“Are you excited, My Lord?” Priscilla asked with a smile, noticing the eager look on her student’s face.
“Oh yes. I can’t wait to see the town.”
Pricilla was really happy that she could do this with him. She was still flabbergasted that he had not explored the town before, and she couldn’t wait to see his reaction to the peddlers, the shops, the food, the sights, and the smells that would soon meet them.
“You will love it, My Lord. But, first, I want to make sure that you understand the rules.”
“The rules?”
Priscilla could see his face scrunch up.
“Yes. We have to create some rules,” she explained, smiling at him. “For instance, you cannot leave my side and must stick near to me. I will be staying near the guard.”
They had a rider who would serve as a guard for them once they arrived.
“Why did we have to bring a guard?” Lord Seton asked, while he stared out of the window. The carriage had begun to move. “Is the town dangerous?”
“No, no,” Priscilla said with a grin. “It isn’t dangerous, but we are a young woman and an even younger gentleman, so we want to use caution just in case.”
“Just in case of what?” Lord Seton asked, as he turned to her with concern in his face.
Priscilla paused before speaking. She didn’t want to scare Lord Seton, but she didn’t want to lie to him, either.
“My Lord, sometimes there are people who don’t have the best intentions, especially when they see a woman or a young gentleman. They might, for example, see that you are a young lord and have…worth.”
“What does that mean?”
Priscilla could tell that she was just confusing him.
“Forget about that, My Lord,” she replied quickly. “Let’s just say that sometimes people will yell at, or push, or harm other people for one reason or another. I, personally, don’t want to be harmed, so I prefer to have a guard.”
“That makes sense.”
Priscilla sighed in relief. “I’m glad you understand, My Lord.”
“Are there other rules?”
Priscilla thought for a moment.
“The only other rule I can think of is that I want to make this a learning experience. So there will be lessons along the way. You must pay attention to those lessons. I would expect your father to ask about it.”
Lord Seton laughed.
“What’s funny about that?”
“You saying my father will ask about it.” Lord Seton shook his head. “He doesn’t really care about things like this. All he cares about is his distillery.”
Priscilla watched as Lord Seton turned his attention back to the window and the world passing outside. She sighed again and wondered what Lord Seton meant about his father. Should I ask him more?
She decided against it, as she didn’t want to get too deep into their personal family matters, but she was curious, and she made a mental note to continue observing the relationship between Lord Seton and the Duke.
Priscilla now looked out her window, and she tried to gauge how far they were from town. She lived in and around this town most of her life, though she had never travelled as far as the Duke’s home until she took on this employment opportunity. Based on the slightly changing landscape, which was dotted with more homes, and her instinct, she assumed that they were approximately halfway there.
“Lord Seton,” she said, as she turned to her charge. “I think we are about halfway to town. This is going to be part of your lessons today. I want you to look outside the window and tell me what you see.”
“I see a lot of land and fields. I see horses sometimes, too. And little houses.”
“Yes,” Priscilla said with a nod. “Do you notice anything about the fields and houses?”
Lord Seton was quiet, and then he shook his head. “No, Miss Ainsley.”
“I’ll tell you, then. As we get closer to town, you will notice that the houses are becoming closer together and the fields are getting smaller. Do you have any idea why that might be?”
Again, Lord Seton shook his head.
“It’s because as the town grew larger, and became more of a thriving economy, people started moving closer to town centers. Many years ago, more people lived out in the countryside, but today, they live closer to the towns. At the same time, the town is expanding and getting larger, so it’s using land that the farmers used to plant their crops. This, of course, led to more people with less land, so now we have smaller fields and closer houses. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it makes a lot of sense. People probably want to live near a town, right? I would love to live in a town!”
“Yes, Lord Seton. I think you understand. Though, I will ask you again if you would love to live in a town on our way home.” She laughed. “Once you see it, you might not feel the same.”
“Why is that?” He turned to her quickly, with a look of confusion on his face.
“Well, My Lord. Towns can be loud, dirty, overwhelming sometimes. There are a lot of people, and not all of them have manners. It’s possible that you could be pushed or shoved, even if it’s not on purpose.”
Priscilla could tell that Lord Seton was processing all of this in his mind, based on his confused expression as he looked at her. She supposed that he had a stylized view of what town life might be from his books and stories.
“I think I will like the town,” he said, once again turning towards the window. “How much longer until we get there?”
Priscilla turned towards the window and looked out. “Soon, My Lord. Keep your eyes open. We will see many more buildings as we come into the town center, and I know you will love to see them.”
Chapter 9
“Your Grace?”
Oliver turned to face the footman who had come into his office.
“A letter has come for you.”
Oliver took the letter from the silver tray and opened it hastily. He saw that it was from Lord Kenley, and he didn’t feel like he had the time for the businessman’s nonsense.
He quickly scanned the contents of the letter, and he saw that it was an invitation to meet with him at his home for dinner in two days. Again, he said that he had a business proposition for Oliver.
Oliver shook his head. I told him I am not selling this distillery.
“Thank you, Thomas,” Oliver said to the footman, as he folded up the letter and slid it into his top desk drawer.
He sat back in his chair and sighed. However, Oliver was always interested in a business proposal, even from someone as slick as Lord Kenley. His deals were often quite good, and Oliver wanted to accept the invitation. At the same time, however, he didn’t want to get into a situation where he would, once again, be pressured to sell. I will have to think about this.
In the meantime, Oliver was looking at the financial status of the distillery, and those barrel losses had created quite a negative impact. To make up for it, Oliver had to do something that he normally wouldn’t do. He was going to open and bottle one of the barrels that his father had filled. Ideally, he would want to allow it to age a few more years. There was one barrel that was twenty years aged, and he knew that he could sell the bottles from that barrel on the market for a good price.
His father had done all that he could to make sure the distillery was profitable and running well for him, and now he had to do all that he could to make sure that it would run well for Jamie.
* * *
There was so much to see from the small window of the carriage, that Jamie found it next to impossible to view everything that they passed by. He saw houses, fields, horses, and people working in the fields.
As they got closer, the road seemed to become smoother, and the carriage began to pass other modes of transportation, including men on horseback, families on carts, and even people pulling large sacks behind them.
He noticed that the dust was becoming thicker as they moved, and it was getting more difficult to see what was coming up in the distanc
e.
“Lord Seton,” he heard Miss Ainsley say, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from the window.
“Yes?”
“You will start to see a lot more people, animals, and modes of transportation. Most of these people are coming for one of two reasons: they want to buy goods or sell goods.”
Jamie nodded, as he continued to stare at the world outside. He noticed a man puling a cow on a rope as they passed. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He hadn’t seen this many people in one place before, except at a ball or big dinner party. He certainly hadn’t seen this many people at once gathered outdoors.
“Do you know why they come to town to buy or sell, Lord Seton? Instead of selling or buying from their neighbors?”
Jamie didn’t know, but he didn’t want to think about it, either.
“Lord Seton?”
Finally, Jamie turned towards Miss Ainsley. “No, Miss. I don’t know why they would come to town. It seems like it would be easier to sell to a neighbor.”
“I can see why you would think that, but I want you to think about this. Imagine that you have a horse. You want to sell it because you don’t have any money, and I am your only neighbor. You come to me and say that you are selling this horse. I tell you I need a horse, so I will buy it. Do you understand this?”
“Yes, Miss Ainsley.”
“Good. Now let’s say I will offer twenty pounds, but you need thirty pounds. How would you get thirty if I would only give you twenty pounds?
Jamie thought about this for a moment. “I would sell it to someone who would pay more.”
“Yes, Lord Seton. That is a smart answer, and a great idea. Where would you find someone to buy it, though? Remember, I am your only neighbor.”
“Hmm.”
Miss Ainsley smiled and then pointed out the window as they were passing a large building.
“Oh!” Jamie exclaimed. “I could take it to town!”
“Exactly,” Miss Ainsley said, clapping her hands together. “That’s why people take things to town to sell. They can get more people who are willing to buy their products. Now, why might those people go to town who are looking to buy goods?”
“Because they know that people are going to town to sell?”
“Yes!” Miss Ainsley clapped her hands together again. “There is also the fact, and you will see this soon, that there is more than one person selling the same things. In the case of a horse, for instance, you might be selling your horse, and a man named Mr. Peters might be selling his horse, and another man, Mr. Frank, might be selling his horse. So if I want to buy a horse, I have three options…and if I don’t have a lot of money, I can choose to buy the least expensive horse.”
Jamie thought about this for a moment. “All of that makes a lot of sense, Miss Ainsley. I think I really understand it.”
“That’s great, Lord Seton,” Miss Ainsley replied, as she smiled at him. “You will need to use these skills as you grow.”
Jamie saw her turn her head back to the window, and at the same time, felt the carriage slow.
“Are we there?” he asked, seeing the buildings outside his window. The carriage came to a complete stop.
“Yes, My Lord. We are.”
* * *
Oliver was calculating some figures while sitting at his desk. Things were a bit worse than he thought. Not only were his figures showing losses due to the lost barrels, but he was showing losses across the board. This is not a good situation.
Though his family’s whisky was quite popular and sought after, something was slowing up sales, it seemed, so he had to focus on finding out what that was. In the meantime, he didn’t have much of a choice but to start cutting his costs.
Oliver shook his head and knew what he had to do. If Lord Kenley had a good deal for him, it was worth looking into. He wouldn’t sell the distillery, of course, but if he could get a deal on bottles, materials, or other products, it could be worth it for him.
“Thomas,” Oliver said, turning to the footman standing nearby. “Please fetch Wright.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Oliver again turned his attention to the figure sheet. Low sales and high costs certainly wouldn’t lead to a profit. He had to figure this out, and he would have to start by accepting Lord Kenley’s invitation.
With a knock on the door, Wright walked in with the footman behind him.
“Wright,” Oliver said, looking up at his most trusted member of staff. “Please send a note to Lord Kenley. Inform him that I will accept his invitation.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Wright replied, as he stood next to the desk. “I also want to inform you that the investigation into the damaged barrel is complete. The offending worker has been terminated. He was very careless, and this was not the first time he has found himself in a situation like this.”
Oliver nodded. He never liked to lose a member of his staff, but he also couldn’t have people who were careless.
“I appreciate it, Wright.”
“Of course, Your Grace. Is there anything else you need?”
Oliver shook his head. “No, Wright. Thank you.”
“Very well, Your Grace.”
Oliver sighed and looked back at the figures on his paper. He knew that he now had no choice but to sell his twenty-year-old whisky, and though he was regretful about it, he had to salvage what was lost, and this would help get the distillery back on track.
* * *
Priscilla got out of the carriage first, with the help of the coachman’s hand. She was followed by Lord Seton, whose face held an expression of excitement mixed with apprehension.
“Are you ready, My Lord?” she asked, watching him as he stared wide-eyed at all of the people hustling and rushing about.
He nodded, as she was accidently, yet gently pushed by a man walking quickly past them.
“This is town, My Lord,” she said smiling at her student. “As you can see from that man who blindly shoved me, it is busy and complicated.” She looked down the street, laughed, and then pointed in the direction he went. “He was obviously in a bit of a hurry.”
“Yes, Miss Ainsley,” Lord Seton replied, still looking around with his mouth agape.
“Are you a bit amazed?” Priscilla asked him, gently touching his shoulder.
Lord Seton nodded.
“I know it’s a bit overwhelming since you haven’t experienced this before. I grew up here, which I will tell you about sometime, but I still can see how it might not be easy to acclimate yourself to this situation. Let’s stand over here.”
Priscilla gently guided Lord Seton to the side of a building, away from where people were walking and talking. “I want you to look around, My Lord, and then tell me what you see.”
She watched as Lord Seton moved his head slowly from one side to the other.
“Do you see anything interesting?” she asked him, wondering what he would notice first.
“I see that man over there with the cart,” he replied, pointing at an older, disheveled man who was standing next to a rickety wooden cart.
“That’s a peddler. He is a man who fills his cart with goods, and then travels from one town to another selling his wares. They often go from one home to another to see if they can make a sale.”
“What do they sell?”
“It depends,” said Priscilla as she got an idea. “Would you like to go look at his cart?”
Lord Seton nodded, but she could tell that he was still apprehensive, based on the fact that his body was a bit stiff and he didn’t seem to want to start walking.
She took that as a sign that she should lead him, and Priscilla started walking towards the peddler. She turned to her student with a smile and said, “Come on, My Lord. It’s fine.”
He slowly began to walk towards her, and though he took slow steps, she could see signs of curiosity on his face.
As they approached the peddler, he noticed them walking towards him, and Priscilla saw him spring into action, motioning for them
to come close to his cart.
“Do the lady and her son want to buy?” he asked them with a toothless grin. Priscilla could smell his dirty clothing and body. She looked at Lord Seton, and based on his expression, she could tell he noticed the man’s odor, too.
“This is my student,” Priscilla explained to the peddler. “I am teaching him about how economics work.”
The Devious Seduction 0f A Wayward Duke (Steamy Historical Romance) Page 8
