Alice sighed. Yet she was not surprised. Her grace had said that other than regular cleaning, nothing had been done for years. “I will leave that to you.”
“Yes, my lady.” They all studied the hall.
It was a half-circle, the niches already occupied by Italian statues. Light gray and cream marble covered the floor. The walls were painted an odd shade of purple that Alice had never seen before. Although it could be faded. A grand staircase of pink marble rose to the first floor landing. It was beautiful but needed a carpet. “We must paint or paper the walls and add a carpet. Aubusson, I think. Something that will bring out the marble.”
Mrs. Simmons took notes as Alice spoke.
Giff nodded. “I agree.”
Two corridors opened on either side of the hall, and a door to the servants’ quarters was at one end. The green baize was faded and torn in places. “Replace the door covering with something that will not clash with the rest of the hall.”
“If I may, my lady. A medium to light gray might be best.”
She imagined how the color would appear and agreed. “Excellent idea, Mrs. Simmons.”
Simmons led them to the first parlor off the hall. It was clearly decorated to hold people who were not particularly welcome. The furniture was early Georgian. “I like the furniture. Although, it must be recovered. And, again, the walls need to be painted.”
“I believe you will find that in all the rooms,” Giff said.
“I suppose you are right.
They toured the rest of the wing. It needed just as much work as the duchess said it would. The furniture, all of which Alice quite liked, ranged from the early Georgian they had already seen to Queen Anne with the occasional French Renaissance piece. That was where the charm ended. Most of the walls were covered with dark red or green wallpaper in patterns that were hard to describe. It was as if someone had drawn chandeliers and had them printed onto the silk. In more than one case, she could not make out what the pattern was supposed to be at all. She had seen this type of décor before in Madeline’s house before Henrietta and Alice had redecorated it. But the Duchess of Bristol had given them unlimited funds. On the other hand, they had knocked out walls and re-planned a number of rooms. Alice would have to discover what her budget for this house would be. The ballroom was a good size, with rococo paintings on the ceiling and ornamental plaster. She would leave it the way it was. “Now for the nursery and schoolroom.”
They climbed to the top level. When the door was opened, Alice stood there in shock. “It is nothing more than an attic divided into rooms, and a dirty one at that.”
“I can’t believe they put any of us in here.” Giff entered and started making his way into the rooms. “I do not remember this at all.”
“It does not appear as if any children actually used the area.” Perhaps they did not bring them to Town. “How long has it been since anyone lived here?”
Giff’s brows drew together. “Close to thirty years? Yes, it must be that long. I remember my mother had been discouraged from redecorating it. My grandmother did not want it changed. Ergo, the furnishings and everything else must be at least fifty or more years old.”
“That makes sense.” Thankfully, her future mother-in-law had said Alice could redecorate.
He scanned the room. “If we have children and bring them to Town, they cannot live in this.”
“No. They cannot.” They would probably not need anything as large as in Worthington House, but it must be made livable. “We will go back to Worthington House, and I will show you the nursery and schoolroom there.” That would actually make it easier. “I will contact the firm I used to refurbish my sister’s house, pick the patterns, and leave them to it. If we are at Whippoorwill Manor, it will be a short trip to Town in the event we need to be here for some reason.”
He was frowning. “As you wish.”
“Are we planning to return to Town this year?”
Giff shook his head. “Not unless there’s a reason to do so.”
She turned to Mrs. Simmons. “Will you be able to work with the decorator?”
“Yes, my lady.”
Alice needed to know her budget. “The kitchen will need to be renovated. I cannot imagine any cook we hire will be happy with just an open fireplace. How much can I spend?”
Giff shrugged. “We must ask my mother.”
A knock came on the door below and Simmons answered it. “Your Grace, his lordship and ladyship are in the nursery.”
“There is a nursery here?” Her steps sounded on the stairs. When she reached them, she glanced around. “I have never seen this before. On the other hand, we did not bring the children to Town until Archie’s father died, and he was the duke.”
Alice glanced at the duchess. “I will not leave our children behind. I believe this must be renovated.”
The duchess looked at the area and pulled a face. “Of course, my dear. Do you have any ideas?”
“We are going to Worthington House so that Giff can look at the nursery there. Would you like to join us?”
“I would. I wondered how you made room for so many children.” His mother grinned.
“It is a double house.” That was one of the things Alice had learned recently.
“Mamma,” Giff held out his arm to help her down the stairs. “We were just discussing what the renovations will cost.”
She glanced at Alice. “Other than this attic, what do you want to do, my dear.”
Alice followed them. “It is really a matter of the wall-coverings and other soft furnishings. I like most of the furniture.”
“I think I would have thrown everything out and started all over. Do not worry about the cost. The duchy will, of course, pay for it.”
“Thank you.” That took care of that.
When they reached the hall, Giff took Alice’s hand. “I must go to St. George’s the vicar wasn’t there when I stopped by the last time. I’ll meet you at your house and leave from there.” He glanced at his mother. “Do you wish to ride with me or with Alice?”
“Believe it or not, I have never been in a high-perched phaeton. I will ride with Alice.”
