by Martha Keyes
"From our little interaction, you seem to me a very able and reasonable person. I imagine that there are a number of things you would do differently in the management of the estate if you had the freedom to do so?"
He hesitated, but she directed an understanding smile at him, and he nodded with a chuckle. "A few things, yes, my lady."
"Very good. Well, I think that together we might find a number of ways to make your duties easier and to put to rights some of the things that you and I both agree need attention. But this requires that we agree upon these things, which would require a time when we can sit down together and when you can make plain to me how things stand at Hazelhurst."
He sighed and nodded, but she saw relief in his eyes. "Forgive me, my lady. My previous mistress—of whom I have no wish to speak ill—was only wont to speak with me when she wished to find ways to reduce the estate expenses and redirect them to areas more nearly affecting her and her daughters."
Anne grimaced. "Well, I promise you to be reasonable and not to meddle unnecessarily in your duties, but I would like to ensure that you are able to carry out those duties with the support of me and Mr. Cosgrove."
Hope shined brightly from Wallace's eyes. "I should appreciate that very much. Why don't we step into the house where we can discuss these things more comfortably?"
The meeting with Wallace was enlightening. The vacant house in the village, Anne discovered, had been left so because Wallace had not been afforded the means for repairs by Mr. Cosgrove.
"Which, without wishing to criticize your father," Anne said to Tobias on the abnormal occasion when they found themselves together at breakfast, "is incomprehensible to me, as the initial expense of repairing the house pales in comparison to the rents and labor its occupancy would have brought to the estate. It was very shortsighted."
"Ha!" Tobias laughed as he poured more ale into his glass. "My father is nothing if not shortsighted. And if an expense pinches at his comfort in any way, he has no hesitation at all in rationalizing it away. I imagine you know this, but my father insisted upon my sisters being brought out together, as he couldn't stomach the prospect of wasting the blunt upon Izzy, who he had always seen as something like a dead weight upon his purse, with no expectations to speak of." He sipped his ale. "I suspect that the only reason he went to the trouble of bringing her out at all was because it would have occasioned a significant amount of gossip and criticism if he had brought out Cecy but not Izzy."
Anne knew a little of Isabel's story—of the dismissive attitude her family had taken toward her. That her story had a happy ending, counter to her family's expectations, was a source of great satisfaction to Anne. "Well, I hope that you and I can agree that such shortsightedness is not in the interest of Hazelhurst or its tenants. I learned quickly from my brother William's example that, when the tenants are well-cared for and can depend upon a hearkening ear, they repay the favor two-fold."
"I imagine you are right," he said, reaching for the honey cake.
She looked at Tobias consideringly before speaking. "You know," she said carefully, "I think that you might find some satisfaction in working with Wallace on these matters. The tenants in the village have not had an easy time under your father's management—most stopped asking for assistance from Hazelhurst for anything but the direst need, as they were generally rebuffed—but your infectious personality and knack for setting people at ease might go a long way in assuring them that we have their best interests at heart. Wallace and I have arranged to go see the vacant house in the village tomorrow, and I thought perhaps you might wish to join us?"
She glanced at him again. His eyes were narrowed suspiciously at her. "You are determined to get me involved more closely in this, aren't you?"
Anne clenched her teeth. They had agreed that they would take a laissez faire approach to one another's activities, and she knew that she was pushing the boundaries of that agreement by persisting. "I apologize," she said. "Naturally you must do as you see fit, and I don't mean to appear as though I am forcing you..." She broke off.
He smiled at her. "I shall accompany you both into the village tomorrow, if only to make it clear to you that I am a burden rather than a help in such situations."
Anne smiled wryly. The last thing she wished was for Tobias to think of her as a domineering, authoritative wife. But it was impossible for her to pretend ignorance regarding the vast good he could do if he took Hazelhurst in hand and trusted himself to improve it.
Tobias stifled a sigh of irritation as he stepped down the stairs to meet Anne and Wallace in the entry hall. Birford had invited him to the impromptu party he was hosting at his estate all day—with riding, shuttlecock, and plans for a performance by the attendees to finish off the night. Tobias had seriously considered giving his excuses to Anne and the steward—and perhaps of inviting Anne to join him at Birford's—but his brief encounter with Wallace that morning had quashed any such intentions.
"Her ladyship," had said Wallace with a smile, "has ordered a picnic basket be prepared so that we might have a bit of food to sustain as we carry out our commission."
Tobias could hardly abandon the engagement after such a revelation. Little though he liked the feeling of being obligated, he also had to admit that the idea of being a disappointment to Anne was equally undesirable.
So he joined with her and Wallace on the short walk to town, participating in the conversation only when a response was necessary. He had rarely seen Anne so animated as she was speaking with Wallace, inquiring whether there were any charitable initiatives to which Hazelhurst regularly contributed. Upon discovering that the answer was a decided negative, she glanced at Tobias.
"My mother and father had an agreement in place,” she said, “where a certain percentage of the estate's increase would fall in her hands to direct toward whatever charitable endeavor she fancied. Perhaps when things have settled down a bit, we might arrange for something similar at Hazelhurst." She looked a question at him.
"I don't see why not," he said, realizing that she expected some kind of response from him.
"That is a splendid idea, my lady," said Wallace, "and I think that, when that time comes, I might point you in the direction of various..."
Tobias glanced at his wife, walking beside Wallace and nodding as the man detailed various organizations and causes in need of support. This was not simply a matter of duty to Anne. It was something that she took a serious interest in. It mattered to her.
And it had brought out a new side of Wallace—one full of ideas and a long-windedness Tobias hadn't known the man capable of. In the past, Wallace had generally communicated with short nods and bows, going about his duties with little fanfare or communication. Had he been miserable and constrained all these years? Full of ideas and projects but knowing he would not be given leave to bring them to fruition?
When they arrived at the village, the discussion shifted to the needs of the tenants and which parts of the estate they influenced most directly. A number of the tenants were outside, watching Tobias with a kind of leery-eyed gaze. For the most part, these people didn't know him. Did they assume that he was just like his father? The thought made him terribly uncomfortable.
Wallace must have noticed the subdued behavior of the villagers, as he leaned over to Tobias and said, "They aren't yet sure what to think of their new landlord."
"Hmm," Tobias said. "Yes, I think I only know two of the families here." Feeling a sudden need to defend his ignorance, he added, "I spent the majority of my time away at school."
Only one person among the villagers outside seemed oblivious to the presence of Tobias, Wallace, and Anne— a young girl, attempting to spin a wooden top on the stone pathway that led from the street to the garden in front of her house.
She gave it a particularly energetic spin, and the top went flying through the air and into the road. The girl ran after it, stopping short as she noted Tobias and the others. Her eyes widened, and she took a ginger step backward, her hands g
rabbing at the sides of her dress.
Tobias leaned over and picked up the top, holding it up to inspect it in the sunlight before smiling with satisfaction, closing it into his fist, and tucking it into his coat.
He looked over at the little girl whose eyes watched him with something very near to heartbreak. The whole village seemed to have stilled, watching him.
"Oh!" he said, feigning surprise at seeing her. He pulled the top out of his jacket. "Does this belong to you?"
She nodded once, standing very still.
"May I give it a spin?" he asked.
She nodded again, motionless.
"Come," he said, inviting her to follow him to the stones she had been using as a surface for spinning. He stooped down to her level and looked at the stones critically, his lips pursed. He set the top on one of the stones, then looked to the small girl, who watched him with excitement brewing in her round eyes.
"I haven't done this for quite some time," he said defensively, "so please don't make sport of me if it falls on its side."
He gave the top a firm spin, and it twirled in place so quickly that is almost appeared to stand motionless, defying physics.
The girl's hands flew to her mouth in awed excitement, and she inched closer to watch the top.
Tobias sent a sidelong glance around them and noted three other children approaching.
"It's gon' go on spinnin' forever!" said one of the boys.
"No it won't! That's impossible!" said another.
And as if to confirm his words, the top began rocking slightly from side to side, slowing down each second and finally rolling onto its side.
"How did you do that?" said the little girl, tweaking at Tobias's heartstrings as she looked at him like he held the secrets of the universe within him.
"Keziah," said a firm voice. "I am sure that Mr. Cosgrove has better things to do. Come and leave him be."
Keziah looked to Tobias to verify whether her mother was indeed correct, and Tobias stood, turning to the woman.
"What? Better things to do than top spinning?" He smiled at the woman and then stooped back down. "It is true, I am afraid, that I have another errand I must see to, but perhaps I could just show you the technique I use to get you started?"
Keziah nodded vigorously as though such a piece of information had the power to change her life.
"Come, I shall show you," he said, beckoning her closer. The other children gathered round as well, and Tobias spent three or four minutes instructing them on the proper method of holding and giving spin to a top.
He left the group of children arguing over whether it was better to spin the top clockwise or counterclockwise, brushed off his hands and smiled at the various villagers who looked on him with obvious approval and not a little bit of surprise.
"A resounding success," Anne said, nudging him lightly in the ribs. "You have accomplished in five minutes of play with their children what might have taken weeks to accomplish by directly interacting with the adults. Bravo!"
Tobias smiled and swallowed, feeling a bit sheepish at the praise. But there was no denying that the admiration in Anne's smile made his heart skip.
Continuing on, they came upon the final home in the village. Tobias's brows raised high enough that he could feel his hair tickling the skin under them. The place looked like something from a gothic novel, so covered was it in creeping ivy.
"Good heavens," he said, stopping to admire the view before him. "When I understood it to be vacant, this was admittedly not what I had envisioned." He took a step back, looking at the house with misgiving. "I can almost imagine a pair of eyes suddenly appearing in the small gap in the vines on that window."
Anne and Wallace both laughed.
"I thought you might think differently of the matter if you saw it yourself," Anne said.
"I have passed it any number of times, I'm sure," Tobias replied, "but I think that it simply blended into the greenery around it so that I ignored it entirely."
The next half hour was spent inspecting the exterior of the house, a matter which needed to be addressed before the interior could be considered. The vines had grown so thickly all over the façade that it would require a saw to cut through the thick branches which ran behind the robust leaves, which in places had begun to lighten and yellow with the changing season.
It was certainly not the most enlivening day Tobias had spent, but somehow he found, as the three of them consumed the small cucumber sandwiches Cook had prepared for them, that the errand had been pleasant, all the same.
And in fact, they were home in plenty of time for him to ride over to Birford's for the last entertainments of the afternoon and evening.
As they scaled the stairs to change their clothing, Tobias inquired whether Anne wished to join him. As he stopped to consider the matter, he was unaware of any social engagements Anne had left Hazelhurst for. She had, of course, received and paid a number of expected visits to the families in the surrounding area, but those were formalities rather than exercises in amusement or pleasure. He imagined that she would be a welcome addition to the party at Birford's.
"Oh," Anne said, hesitating after he extended the invitation. "That is very kind of you. I think, though, that I had better write down some notes of the things we discussed in the village while they are still fresh in my head."
"Bah," Tobias said dismissively. "Wallace can surely be tasked with that."
Anne smiled. "Perhaps so. But I have a few ideas that have been formulating in my mind for ventures I wish to undertake—the charity projects we discussed earlier, I mean."
"Ah, I see," he said. He schooled his expression into a grave one and shook his head. "Charity is serious business, isn't it?"
"The most serious of all," Anne said on a laugh. "But I wish you a very enjoyable evening."
"I wish the same for you," he replied, cocking his head to the side thoughtfully, "though I admit that the prospect of a night all alone at Hazelhurst seems the very antithesis of an enjoyable evening."
"You speak from experience?" she said, her raised brows evidence of her skepticism.
He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smile. "Well, no."
"Perhaps you should give it a try some time," she said, sending a challenging smile over her shoulder as she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her.
Tobias blew air through his nose, conscious of disappointment that Anne had refused his invitation. But he quickly shrugged off such feelings and strode down the hallway, eager to be on his way to Birford's.
Anne shut the door behind her, listening for the retreating footsteps of Tobias before walking over to sit on the edge of her bed.
He had invited her to Mr. Birford's. And she had wished to go with him.
But it was already becoming difficult enough to rein in her attraction toward her husband without accompanying him to parties, where he would likely be the only person she was acquainted with, giving her every reason to latch onto him rather than leaving him to his own devices as he would no doubt prefer.
Watching Tobias with little Keziah in town had tugged anew at her heartstrings. She admired and envied Tobias's ability to disarm whoever he came upon. No doubt it was the precise reason for Anne's own growing attachment to him. He knew precisely how to please. There was nothing more to it.
Whatever his feelings toward her, though, she hoped that their visit to the village had sparked even the smallest interest within him for greater involvement in estate matters. The greater attachment he had to the villagers—little Keziah, for example—the greater would be his determination to ensure that their needs were being met.
Anne had great confidence that, with a bit of willpower, Tobias could turn Hazelhurst into a thriving estate, known throughout the county as a wonderful place to live and work. It was hardly a wonder, with a father such as Tobias had, that he had inherited a very disengaged attitude toward estate management.
It was also possible that he would refuse further involvement, in
sisting upon leaving it in Wallace's "capable hands." And in that event, Anne would simply have to surrender to his wishes, for she had no desire to incite conflict between them or to become a dictatorial wife, forever nagging and complaining to her husband.
No, as far as husbands went, Anne had very little reason to complain. Tobias was never cross or unkind to her. He was quick to agree to any proposals she put forward for changes to Hazelhurst. He required nothing of her.
She sighed, rubbing her hands down her skirts. Why was it that she found herself wishing that he did require something of her? That he showed any indication at all that what she did was not a matter of cordial indifference to him? He had not shown any signs of frustration or displeasure at her refusal to accompany him to Birford's—further confirmation that her presence was a matter of neutrality to him. How she wished that she felt the same way.
She could certainly enjoy an evening alone at Hazelhurst, but she could not pretend that she preferred it to an evening with Tobias at Hazelhurst.
Tobias took another swallow of coffee, cringing as it burned his throat on the way down. Taking one more bite of toast, he scooted his chair back from the table—they had been taking their breakfast in the dining room since the incident with the paint—and stood quickly, just as the door opened.
"Oh," Anne said, pausing on the threshold and then closing the door gently behind her. "You are up earlier than usual."
Tobias smiled, adjusting the plate in front of him infinitesimally rather than give into his impulse to admire his wife. He had hoped to eat his breakfast before she came down, but she, too, was up earlier than was her habit. He had found himself at Birford’s the night before, wondering what his wife was doing at home, wishing she had come. It had only taken some minor reflection to realize that he had been spending too much time with his wife—it would be better not to spend such large blocks of time alone with her going forward.
"Yes," he said, "I am off to Weymouth and likely shan't return until well into the afternoon."
