Now that he was in residence, Peter hoped he could help the curate smile more. He seemed like such a serious young man. Peter believed that one could be serious about God and religion while also enjoying life. A balance of all things was what he strived for. He wasn’t a fire-and-brimstone kind of vicar. There was no need for such teachings, in his opinion. He wanted people to come to church and be inspired to live a good Christian life with kindness and generosity, rather than being cowed by harsh teachings that warned of eternal damnation if they deviated from the righteous path.
He heard the knocker bang down and hurried back through the house to see who’d come calling. Opening the door, he saw an older woman, perhaps in her forties by the strands of gray at her temples, standing there with a large basket slung over her arm.
“Good day, madam. How may I be of help?”
“Good day to you, sir. I’m Mrs. Paulson.”
“Ah, yes. Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Paulson. I’m Mr. Wallings. The curate told me you were the cook here.”
“It’s nice to have a vicar again. We all love Mr. Randolph dearly, but the man does have a tendency to go on and on with his sermons.”
Peter chuckled. “Well, I’ll be sure to stick to the relevant points then. Wouldn’t want the parishioners falling asleep on me, now would we?”
Mrs. Paulson blanched. “I’m terribly sorry, sir. I shouldn’t have spoken about Mr. Randolph in such a way. It was badly done of me. He’s a dear, sweet man, just a little too serious, but so good to his sister.”
“Mrs. Paulson, do come in, and do not worry, your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wallings.” Mrs. Paulson entered the cottage and went about preparing dinner with the efficiency of a general. Peter thought it best to stay out of her way, so he went upstairs to his bedchamber to unpack his trunk. He hung up both of his black cassocks in the armoire to let the wrinkles fall out, along with a couple of jackets and waistcoats. He preferred to wear his cassocks most of the time, but when traveling in one of them over long distances, he had a tendency to get very warm. There was also a chest of drawers in the room, where he stored the rest of his clothing.
By the time he returned to the kitchen, Mrs. Paulson had laid out a cold supper of chicken, cheese, and two slices of warm, thick bread, along with a steaming cup of tea. “Mr. Wallings, we had no idea what time you would arrive today, so this is all I prepared for this evening’s meal. However, the bread is fresh from the oven.”
“There’s nothing I like more than fresh bread. Thank you, Mrs. Paulson.”
“I shall return tomorrow to cook you a proper meal. By the way, my sister, who is the cook at Dandridge Manor, tells methat the staff has been working nonstop sprucing up the place in anticipation of Lord Fletcher’s arrival.”
“Oh?” He’d had no idea that Lord Fletcher’s country home was in the area. He would add him to the list of people he wanted to visit.
“He’s come with the family. My sister is thrilled to have people to cook for besides the few staff in residence.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to pay them a visit once they get settled.”
“I’ve also left you some sugar for your tea. If you require milk, tell me the day before, and I’ll be sure to bring some when I come.”
“Thank you. Sugar is fine.”
“Do you need anything else, Mr. Wallings?” Mrs. Paulson asked.
“No. You’ve been most kind.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Good day, Mr. Wallings,” Mrs. Paulson said, picking up her basket and letting herself out.
After the cook left, Peter ate his dinner, thinking about the twists and turns his life had taken. His early childhood had been filled with wonderful memories of playing with his older brother, George. But George was three years older, and when he turned thirteen, he was sent away to Eton.
That’s when Peter’s whole world changed.
He’d been devastated to lose his best friend and soon came to realize that being the second son meant his father wanted little to do with him.
It was a sobering lesson for a young boy to learn, and one he never forgot. His mother doted on him, which somewhat eased the sting of his father’s neglect, but Peter had been determined to earn his father’s love. He studied diligently at all his lessons, and his tutors were quite pleased with him, but his accomplishments didn’t seem to matter to his father. The earl barely acknowledged his existence.
His father was a harsh man to most people, except for his beloved firstborn son. The earl loved George above everyone else, even his wife. Peter didn’t begrudge his brother’s preferential treatment because he was the heir to the earldom. Whenever George came home from school, he always made time to be with Peter, and they had the best time together. However, as George grew older, he came home less and less frequently, and when he did join them for the holidays, their father claimed most of his brother’s time for estate business.
After years of the earl’s indifference, Peter stopped trying to win his father’s love. He became more reserved and withdrawn, preferring to be outside in nature and away from the house as much as possible. The one thing that had never changed as he grew and matured was his passion for the natural world. He spent hours in the woods surrounding their country home. One of his tutors had also been a lover of nature and encouraged the boy to learn as much as possible about the world by offering several books that identified different plants and trees. Peter had devoured those books. To this day, it was still his favorite subject.
When Peter turned thirteen, he was ecstatic to finally be allowed to join George at Eton. George looked out for him for the next two years, keeping the older boys from bullying him, which was common at Eton, until George went off to university. Eventually, Peter followed in George’s footsteps, but although they remained close, they never again shared the strong bond they’d had when they were children. George had his friends, and Peter had a few close friends of his own, but he was not as gregarious as his brother, so it was harder for him to make friends. The friendship he shared with Lord Easton, the heir to the Earl of Devon, was the one he cherished the most, and it had endured even after they graduated from university.
In fact, it had been Easton who had insisted that Peter join him at sometonevents at the end of the Season. Peter was reluctant at first, but his friend was insistent, and Peter did want to spend some time with him. It was during one of those events that he’d met the new Lord Fletcher and his wards, most notably, Miss Grace Parker.
The coincidence that Dandridge Manor was located within St. Mary’s parish made him happy. He was eager to see Miss Grace once again and planned to pay his respects to the family tomorrow.
“I shall see you tomorrow, Miss Grace,” he said to no one in particular. That night, he went to sleep with a smile on his face thinking about visiting her soon.