After she said this, with confusion Julia noticed Carter stiffen and he glanced swiftly down at his crossword puzzle, all the smiles and winks he’d been passing Ruby erased from his face.
“Carter.”
Julia jumped and turned around to see Douglas stroll arrogantly in the kitchen. She cursed him silently, prowling around like a cat. How a big man like him could be so damn quiet, she’d never know.
Then her mind stilled and she stared at him in wonder. He had a face like thunder and she’d never seen such an expression from Douglas. She was used to either bland or indifferent, and lately, appreciative, but thunderous was new to her and it was both frightening and awe-inspiring.
“Sir?” Carter asked, dropping his crossword and jumping up from the bench, again showing an agility of a much younger man.
Douglas came to a halt next to Julia and declared, “It has come to my attention that I should make some explanations about your priorities.”
Julia held her breath. She didn’t know why but there was an underlying edge of fury in Douglas’s tone that was making her highly uncomfortable. She did not want, nor did she want Ruby, to witness Douglas abuse Carter in the way that Monique freely abused the staff.
However, there was no escape.
Douglas continued. “My mother has led you to believe that you needed her permission in regards to Miss Fairfax using your services.”
Julia and Ruby both looked from Douglas to Carter.
Carter just nodded.
Julia and Ruby looked back to Douglas.
“I apologise for that confusion,” Douglas went on.
Again, Julia and Ruby’s eyes slid back to Carter, whose jaw, they witnessed, dropped as this heretofore unheard phrase came from Douglas’s lips. They turned back to Douglas when he continued speaking.
“Miss Fairfax, not only when she’s doing something for or with the children, but at all times, has priority when you’re assessing your workload. Understood?”
It was Julia’s turn to have Carter’s gaze on her face and her jaw dropped.
“Furthermore,” everyone looked back to Douglas, “she’s to have free use of the Audi TT, the Aston Martin and the Range Rover. Make certain she has easy access to each set of keys.”
“Yes sir,” Carter replied brightly.
Douglas turned his attention to Julia.
“I’d like a word.” It was phrased as a request but certainly wasn’t one.
She felt her stomach flip at the fury that still lay in his eyes. She didn’t know if this stomach flip was fear or something else because in this mood he was both enormously frightening and perversely magnetic.
“Um… I’m making cookies,” she ventured hesitantly.
“This won’t take long.” He turned to leave and Julia instantly decided it best not to fan the flames of that temper. She threw the spoon in the bowl and wiped her hands on the apron tied around her waist then tore at its strings to take it off.
She tossed it on the table while indicating Ruby. “Carter, do you mind?”
“Don’t worry, lass, I’ll watch her,” Carter assured her.
Julia smiled at Carter and tousled Ruby’s hair before she hurried after Douglas and saw he was headed to the study. After last night, and the time before, she didn’t have a lot of good memories of conversations with Douglas in the study so she called after him.
“Could we…?” At her voice, he halted abruptly and turned to her, raising a haughty brow. “Not the study,” she said, her voice timid and she cursed herself. Though, she had to admit, he was scaring her. What he had to be angry about (she, surely, was the one who should be angry after what she’d heard Monique say earlier), she didn’t know but at that moment, she didn’t want to find out.
“Fine,” he clipped, changed his direction and walked back through the dining room, passing her, and he turned right at the door at the end of the room.
Toward her rooms.
“Wait…” she called but he kept going. She thought, hoped, that he intended to go to the chapel instead but he turned right again, pushing open the door to her room and she heard a frightened chirp from Veronika.