Page 77 of Charlotte's Kisses

“Our part-time cook, Mrs. Lista, left for the day,” Hugh said. “She thought you might enjoy a light repast after your journey. She will be back tomorrow morning and work out her schedule.”

What a relief because Charlotte had no idea how to cook.

“I shall be happy to help Mrs. Lista,” Lucy said. “I enjoy cooking.”

Poor Lucy would be quite busy attending to Charlotte, helping with the animals, and assisting the cook. However, she seemed happy, claiming she was up to her tasks.

“Come see my chamber,” Billy said.

Moments later, the boy proudly presented his small, cozy room.

“’Tis even nicer than the one I had at Chesterhill Manor.” He plopped onto his bed and bounced a few times. “My mattress is so cushy. I ain’t never slept so good, my lady.”

A beaming Hugh winked at Charlotte.

“That is splendid,” she said, happy that she and Hugh could provide a comfortable home for the hardworking lad.

They ascended the steep stairwell, papered in the same rich colors as the foyer. Passing by the second-floor landing, they climbed to the third floor.

Lucy gasped as she entered her purple chamber. Two of the walls had been covered with hand-painted lilac paper. The ceiling sloped low over her bed, creating a cozy sleeping nook. Hugh, thoughtful man that he was, had purchased both a dressing table and a sewing table.

They left a wide-eyed Lucy to explore her attic, and Billy went to check on Lord Chesterhill’s driver and footman, adding that he would “...ensure the other two fools haven’t lost the ladies’ belongings on the way into the house.”

Hugh and Charlotte descended the stairs to their second-floor living area, where Charlotte dreamily strolled through her robin’s egg blue parlor.

“I had it painted and papered but left the decorating to you,” Hugh said.

“You chose the perfect color,” she assured him. She would purchase a settee and a half-dozen plush chairs. Plenty of pin money would be left for glass vases and a china clock for the fireplace mantel.

The dining room sat beside the parlor, its only furnishing being a table and the six chairs surrounding it.

Hugh winced. “We ran out of time, so we did notyet paint the walls.”

“I am amazed by all you have accomplished. Everything is perfectly lovely,” Charlotte said.

“Although I failed at my first task, your father paid me well.” He winced. “There was also your dowry, which I accepted and used to purchase much of what you see. And Billy is to be commended for much of the work.”

What a darling lad Billy was.

She considered the space. The cityscape kept the sun from shining through the window, giving the room a rather dank appearance. But she would fix that. “What do you think of a yellow dining room?”

“That sounds delightfully cheery and befitting for a Firefly,” he said. “Now, on to our bedroom.”

Awe-inspiring was the best way to describe their shared chamber. The walls had been painted a light peach. The bed was the largest she had ever seen. Even bigger than Papa’s. A gauzy cream-colored linen formed a canopy over the sleeping area. Peach and cream-colored fabrics festooned over the base of her dressing table. Two nightstands with matching lanterns, large glass globes attached, sat on either side of the bed. A cherry wardrobe was along one wall, and a matching dresser along the other. The fireplace had been scrubbed until there was no indication it had ever been used.

Joining Pepper, Charlotte spun in the center of the room.

“I have saved the best for last,” Hugh said.

How could it get better than this chamber?

Hugh placed Snowball’s basket beneath the window and removed Pepper’s leash. The pup jumped onto the bed, turned in a circle, and settled down with a sigh.

Hugh opened the door to an adjoining gray, empty room, and Charlotte’s heart sank. She did not want her own room. She wanted to share the lovely one with Hugh. Oh, maybeit would be fun to decorate it. But still, she wanted to spend every night sleeping beside her husband. Mayhap women of her class had their own chambers, but she had traded that life to be with the man she loved.

Hopefully, her honesty would not hurt his feelings. “Hugh, I dare say, I would be quite content to share a chamber with you.”

Looking nonplussed, Hugh blinked, then chuckled. “This is to be the nursery.”