Eleanora stared at the unopened letter. The dull ruffle of cloth behind her as Jane changed the bed sheets. She picked at the red wax absently her thoughts drifting to the conversation she had with William.
"Did you read the letter?" He asked as he escorted her back to the carriage. The city now bustling as the sun shined in the center of the sky.
Dew gathered above her brow. "No."
He looked surprised. "How did you know where to be?" He signaled for her footman to open her door. Williams hand out to help her up the step. She ignored it and lifted herself up.
"What can I say, William, you are predictable. Throw a little power your way and your first instinct is to buy a dress."
William snickered. "There was more to the letter than instructions to meet me at the dress shops. It was important."
Eleanora sighed as she pulled off her damp gloves. "Nothing you could say would be important to me anymore William."
William pressed his lips togeather to keep a secret from escaping his lips. Eleanora became mildly intrigued, William did not like to keep secrets. He was a gossip, words were his weapon of choice he could bring down an entire empire with a simple tale.
She tilted her head now curious. "What are you hiding William?"
A soft knock on her door pulled her back to the present. Half the wax of the letter under her nails.
"Come in." She called absently.
The naive maid from this morning stepped in. "My lady, the cook wishes to know what to make for dinner tonight." She did not look up at Eleanora, and Eleanora did not pay her much mind. Her focus still on the paper in her hand.
"Nothing for me, I do not have much of an appetite." She got up to gather a pen and paper.
After she sat back down to begin writing she noticed something was wrong. The door thud close. She looked up confused to find the girl still there. "You are dismissed." Eleanora announced.
The girl made no move to leave. Her tiny frame vibrated.
"What is it, girl?"
She continued to look down at her feet. Hands tightly clasped togeather. She all but put her tail between her legs.
"Lady Eleanora" Jane stepped forward slowly, reminding Eleanora she is there. "It is your duty as mistress of the household to overlook the cleaning and arrangement of the meals. I'm sure you just forgot while writing all of your thank you letter for the wedding." Jane gave her a meaningful look.
Eleanora felt realization wash over her. She never had to learn how to run a house until just recently, and when her mother did explain it, she often times disregarded the lessons. Looking at the clock she only had a short time to arrange the meal for tonight before Robert returned from work.
How annoying.
Even if she hated this arrangement, she did not want to look a fool.
"Ah yes." She stood taking Jane's aid. "I have been quite busy. What does my husband enjoy eating?" She asked the girl.
She did not realize Eleanora was speaking to her. Her fear of Eleanora apparent. "Child" Eleanora repeated. Once she had the girls attention she smiled to soothe her. "What does my husband normally eat in the evening?"
The girl thought hard. "He normally eats stew." she too looked at the clock. "But that will take to much time." She paused to think. "We could have duck and French beans." She suggested.
Eleanora contemplated the suggestion. "Yes, that will do. Please request to have that made."
Eleanora was about to turn around until she remembered something. "Oh, Please be sure to have All the linens pressed and silverware polished. My husband will not sit to have the first meal with me like a commoner." The girl nodded vigorously and slid through the door.
Once Jane was sure the girl was gone she chuckled under breath. "You could care less if your husband ate off the floor. Why ask her to oversee all that."
Eleanora smiled slyly. "I want her to impress me. She has just one hour to either do all that by herself or get the others to help her."
"That is not very nice." Jane stated as she continued to clean.
Eleanora waved away her concern. "It's nothing you have not endured. Now that I think of it, did I not make you saddle my new horse an hour before I woke?"
Jane nodded in acknowledgment. "I also had to wake you before dawn with a fresh cup of coffee and walk into town to get fresh berries from the market. It was still dark." No contempt in her voice.
"Ah yes. I was quite rotten back then." She turned back to her writing.
"My lady, it was not so long ago." She reminded her with a snort.
Eleanora looked up as she contemplated the time. "Your right I am still quite rotten."
As the silence filled the room Eleanora began to write her letter. Her smile dying as she read what she wrote and crumpled it up with disgust.
Eleanora wished she was back in France some days. That she was doing something more important. "Jane?" She asked absently.
"Yes My Lady?" Jane did not stop working her eyes focused on her task. She could hear the exhaustion in Eleanora's voice. Not a physical tired, mentally as if something heavy weighed on her mind. Eating away at her heart.
"Did you know I once oversaw almost my entire family fortune in textiles transported from France to England? It was the only time in the entire company we did not have any death of men. We also did not lose a single product." Eleanora sounded wistful.
"I did not Lady Eleanora." Jane knew she was trained at a young age to take over the company. She imagined her brother's conception prevented her from actually using her skills.
"Yes." She smiled at the memories. "You should have seen my father's pride. He wanted to brag to all his men on how his protegee was his daughter. I could remember my mother's terror, she thought no man would marry a Lady who was their better"
Jane could hear the faintest sadness in her voice, Lady Eleanor's back slightly slumped against the seat. Jane had been with the family since Lady Eleanora was a young girl. The Lady went from being uninterested in the company to being completely consumed by every detail. She put her heart into the family business. She attended every meeting her father had, a silent observer in the presence of the men. But once she was home she chatted away about what she saw while Jane brushed her hair. Her observation of the men, ideas of how to help her father. She was a shining star in the darkness of her family consumed by the lack of a male heir. She had to fight to prove she was worthy of taking on a company. Â After all of her work, her father pushed Lady Eleanora aside when her mother announced her long-awaited second pregnancy.
Jane felt bad for her, she did not demand a lot before then. She was easy to please, happy with anything people could provide. Her high demands began when her father sent her to France to find a husband. She was inconsolable, she suddenly demanded excellence from all around her.
Eleanora sighed her reminiscing over. "I guess we will never know." Â She straightened up her back. "Please oversee that the girl downstairs does not muck up this dinner. Also, have her dust all the furniture in the drawing room before we sit to eat I wish to converse with my husband."
Jane silently exited the room, to rush downstairs. The Lady actually wanted to talk to her husband. She must be up to something big.