Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess Read Free Page A

needed to be brought in.

    “ There is much to be done still,” Hannish said, as he escorted McKenna into an enormous parlor, where a marble, grand staircase curved upward toward the bedrooms on the second floor. The parlor held only one settee that faced the unlit marble hearth, two upholstered chairs, two small tables beside the chairs, and a plant stand complete with vine leaves dangling down the sides. “I hope to complete it in time for winter. The second floor is ours. I have a bedchamber ready for Olivia, but you will use it until one is prepared for you.”
    “ At the other end of the house?” McKenna asked.
    “ If you like. The third floor is for the servants, naturally.” He guided her to the settee and motioned for her to sit down. “There is a convenient sitting room on the second floor, plus this and a smaller one in the back of the house. Then there is a library with too few books, my study, the dining hall, and a ballroom complete with a balcony. The kitchen is in the center of the house and of course, you are free to wander about until you become familiar. Just now, I have a problem I need help solving.”
    It was only then he realized Sassy had followed them. “Lady…I mean, Miss MacGreagor’s bedroom is on the second floor. You’ll not have trouble finding it, for it has the only made up bed, save mine, which is next to it. Perhaps you might see to unpacking some of her night things, but do no more. Tonight all of you must rest.”
    “ Aye, Sir.” Sassy half curtsied and started up the stairs, unaware that houses that size always had a second staircase in the back for the servants to use.
    Hannish smiled at her boldness; he had a feeling he was going to enjoy that one. He noticed, however, that her skirt was too big around the waist and that her belt was not holding all of the extra material in properly. As soon as Sassy was out of hearing he sat down beside his sister. “As I was saying, I have a problem.”
    “ Only one? I am shocked,” said McKenna.
    “ Only one that needs my immediate attention. Of all people, I dinna expect Alistair to come. The last I heard, he vowed never to leave his beloved Scotland. I like him very much, but I already have a butler. Prescot is a very good man and very attentive to the needs of the place.”
    “ You do have a problem. Let me think…perhaps they might pitch horseshoes, race on horseback, or draw swords.”
    “ I am serious.”
    “ In that case, tell them you cannae decide and perhaps they will work it out in their own good time,” she said.
    “ My dear, the position of butler is a very coveted one. Neither will want to give it up.”
    “ Then divide the duties between them somehow. On the train, Alistair hoped for a place to plant a rose garden. Perhaps he might be butler over the grounds.”
    “ Good, I shall ask him. Now my dear little sister, you look tired and a nap before dinner will do you good. Off you go.” He stood, offered his hand, helped her up, kissed her on the cheek again, and then watched her start up the stairs.
    Only then did his smile fade. Hannish turned, walked to a window, and stared out at nothing at all.
    A Scotsman by birth and a Duke by inheritance, he soon learned the title came with very little fortune and if he were to survive, he would have to make his own way in the world. A scant two weeks after they were married, he met a man in Scotland desperate to sell Idaho’s Lost Junction Silver Mine. He was skeptical but with few other choices, he borrowed all the money he could, paid the price, left his wife in Scotland, and caught the first ship to America.
    To his relief, the mine did indeed exist and he quickly learned there was nothing easy about mining silver. In fact, the bitter winters, the dangers in the mine, the small mining town nearby, and the miners, were more trouble than he cared to endure. Yet fortune fell on him and two years later, he sold the mine for over three million dollars, making him one of