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quiet you can come with me to the housekeeper’s rooms. Just this once, mind. There is much to be done.”
    He nodded and then wiped at his face, leaving dirty streaks behind.
    She pushed him toward the washbasin. “You’d better clean your face and your hands if you want to be with me.”
    He hurried to do her bidding while Beth strayed to the window and peered outside. Allen was atop a gray mare trotting out of the stable yard, his two sons on similar mounts flanking him. Beth had trusted that George would be looked after while she’d been engaged with the countess. However, that didn’t look to have been the case. She’d pushed George into the company of the stable master’s older sons because she’d believed the fresh air and company would be good for him. However, George had been hiding his misery while she’d been sipping tea and luxuriating in the comforts of a proper lady. She’d failed to protect him.
    George tugged on her sleeve. “Is this better?”
    She turned, caught his face between her hands, and peered at him gravely. “Much better. As handsome as ever.”
    His cheeks pinked with a blush and his shoulders hunched a little. “Don’t let anyone hear you say that out loud or I’ll never hear the end of it.”
    She rubbed his back and he stood taller. “A mother is allowed to be proud of her son and I am so very proud of you. Your father would be too if he were still with us.”
    Beth helped him redress and then led him out of their chambers and down the main staircase. It was only when she reached the midpoint that she realized her error. She should have taken the servants’ stairs. She hurried George along, glancing about anxiously until they reached the privacy of the housekeeper’s sitting room.
    Once inside, she closed the door and strove to relax. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake like that again. She couldn’t risk losing this chance for security. The duchess had insisted on a trial period and had hinted that she would continue to interview any candidates that presented themselves during the next month.
    The housekeeper’s sitting room was cozy and comfortable, but still far grander than her own sitting room had once been. Two well-cushioned chairs sat facing the hearth and a low table sat between. Room enough for two. Four in a pinch if she added the high-backed chairs currently placed around the small mahogany table pushed against the corner. A mahogany sideboard held a single bottle, sherry she assumed, and two glasses on a silver tray beside a set of china ornaments, seabirds of some description.
    George glanced around curiously and then sat gingerly on the blue velvet chair closest to the hearth. “It’s quiet in here.”
    Beth nodded and then advanced to the door set beside the hearth. With a deep breath she turned the handle and stepped into the housekeeper’s workroom. Again, dark mahogany furniture filled the space: three chairs, a tall cupboard filled one wall across the room, and a large desk dominated the space. The walls held sketches of the estate grounds and floor plans of the abbey itself.
    She ran her fingers over the smooth, polished wood of the desk as she walked about it. These rooms, unlike many in the abbey, had been kept in good order but were bare of papers or character. She drew the drapes back from the windows and peered out toward the stables, noticing the Allens had disappeared from view. She’d deal with them tomorrow.
    “So this is where you disappeared to, Mrs. Turner,” Lady Venables noted as she swept into the room.
    Beth jerked around and dipped a quick, respectful curtsy. “My lady.”
    “Her Grace has informed me of the news.”
    Beth swallowed. Should she have formally handed her notice to Lady Venables? From her conversation with the duchess, she’d assumed the sisters had already talked the matter over in detail and agreed. “Her Grace has been very generous.”
    “Well, time will tell.” She glanced around her. “I take it