Julian was silent for a moment. The instinct to establish structure before anything else had already taken hold. It was how he managed everything within his control. His gaze remained on her, more attentive now.
"It was not my intention to treat you like an employee," he said.
"No," Eleanor replied. "But it is the direction in which you were proceeding."
"Very well, then, I will adjust it."
Eleanor held his gaze for a moment longer, as though confirming that point had been understood. Then, just as easily, the tension eased.
He turned slightly, indicating the direction of the east wing.
"Your rooms," he said, more simply now. "I shall not entertain your wing, but Lily seems to think that she will be able to come and go as she pleases. Should you want privacy, you need only tell her."
Eleanor fell into step beside him. The house remained quiet as they moved through it, and yet, something had already changed.
She was already making her mark.
CHAPTER 7
The house did not feel unfamiliar.
Eleanor had walked the corridors before, though it had been years, and she remembered the arrangement of the rooms, the careful order that shaped everything within it. And yet, as she moved through them now, the difference was unmistakable.
Nothing had changed.
"Eleanor, the Viscountess Harrowby."
The words followed her from room to room, repeated as each member of staff was presented in turn. Her new title had settled into place as though it had always belonged there.
Eleanor smiled and nodded where appropriate, acknowledging each introduction with far more ease than she had expected. She did not rush the process, nor did she prolong it unnecessarily.Names were given, roles explained, the structure of the household outlined, and that was all that was needed.
She listened. She asked a question here and there, but there was hardly any clarification needed. It was already a well-ordered house, that much was clear, and that meant that nothing required her immediate alteration. Julian had been managing well, and that reduced the need for her.
That suited her well enough.
"You are already familiar with your wing I believe, my lady," the housekeeper said as they turned a corner. "He has told me that he showed you it before summoning me."
"He did indeed," Eleanor replied. "Though I imagine I shall learn it properly now."
There was the faintest suggestion of approval in the woman’s expression.
"I do hope so. I do not suppose that he has told you, but he has expressed that you are welcome to change the rooms as you see fit."
Eleanor was grateful for that, but in truth she had no such intentions. The furnishings were in pale green, her favorite color, and everything was light and clean which was to her taste already. There was no need to change what already felt like her own.
They continued a little further, though Eleanor no longer needed direction. She recognized the rooms as they passed them far more than she had anticipated.
By the time the introductions concluded, the afternoon had begun to fade into the evening.
Eleanor excused herself without difficulty. There were no expectations placed upon her yet, nothing that required her immediate attention beyond what had already been done.
She found her way to the gardens without assistance. The air outside was cooler, the quiet offering a sense of seclusion that she had not expected to want. The grounds stretched out in careful order, but they were somehow less rigid than the house itself. She followed the path without particular direction until she found her.
Lily sat on the grass near a cluster of low shrubs, her attention fixed on something in her hands. She did not notice Eleanor at first.
Eleanor did not interrupt. She approached slowly, then lowered herself to sit beside her, not too close, but not too distant either.
"What have you found?"