Violet was positive that this long-drawn meeting was going to ruin not just her spine but also her sanity. The squeaking sound of leathered chairs continued to irritate her, but she remained seated in silence.After weeks of organized chaos, Violet still found herself dealing with endless herds of strangers. She was sick of them floating around in their crisp fancy three-piece suits, murmuring like wasps. This particular group had got to be the last one she had to face or else she would have to temporarily move out of her own house.

Shirley took a deep breath before knocking on the polished wooden door. She hadn't been that nervous working with the late Duke, but now she was somewhat intimidated by his daughter.Perhaps, it was because, for the past few months, Shirley had witnessed a few hissy fits from the young Duchess that would make even an army sergeant flinch. There were about fifty-four servants before Violet took the sovereignty of Averbury. By now the Duchess had already fired half of them.

Albeit trying to avoid the crowd, Violet's presence didn't go unnoticed. Women and men circled around her like sharks wherever she went. As if she existed to be admired, they couldn't stop looking at her. The men agonized over all the candor of youth and beauty that were out of reach. The women were in a constant state of awe and envy, not because they weren't rich or noble, but because they weren't Violet Wintour.The young duchess also possessed a razor-sharp intelligence. Not in a dominating way but one wrong move and she would cut you open, leaving a scare of embarrassment for others to laugh at. Yet she could

Clare returned home with a box of pepperoni pizza and went straight to the kitchen. The light in the kitchen was off except the one hovering over the table. Then she found her mother pacing back and forth with a look of contemplation on her face."Mom, are you okay?" she said, noticing Jenny's furrowed brows. "Did the debt collectors call again?"Her mother glanced up, her expression seemed dazed for a moment. When she came to

Hannah and Isabel placed the deep-pocketed fitted sheet onto the massive mattress, making sure any excess fabric was firmly tugged underneath. Then they covered it with another cotton sheet before placing the silk duvet over the bed."Do you know who is coming today?" Hannah asked Isabel while she was fluffing the goose down pillows. The older maid looked up with a clueless shrug."I thought Ms. Shirley told you," she said and