Free Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess by Marti Talbott Page A

fifteen.”
    “ Fifteen?” He wrinkled his brow. “How old are you?”
    She took a deep breath and wiped the last of her tears away. “I am twenty-one. You will not tell the others, will you?”
    Hannish was completely taken aback and it took a moment to regain his composure. “Why must it be a secret?”
    “ Mr. Hannish, I never thought of you as witless.”
    This time, he could not hold back his grin. “In what regard am I witless?”
    “ I know I am young for my age. I try to grow up, but ‘tis hard when you’ve had no one to guide you, save Old Mrs. Forthright. What she can teach can be put in a thimble, and a small one at that. If the others know how old I am, they will laugh at me.”
    “ They are very fond of you, they will not laugh.”
    “ Aye, but Keith…”
    “ What about Keith?”
    “ If a lad looks at me too long, does it mean he fancies me?”
    “ Perhaps.”
    “ That is what I thought. That is why, then.”
    He wrinkled his brow. “That is why you do not want him to know your true age?”
    “ Aye, if he thinks I am too young he will not ask.”
    “ I see. Tell me, if they discharge a child at fifteen, how did you manage to stay in the orphanage?”
    “ Twas I who cleaned the office and once, when Old Mrs. Forthright first come, I found my certificate of birth. That’s how I know I am a Scot. Anyway, I changed the year I was born to one year younger than my sister, and Old Mrs. Forthright was none the wiser.” Sassy suddenly wrinkled her brow. “The certificate of birth said ‘parents unknown,’ but I remember a woman, although I dinna think she was my mother. Oh well, it matters not; my mother bore me and here I am.”
    “ So you are. What is your real name?”
    “ Leesil.”
    “ Leesil what?”
    Sassy shrugged. “Please say I can go home.”
    He paused to consider the problem for a moment. “Sassy, your pay is not yet enough to care for you and you sister, but I’ve a better idea. McKenna needs something to do and she knows a great many people. Perhaps she can arrange employment for your sister. Once you have saved enough, you can go home and I will see you to the train myself.”
    “ Oh, Mr. Hannish.” Without thinking, she hopped up, flew into his arms and hugged him tight.
    He was about to wrap his arms around her when a shocked Sassy backed away.
    “ Forgive me, I…”
    “ There is nothing to forgive. Now, off with you, tomorrow will be another full day.” He watched her quietly close the door behind her and shook his head in disbelief. “Twenty-one? She is but five years younger than I.”

    There was plenty of work for everyone and then some. Carved sofas with bear claw feet, armchairs, colorful French tapestries, oak plant stands, needlepoint footstools, beds, and dressers began to arrive. It was not nearly enough, but it was a start.
    Next came wooden crates filled with expensive household additions, such as framed pictures, lamps, small bronze and gold statues, hand painted vases, silver coffee sets, candelabra, more porcelain wash basins with matching pitchers, serving trays and enough Sterling Silver utensils to feed a gathering of fifty. Hannish even managed to order carved jewelry boxes to put on the dressers, and golden eagle bookends for the day when he could secure more books. He spotted a check mark next to a figurine in his catalog, assumed McKenna had marked it and ordered that too.
    Indeed, there was plenty for everyone to do and the first week passed quickly for everyone, except Hannish. McKenna had asked Prescot to bring her as many outdated newspapers as he could find, and that evening Hannish was not surprised to find her reading them in the downstairs sitting room.
    “ Do you know everything about everyone in town now?” he asked, choosing to sit on a settee next to her.”
    “ Not quite, I can find no mention of our Mister Charles Whitfield having done anything interesting in the past six months.”
    “ Perhaps he has been away.”
    “