“I’ve already heard your praises sung, Mrs. Barnsley,” chuckled Adalyn.
The older woman poured the tea, and then bent to the oven, whisking out two pies topped with crisp brown pastry. The fragrance made Adalyn’s mouth water.
“Here y’are, then. Let’s give it a bit to cool down, otherwise it’ll burn yer tongue somethin’ fierce.” She put one pie on the table, along with cutlery and plates.
“I’m going to be terribly spoiled here, I know it,” sighed Adalyn.
“Yer looks like yer need some spoilin’ m’Lady, if yer’ll forgive an old woman’s blunt words.” Mrs. Barnsley sat down and pushed tea cups toward Daniel and Adalyn. “Tiny as a bird, y’are. Need some meat on yer bones if yer goin’ ter manage Wolfbridge.”
Adalyn grinned over her teacup. “I’m stronger than I look. And I’ve seen several very industrious young ladies helping keep the Manor in order.” She looked at Mrs. Barnsley. “Would any of them be yours?”
“Aye,” she nodded. “I got two of ‘em up at Manor.”
Daniel looked up at that. “Lizzie’s old enough now?”
“Time’s a passin’, lad. Lizzie turned sixteen this month. Past time to earn her keep.”
“I had no idea,” he shook his head.
“Mr. B. an’ I been blessed with five children, m’Lady. Lizzie’s our youngest. She and Mary do up at Manor, Jane lives south of here, trainin’ ter be a Lady’s maid, and the lads are in the fields. Mr. B., bein’ as he’s gettin’ on in years, puts in his time in more of a supervisory capacity, he says.” She shrugged. “Fancy way of sayin’ tellin’ lads what ter do.”
“I’m sure he’s very good at it, too.” Adalyn finished her tea. “’Tis good to have a knowledgeable eye overseeing matters.”
“Yer right about that, m’Lady.” Mrs. Barnsley turned to Daniel. “And while I’m thinkin’ about it, he’d like a quick word with yer, Daniel. Somethin’ about plantin’.”
Daniel nodded. “Is he around today?”
“Should be.”
“I’ll find him then.” Daniel turned to Adalyn. “I won’t be very long. Will you mind?”
“Of course not,” Adalyn laughed. “And I promise to leave you a little of the pie.”
Daniel laughed back and shook a finger at her. “You’d better. I’m counting on it.”
Left to their own devices, the two women looked at each other, then grinned and began to carve the pie.
It was difficult to hold back a moan of pleasure, thought Adalyn, as her taste buds exploded with the sensation of tart gooseberry, a dash of spices and meltingly wonderful buttery pastry. “Oh my goodness,” she mumbled. “Heaven. Just heaven.”
“I knew yer’d like it.” Mrs. Barnsley smiled. “Now then, lass. Just us. Yer got questions, I’ll be bound.”
Adalyn blinked. “How did you know?”
“They all do, dearie. I’ve been here nigh on thirty years now. Seen my fair share of Wolfbridge ladies. So yer go right on and ask whatever yer want. Between us women.”
A mouthful of pie and a second cup of tea…and Adalyn decided to take Mrs. Barnsley up on her offer.
“All right. Why don’t any of the women live at the Manor? Why is it just men?”
The older woman nodded. “Yes. That’s usually the first thing they want ter know. Well, it goes back a long time ter one of the earliest of the Wolfbridge women. Mebbe even the first one. All by herself in the manor, and in days when men had all the power, and women none of it. The poor lass was besieged by men wantin’ her for the land, pretendin’ affection, tryin’ to woo her into surrender. Driven nearly to distraction, she was. The one man she would have accepted—well he was after seducin’ one of the maids, behind the lady’s back. A babe on the way sort of thing. Broke her heart, ’tis said. All his promises were empty. And after that? No more women livin’ on the premises, and she turned her back on all those suitors. Made it a legal rule of the place, she did.”
“Goodness. I can understand her feelings, I suppose.”
“She stayed unwed for a good many years. One o’ the longest-lastin’ at Wolfbridge. I think she may have been the one ter start hirin’ a unique set of men.”
“After that kind of heartbreak, I’m surprised she thought of it. I might have kept my staff to all women. At least there’d be no chance of anyone betraying my affections.”
Mrs. Barnsley leaned forward. “Between yer and me, lass, I also think it’s got somethin’ ter do with the lads. They like havin’ their mistress ter themselves. And there hasn’t been a mistress complainin’ or tryin’ ter change them rules once they got set up. Ever.” She turned her pie plate around, absently, as if in thought. “The Wolfbridge lads are special, y’know.” Her face was earnest now as she gazed at Adalyn. “They’re all about takin’ real good care of their Lady. There’s nothin’ they won’t do fer her; she’s their life, in a way.”
“I’m starting to see that,” agreed Adalyn. “It’s…a little unsettling at times.”
Mrs. Barnsley smiled. “I’ll agree ter that. Them lovely men just fallin’ over themselves ter help yer…must be hard ter know which way ter turn.”
“Do any…er…have any of the Wolfbridge women ever…I don’t know quite how to ask…”
“You mean any of the ladies have a go at it with the men?”
“Um, yes,” Adalyn blushed. “I think that’s what I mean?”
“I should bloody well hope so,” said Mrs. Barnsley bluntly. “What’s the point of all that carin’ when it don’t go noplace? Wolfbridge ain’t a convent. And if I weren’t wed and past all that, I’d not mind being up there and havin’ a bit of it myself.”
Swallowing, Adalyn managed a weak smile. “But how does one choose?”
Mrs. Barnsley grinned, a curve of her lips that managed to be both wicked and wistful. “I wouldn’t. I’d try ‘em all.”
Adalyn gasped, but at that moment Daniel came back into the kitchen, and her words dried up in her mouth.
“All set,” he said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. “Now. About
