Suddenly Royal
Page 74

I made my way back to the dining room and threw myself into the conversation. Stanley and Margie were easy to talk to, offering up information about the house and the staff. The two of them lived in a small house just off the side of the main driveway. Jeanette had a small flat above their apartments.
“Where will poor Chadwick live?” I winked at my assistant. “And Becca. Will she be staying here as well?”
“Just clear out the barn.” Chadwick laughed.
“No, no. There is a small house behind the manor home. A very short walk and it has plenty of room,” Stanley said. “We already put your bags in there. And Becca has a room attached to this house in the back. It is completely self-sufficient but closer for security reasons.”
“Though if you’d prefer the barn, I could clear out a stall.” Margie winked at Chadwick.
“I think I’ll be glad of the house.” Chadwick shook his head. “Looks like your milk will be safe, Samantha.”
“As will my eyes.” I laughed when Margie and Stanley exchanged a confused look. “It’s a long story.”
“How have you found Lilaria so far?” Margie cut a piece of the cake and put it on a plate for me. “You’ve been in the papers every day. I imagine you haven’t had a chance to see much.”
“It’s a beautiful country, but I’m looking forward to things settling down.” I took a bite of the cake. “I’m also looking forward to having my father here. I think he’ll enjoy the area.”
“When you have had time to settle in, we can talk about what type of changes you’d like to make in the home.” Margie smiled. “There are a lot of excellent local artisans.”
“I can’t imagine what I would want to change right now. The house is beautiful.” I finished up the cake and stretched. “I do want to see more of the town and the area.”
“I’d be happy to take you around,” Stanley offered. “I imagine that you’ll only have a few days before the locals start making requests of your time.”
“You’re probably right, and thank you—that would be nice.” I picked up my plate to take it to the kitchen, but Margie tsked at me and took it out of my hands. “Margie, I’m happy to clean up behind myself.”
“No, ma’am. I’m happy to do it. Especially today!” She smiled. “Imagine, we finally have a Rousseau back in the house. This is a wonderful day.”
“It must feel weird. You’ve been here your whole lives and I just show up and it’s mine.” Chadwick choked on his drink, but I wanted to get that out in the open. “I hope there won’t be any hard feelings. I’m going to need your help.”
“You have it.” Stanley stood up and grabbed some of the dishes. “I assure you there is no resentment. Taking care of the Rousseau Manor and its holdings is a job passed down through the generations of my family. It’s something that we take very seriously.”
“Thank you.” I picked up some of the other dishes since Margie’s hands were too full for her to take them.
“Have you thought of what you’d like to do tonight?” Margie asked. “For dinner, I mean. We weren’t sure if you’d want to eat here or go out.”
“I’d like to unpack and relax a little.” I looked over at Chadwick to make sure he didn’t have any other ideas. He nodded his head and I felt relief wash over me. “In fact, I’d like nothing more than a big sandwich for dinner and to spend some time getting to know the house.”
“Are you sure, ma’am? I’d be happy to make anything you would like.” Margie stepped in front of the sink so she could keep me from doing any of the cleaning.
“Margie has even scoured the Internet for American dishes.” Stanley smiled at his wife proudly.
“Honestly, one of my favorite things to eat is a giant turkey sandwich with lots of cheese and mayo.” I sighed. “It’s comfort food.”
“Then a turkey sandwich it will be. Do you have a preference for when you like to eat?”
“Margie, I can make my own sandwich. You don’t need to do that.” I frowned. “Really! I’ll call you for the big dinners or anything fancy because I’m pretty helpless in the kitchen. But I can make a turkey sandwich.”
“Are you sure, ma’am? I truly don’t mind.”
“I’m sure, and please call me Samantha.” Margie’s eyes widened and I heard Chadwick sigh.
“She’s having a hard time adjusting to being royalty,” Chadwick explained.
“He’s right. Everywhere I’ve gone in the last week or so people refer to me as Duchess, ma’am, or some other title. I’ve shaken hands with a million people and had my photo taken two million times.” I paused, trying to find the right words. “But here? Here I want to be Samantha. I’d prefer Sam even, but I’m willing to compromise. I just want to feel at home.”
Margie smiled sadly at me. “All right then, Samantha. I’ll let you make your own dinner tonight.”
“Thank you.” I felt relieved that we’d gotten that out of the way. I talked to them for a while, standing in the kitchen, laughing as they told me stories about the locals and their families. Stanley offered me a glass of wine and I forced Chadwick to take one as well.
After a while, Chadwick and I meandered around the house, looking at the rooms. The mixture of Chadwick’s sly jokes and the wine had given me the giggles. When we opened a closet only to have an avalanche of blankets fall out, I died laughing as Chadwick tried to push them all back in. I held his glass while he cursed under his breath and used his shoulder to force the door shut. Eventually we ended up in the library upstairs.