Elsie

Chapter 15: The Engagement

It was the second week of December, and Elmsdale was in an uproar.

"Mr. Jones has returned!" Nora squealed as she burst into the kitchen. "Mr. Lane has just had a telegram from Mr. Jones! He docked this morning, and Mr. Lane is to go and retrieve him this very minute!"

"Oh, how nice," Lois smiled.

"It will be good to see him," Verda said at the same time.

Elsie said nothing, but she and Hannah exchanged a grin. Hannah was still nervous about revealing her relationship with Adam to Mr. Jones, but she was getting braver every day.

Elsie hurried to start a fire in the master bedroom, performing a quick clean as she did so. She went about her chores distractedly, always listening for the arrival of her boss.

Adam was practically giddy waiting for Clement to return, and Elsie thought it was the most adorable thing. She was grateful to work for someone so beloved by his employees, and she hoped that Adam would get to announce his intentions for Hannah very soon.

It wasn't long before the carriage pulled up in front of the mansion, and all the staff hurried out into the cold to line up in front of the door and greet Mr. Jones. Their enthusiasm was tempered, however, when they caught a glimpse of their employer's face. Mr. Jones looked positively exhausted, which was to be expected after sailing across an ocean.

"Oh, you're home! You're home!" Nora was the only one who seemed unphased by Clement's appearance, immediately wrapping him in a motherly hug.

"Hello, Nora," Clement returned. It was the first time Elsie had heard him call his housekeeper by her first name, and she thought it was endearing.

"It is good to have you with us, sir," Lois greeted him warmly.

"Very good indeed," Verda echoed.

"It is good to be home, ladies. And I look forward to your cooking," he winked, causing the older women to chuckle.

"We have a lovely dinner on now," Verda informed him happily.

"Welcome home, Mr. Jones," Adam said as he shook Clement's hand.

"Adam, good to see you," Clement responded a bit stiffly.

"Welcome, sir," Hannah said in a very small voice. Elsie could see her trembling.

"Hannah, you're shivering," Clement took her hand in both of his. "Let's all go inside before we freeze," he said.

Elsie sent Hannah an encouraging look, knowing full well that her trembling had little to do with the cold.

When they all stood in the entryway, Mr. Jones finally turned to Elsie.

"Miss Thomson," he said, shaking her hand, "good to see you."

Elsie's excitement dwindled with his greeting. She was the only person he hadn't addressed by their given name, and it seemed overly formal.

"I am glad you have returned safely, Mr. Jones," she answered as cheerfully as she could muster.

Clement immediately ate the dinner that Lois and Verda had prepared for him, and then shut himself in the study the rest of the day.

Three days later, it was Tuesday, and Clement had hardly spoken a word to his staff. Elsie sat sipping her tea at the eat-in table in the kitchen with Adam and Hannah.

"Have you told him yet?" Elsie whispered to Adam.

"No. How could I?" Adam retorted. "When he isn't at the company, he is locked in his study until nightfall!"