As she vacated her quarters, Phyllida smoothed the front of her dress and patted the comb in her hair. It wouldn’t do for her to appear the least bit out of sorts in front of staff or guests, despite her lack of sleep the night before. She’d powdered the circles beneath her eyes and added a bit of mascara to distract from the drawn look on her face.

Mallowan Hall was a large, rectangular structure with five stories, including the attic, and an expansive garden and adjacent lawn that butted up to a small apple orchard. Beyond the orchard were trees that eventually became a pleasant forest.

Phyllida knew there was a small creek that ran along the far edge of the orchard and into the woods, but she hadn’t seen the need to venture that far from the house. She took issue with snakes slithering across one’s path. Aside from that, there were charming paths through the gardens managed by Amsi that offered plenty of opportunity for fresh air and the rich scents of flowers.

The Mallowans each had their own sitting room or office on the first floor, as well as their bedroom. On the second and third floors there were plenty of guest rooms, and the floor above accommodated the maids. There were also a number of bathrooms on the upper floors, and the house had been fully converted to electricity nearly a decade ago. That feature had been one of the deciding factors for Phyllida taking on the role of housekeeper, for she detested the work involved in filling and cleaning gas lamps, even though it would be her staff, and not her, who were required to do it.

The kitchen, servants’ dining room, scullery, laundry, and distilling room were all in the cellar—along with bedrooms for the footmen and gardener. For obvious reasons, Phyllida preferred to keep the male servants as far away from the maids’ beds as possible. While not foolproof, she felt that a six-floor distance was at least a buffer.

Although the kitchen was generally hot and steamy from the activity within, it did have several small windows at the top that allowed in fresh air and some light, and its subterranean location helped keep the temperature from becoming unbearable.

As neither of the Mallowans rode horses or hunted, the stable had been converted to a garage with an apartment for the driver that, in Bradford’s case, also accommodated his dog.