“Now this is what I call homelike,” he said.
“Sit down,” she said cheerfully. “The kettle will boil soon.”
He drank the tea she set before him with an expression of bliss.
“Sweeter than the sweetest wine,” he said. “I see you’ve been busy.”
“You’re going to be really comfortable tonight. You’ve done the right thing in moving into the dressing room. I can put a small fire in there, but the big room would have defeated me. Can you watch the pots on the range, while I go and make up your bed?”
She gathered up the sheets and departed, returning a few minutes later to find the meal almost ready.
“The Earl really ought to eat in the dining room,” she suggested.
“No thank you,” he replied without hesitation. “We’ll eat out here. What’s the wine cellar like?”
“I’ve never seen it.”
He took
