"Isn't it? It will be so nice to have the place returned to its former glory."
"Indeed," said Mariah, brushing a chestnut lock from her face. She was still unsure as to why Mrs. Yates wanted to speak to her but she was too polite to hurry the lady along.
"Anyway, the place has been bought by a Mr. Brandon Haverton. Comes from a very well respected family in the south somewhere."
"How odd that he should have bought it then, if his family is in the south."
"Yes, I thought so too. But apparently he has a lot of business interests around Lancashire and Yorkshire. Mills and such things. So he wanted somewhere to stay here rather than frequent inns whilst here on business."
Mariah nodded her understanding.
"Anyway, I am sure you are wondering what this has to do with you."
"A little," she confessed with a smile.
"When Sir Thomas's heir inherited the place, you know he did not even visit. Mr. Haverton has already hired a staff to clean the place out and prepare it for his arrival. However, there are plenty of valuables; books mostly, you remember how fond the old man was of his library. And I fear the local village girls just do not have the knowledge required to sort through such a place. It is a rather monumental task."
Mariah's heart quickened. Everybody who knew her knew how passionate she was about books. And the Greywood Library was something she'd been itching to see since childhood.
"I know how busy you are with helping your father, my dear so please do not feel that there is any pressure to accept. But Mr. Haverton's solicitor had asked if there was a suitable person to go through the library and make note of its value and general condition and, well, Mr. Yates had thought that you would perhaps consider it?"
Mariah almost yelped in her excitement.
"Oh, Mrs. Yates. I would love that."
The older lady smiled indulgently.
"Yes, I thought you might," she said now reaching into her reticule and pulling out a letter. "Here are the instructions from Mr. Smith, Mr. Haverton's solicitor. Apparently the gentleman is hoping to have taken up residence in time for Christmas so ideally he would prefer if matters were settled by then."
Mariah did the calculations in her head.
"Four weeks until Christmas day. When does the gentleman plan to arrive?"
"The week before, if I am not mistaken."
"And what is it that he wants to do with the library?"
"As to that I am not sure. The letter says that he wants it catalogued before he makes any decisions. The furniture in the house will be used. The personal artefacts such as portraits of Greywood family members are to be stowed away, out of sight."
Mariah had begun perusing the letter as Mrs. Yates spoke.
"It says here that they will arrive before Christmas. The gentleman has a family?"
"No, indeed. He is quite unattached. I have no idea who is accompanying him. How strange."
Mariah nodded in agreement but did not feel as though it was any of her concern. She would be gone before the family arrived. It was a lot of work to be sure. But she was more than capable of handling it.
Mrs. Yates stood to take her leave after receiving plenty of assurances that Mariah would be there tomorrow to work through the library and that her father could manage without her for some weeks.
As she reached the door, Mrs. Yates turned to Mariah.
"Mariah, dear. I – that is, well…" The lady hesitated, and Mariah was surprised to see that she looked worried about something.
"Yes, Mrs. Yates? Is anything the matter?"
"Mr. Smyth hinted at a rather, um, cantankerous nature when discussing Mr. Haverton. He is most assuredly a gentleman, albeit a rather sullen one by all accounts. I should not wish you to be at the receiving end of ill manners or a bad spirit."
Mariah thought of the curmudgeonly souls she dealt with daily in assisting her father. Though she supposed she knew them well enough to handle them.
"Please do not worry. I am quite sure I have met more than my fair share of sullen gentlemen in my time. Besides," she continued with what she hoped was a reassuring smile, "if I am accurate and quick in my work, I shall not even set eyes on the man."
Mrs. Yates seemed well pleased as she took her leave and Mariah was finally free to feel excited. How wonderful to take on such a project. Her curiosity was piqued by the new owner, no doubt. But she was far too pleased about the opportunity to worry overly much about bad tempered strangers.
If Mariah was pleased with the events, Mrs. Bolton was certainly not.
"For goodness sake, Mariah, what possessed you to agree? You have no need to take on paid work. What will people think?"
"I do not care a jot what people think, Mother," Mariah answered firmly.
"No, you never have. But will you have no consideration for your poor sister? For this family's good name? Why people are sure to think that we need you to work. Do you not understand? People will think we're—" Mrs. Bolton raised a hand to clutch her string of pearls. "—poor," she finished in a horrified whisper.