Stella Cromwell was a once-in-a-generation housekeeper. The calmness that came with keeping house – from dusting vintage wine bottles down in a cellar to the soft, rhythmic sound of a brush-broom as it swept over wooden floorboards – these were small joys that kept her spirits aloft throughout the day. From beginnings steeped in poverty, Stella had risen to take her place inside households far above her own social standing. Sturdy in stature with an apron permanently wrapped around her expansive middle and a voice as dry as gravel, she was definitely no gold-framed oil painting – though she had dusted literally hundreds of those over the years. That mattered not at all to her employer, violinist and flair-full music composer extraordinaire Dudley Donegal O’Day, who had not hired her for her looks but instead her dependability and efficiency, both qualities of which he was delivered in ample twice-weekly doses.…
