Lady Shelford wishes me to have more leisure since my father
    died, and not fatigue myself with concerns about the staff."
    "I see." His mouth flattened. "She's jealous of you there."
    As ever, he said outright what Callie kept concealed and shrouded in her heart. It was
    like a lifting of a burden she had not realized she carried, to have someone who

    understood. She could not agree with him openly, not in front of Lilly, but she gave him
    an appreciative glance.
    "I can't conceive of anyone who could manage Shelford better than you, my lady," he
    said. "But doubtless that's what vexes her."
    Callie felt the splotches coming to her cheeks. "I don't fault her. Truly, it's confusing for
    the servants, to have two mistresses."
    "I suppose. Still, if she feels that she can spare you, then her foolishness is our gain, if
    you'll turn your excellent talents to us."
    "I'll be glad to do all I can," she said. She lifted her eyes long enough for a quick smile
    and lowered them before he could perceive the rush of gratification that she felt at his
    words.
    They sat for a moment without looking at one another. Callie sipped her tea. She was
    vividly aware of Lilly in the chair behind her. She suddenly found a hundred things she
    wished to say to him, questions to ask, where he had been and what he done. She
    struggled for a commonplace to fill the silence, but commonplaces always eluded her.
    "You remain at Shelford, then?" he asked at last.
    "Only until my sister marries. Then I'll go with her, to keep her company."
    He stood up suddenly. "Forgive me, but that is a precious waste."
    She