Sapphire nodded to him as she peeled off her gloves.
Mrs. Kupenicar, who Mary had promoted to head housekeeper, was waiting with several of the maids flanking her. There were already a few unfamiliar faces.
Sapphire exchanged pleasantries, then led Mrs. Kupenicar to a sitting room away from the other servants. They discussed a few things that needed to be done and how the hiring was going.
“Don’t you worry,” Mrs. Kupenicar said. “We’ll figure it all out. Get the house back the way it was when your father was with us.”
“Sir Matthias and I just got back, but we’ll be leaving shortly. I’ll take what I need for a few days and have anything else sent out after us.” Sapphire told her housekeeper about her trip, and they discussed the things that needed to be done in her absence.
“Where would you be wanting the trunks sent?”
Sapphire lowered her voice. “We’re going with the Duke and Duchess Valerian to their country estate. They’re good friends with Sir Matthias, and they’ve invited us to join them.”
The housekeeper let out a knowing sigh. “I hear tell the duchess is an odd one, but they’re good folks. You should be safe with the Hero of Tamryn.”
Sapphire smiled. Her housekeeper saw more than she let on sometimes. Probably why Mary had promoted Mrs. Kupenicar into the role. “I will be. I’m worried about you all.”
“We managed under Lord Bartley, we can definitely manage under you and Sir Matthias.”
“Thank you.” Sapphire drew a long breath. “News travels quickly, but if you haven’t already heard, Lord Bartley is dead.”
“We heard, and none of us were surprised. Shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, but at least he won’t be troubling us while you’re gone. Now get yourself on up and get packed. I’ll send Missy along to help. If you’re gonna be spending a few weeks with a duke and duchess, you’ll need everything just so. Should also be sure to take Courtney with you. Gonna need a lady’s maid.”
“Thank you.” Sapphire squeezed Mrs. Kupenicar’s hands again and hugged her. “Thank you for everything.”
“Ah, go on with you. You’ve been through enough since your father died. About time some happiness came your way.”
As Sapphire left the sitting room, she glanced at her father’s study. Lord Bartley had commandeered it the first day he’d arrived as her stepfather. The memory still rankled.
Mrs. Kupenicar followed her gaze. “I didn’t want to bother you with this, but you should have a look at them books before you go. Things haven’t been right for some time, and if you’re gonna be gone awhile…”
“Haven’t been right?” Sapphire asked.
“The staff always got what was due to them, but certain places have stopped taking our credit. Couldn’t do some needed repairs.”
“There was a very generous budget for the house.” Sapphire’s hands fisted at her side, and she stopped herself. “I will take a look at them and get things set right.”
Mrs. Kupenicar nodded and glanced back toward the great room where Sir Matthias was talking to the butler and several of the footmen. “He don’t seem much like Lord Bartley or Lord Musgrave.”
“Thank the Trinity, no.”
A light shone in Mrs. Kupenicar’s eyes, and she hid a smile. “Glad you got your pa’s ability to see the truth of folks.”
“Me, too,” Sapphire said. “And while I’m not looking forward to the mess of the books, I’d better see to it.”
Sapphire entered her father’s office, and while the smell of expensive leather and old books still filled the room, a ripple of fear teased down her spine. She frowned. She’d never felt that before in her father’s office.
Another part of Lord Bartley’s legacy that needed to be swept away.
It was time to make her house a home. Time to return it to the warm, sunlit place of her childhood. A sanctuary, one she would share with Matthias.
Sapphire thought about the man she’d married, and emotion swelled her chest. She loved him, and each day together deepened that love and cemented it more firmly. She whispered a silent prayer to the Twins that he’d meant the words when he’d said them.
Of course he had. He was a Knight of Valor, and Knights didn’t lie.
The Twins had truly blessed her.
Sapphire hugged herself, and thoughts of her house ringing with the laughter of children filled her. Sir Matthias said he wanted a big family, and so did she.
They would have time to ponder it out at the Valerian estate. While Julianna Darrington had never cared for the countryside, Sapphire had enjoyed it on the few occasions she’d made the trip with her father. She was looking forward to the time out there with Sir Matthias when high society wouldn’t be watching them.
But first she needed to clean up Lord Bartley’s mess.
Sitting down at her father’s desk, Sapphire pulled the old, worn ledger from the drawer. Her father’s large and sloppy handwriting dominated the older parts of the book. After that was her neat script, followed by Lord Bartley’s tight letters.
Sapphire pinched the bridge of her nose.
A cursory glance showed Lord Bartley had been skimming from the housing allowance, and he hadn’t been subtle about. It was equally clear that he was a horrible bookkeeper.
Sucking in a deep breath, Sapphire started untangling the mess.
She lost track of time as she corrected errors and tallied up how much Lord Bartley had taken. Loud voices penetrated the fog of numbers, and Sapphire pushed away the ledgers away and searched for the source of the commotion.
As she came down the hall, she saw her Uncle Donald flanked by four large men facing Sir Matthias. The Knight hadn’t yet reached for his sword, but his expression warned he was close to it.
“There’s the little whore now,” Lord Donald said, his voice cracking like a whip.
“To what do we owe this…” Sapphire raised a brow. “Visit.”
“Already brought your peasant lover into my sister’s house, I see.”
Sapphire stared at her uncle. He was angry and upset. While he aimed it at her, she wasn’t the cause. He sought Lord Carsons approval, as her mother had, but not even he could win that from his father.
That’s how Rashalee worked.
None could ever appease the goddess of lust and greed, and no one would ever be enough to satisfy Her.
Sapphire understood that now and saw the dark goddess’s empty promises for what they were.
She met Lord Donald’s stare, no longer afraid or impressed by her uncle. “Sir Matthias is a Knight of Dracor, chosen by the Dragon God himself. Even with the title you were born into and the money you inherited, you can’t buy that.”
Lord Donald’s face crimsoned. “Whelp!”
Sapphire folded her arms over her chest. “Why are you here?”
“Since the death of your stepfather, it’s my duty to oversee the estates.”
“My estates,” Sapphire said.
“My sister’s-”
“Mine,” Sapphire interrupted. “And if anything happens to me, every copper piece of my inheritance goes to Sir Matthias as he is now my husband. When Grandfather sold his daughter into marriage, he forgot to read the contract.”