Chapter 10
The party wound down slowly, guests trickling out through the front gates in twos and threes, carriages pulling away down the long drive one after another. Callie kept working through it all, collecting empty glasses, clearing trays, moving quietly between the terrace and the kitchen until her arms ached from the weight of dishes.
By the time the last of the loud laughter faded from the sitting room, she was exhausted in a way that went deeper than her body. She carried a stack of dirty glasses into the kitchen and set them down carefully by the wash basin, then paused, letting herself lean against the counter for just a moment before someone noticed her resting.
Two of the older kitchen maids stood near the back door, voices low, heads bent close together the way people spok
