“My niece Doreen’s girl is looking for work, as it happens,” Mrs. Huggins said quickly. It was clear that her brain had been ticking as he made that suggestion. “Nice quiet little thing. Not the brightest, but it might help her land a good position if she had a reference from a toff like you. Why don’t I speak to her about it and send her up to you if she’s willing to give it a try.”

“Brilliant,” I said. “I knew I was doing the right thing coming to you two. You always have an answer for me.”

“So you’re going to a royal wedding, are you, your ladyship?” Mrs. Huggins asked.

“Yes. I’m going to be in the bridal party, but I have to leave next week, so that doesn’t give me much time to hire a maid to travel with me. This girl you mentioned—she has had some domestic service training, has she?”

“Oh, yes. She’s had several jobs. Not anything like as grand as your house, of course. This will be a step up in the world for her. But like I said, she’s a quiet, willing little thing. And you wouldn’t have to worry about her having an eye for the boys. She don’t have an ounce of what they refer to these days as sex appeal. Face like the back end of a bus, poor little thing. But you’d find her keen enough to learn.”

My grandfather chuckled. “If she was in the theater, I wouldn’t hire you as her manager, ’ettie.”

“Well, I have to tell it straight for her ladyship, don’t I?”

“I won’t be judging her on her looks, and at the moment I feel it really is a case of beggars not being choosers.”

“So I’ll tell her she can call on you at yer house, shall I?”

“By all means. I look forward to meeting her.” I finished my stew and started to stand up. “I really should be getting back to London, although I can’t say I’m looking forward to it. I have my brother and sister-in-law at the house.”

“You’re welcome to the spare bedroom,” Granddad said. “It’s a nasty night out there.”

I was tempted. The safety and security of Granddad’s little house versus the doubly frigid atmosphere of Rannoch House occupied by Fig. But I had a wedding to plan for, and I didn’t want Fig suspecting that I’d spent the night with Darcy.

“No, I really should get back, I’m afraid,” I said. “It was so good to see you.”

“We’ll want to hear all about it when you come back from wherever it was,” Granddad said. “You take care of yourself, traveling in foreign parts.”