Chapter Three Lady Dowager Tremayne's Visit
John sat in the kitchen grabbing a quick cup of tea. The whole week had been taken up with preparing for Lady Dowager Tremayne's visit. Every room had been thoroughly cleaned, bedrooms aired, drinks cabinet stocked with the vintner's best and most expensive wines and spirits. Groceries had been being delivered every day and the butcher's boy had just left. Cook and cook's assistant were in an enormous kerfuffle as Mistress had screwed up their menu plan for the visit three times, throwing them back at cook before finally agreeing the fourth effort. Daisy had been working non stop, polishing silver, putting out new bed linen, cleaning, dusting over and over again till Mistress was finally satisfied everything was in place.
Lady Dowager would be arriving in around an hour's time after the train bringing her from her stately home in Devon arrived at Paddington station and a handsome cab or two had made its way gently across London. The Lady Dowager would be accompanied by her maid, Crystal, who everyone was curious to meet as she had been brought into the Dowager's service from one of the West Indian islands as a young girl. Daisy who had prepared an empty servant's room for her was told that would be unnecessary as Crystal would sleep on a mattress on the floor next to the Dowager's four poster bed in the recently refurbished guest room.
He suddenly had to leave his tea as the Dowager had arrived early and he put on his freshly cleaned and ironed servant's uniform and hurried upstairs to stand outside the door as the handsome cab pulled up to a stop. He opened the cab door and helped the Lady down followed by her maid.
"Good to see you again John"
While she said this she discretely squeezed his bottom before walking up the steps to be greeted by Mistress and ushered into the main lounge with Crystal following behind. John could not believe all the trunks and cases he had to unload and subsequently carry up to the Dowager's bedroom and was exhausted by the time he had placed the last one in her bedroom and Crystal entered the bedroom. He was slightly taken aback at just how attractive she was. Several years older than Daisy, taller, more curved and with beautiful caramel skin and a confident bearing.
"Thank you John. I will see to the unpacking, in the meantime could you prepare a hot bath for the Dowager she needs to freshen up after the long journey."
"Of course, Crystal. I will see to that immediately."
He opened the door into the adjoining bathroom and ran the bath with its new fangled hot water taps served by a boiler in the attic.
Meanwhile in the lounge Mistress and the Dowager were sipping tea and daintily working their way through a plate of cook's homemade shortbread biscuits that Daisy had delivered a few minutes earlier.
"Grace, my dear it's so good to have you here in London for a few days, we have so much to catch up on."
"We do indeed Cynthia, (for that is Mistresses Christian name). I see you have a new maid. Such a young, thin, nervous little thing. How did you find her?. No let me guess, that gorgeous manservant of yours John found her and used his charms to convince her to work here."
Mistress smiled:
"Well, something along those lines Grace. She is in the very early stages of training. I haven't decided whether to keep her yet, I will have to see how she develops."
"Cynthia, you are such a tease, I bet you have already branded her! I hope we can put the little thing through a few paces during my stay. I am feeling particularly naughty at the moment."
"Oh, I am sure we can arrange something including her, John and your delicious Crystal. Perhaps after dinner this evening."
