He didn’t get another chance, and his regret didn’t merely arise from a lost opportunity to advance his plans. Anne Brotherton, in her rough maid’s clothing, her single-minded pursuit of knowledge, and her quirky temper, was getting under his skin. They settled into a routine, Marcus, his little household, and his strangely distinguished guests. Lady Windermere now accompanied Anne every day, ostensibly to make drawings of the objects excavated from the villa, probably because she was taking her chaperone duties more seriously since the muddy hole incident. Travis and Maldon took charge of the laundry and condescended to ameliorate the condition of the household linens and other fabrics. Anne diligently performed her cleaning duties and Lady Windermere turned out to be a talented polisher of furniture. Marcus spent much of his time with his tenants, helping them make repairs to their cottages to keep out the weather as winter closed in. The drainage of the fields was a continuing cause of concern; completely dry days had ceased.
