by Diane Gaston
‘Yes,’ Mairi quickly said. ‘Davina and Niven found a soldier there who was travelling north. He was quite ill, but recovered quickly, thank goodness.’ She added, ‘He has gone on his way.’
‘What luck to have two soldiers in your house,’ William said. ‘Your butler and the wanderer.’
‘Your butler was a soldier?’ Hargreave asked.
‘Oh, yes,’ Mairi said. Better not to make up too many stories.
‘He—he was at Waterloo,’ Niven added. ‘He—he told William and me all about the battle. We were up early and spoke to him.’
‘Did you now?’ Mr Hargreave said unenthusiastically.
William turned to Davina. ‘Is it true the stones have magic?’
Bless him for changing the subject.
‘There are countless stories of strange things happening at the stones,’ Davina happily answered. ‘Apparently witches used to worship there.’
They talked then of magic stones and mysterious legends around them, and the conversation totally veered away from their butler.
* * *
When the young people finished their meal and hurried out, Mairi’s mother and Lady Crawfurd entered the room. Hargreave again pulled out chairs and assisted the older ladies, much to their pleasure.
‘Where is your father?’ her mother asked Mairi after being served.
Hargreave answered. ‘He and Lord Crawfurd ate earlier. I believe they are taking a tour around the estate.’
Mairi hoped Lord Crawfurd would not notice how run-down the property had become, or anything else that would give away the true state of things at Dunburn.
‘I see we shall have to entertain ourselves, Jane,’ Lady Crawfurd said to her mother.
‘That we shall,’ her mother replied. ‘Mr Hargreave, I hope my husband did not neglect you.’
‘Not at all, ma’am,’ he said smoothly. ‘I was invited to accompany them, but I declined. So if you have need of me, I am at your beck and call.’
The ladies tittered.
He turned to Mairi. ‘Unless, of course, Miss Wallace might wish to show me the gardens and partake of this fine weather.’
There was nothing she’d rather do less.
Her mother replied, ‘I am certain Mairi could do that, could you not, Mairi?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Her hands trembled. She had no wish to be alone with him.
‘Excellent!’ He rose. ‘Suppose I meet you in the hall in an hour?’ He glanced at the clock on the mantel.
‘The hall in an hour,’ she repeated.
He bowed to the ladies and took his leave.
Mairi’s hands shook. She hid them in her lap.
Her mother leaned towards her. ‘Mairi, isn’t it grand! He may want to court you!’
Lady Crawfurd added, ‘He is the younger son of an earl and has a nice income. It would be a good match for you.’
She looked from one eager face to the other. ‘He merely asked me to show him the gardens, not to marry him.’
‘But it might lead to that!’ Her mother clapped her hands. ‘He is handsome, too, is he not?’
Lucas’s face flashed through her mind. Mr Hargreave was not nearly as handsome as Lucas. ‘I suppose.’
‘His family are great friends of ours,’ Lady Crawfurd continued. ‘Charles is like a son to us. He had a particular interest in meeting you, you know.’
Mairi immediately turned wary. ‘Why was that? I have no great fortune to tempt him.’ She likely had none at all.
‘Well, you are not poor, are you? And I suppose we spoke highly of you,’ Lady Crawfurd admitted.
Mairi wished she had not. ‘How very kind of you, ma’am.’
Please do not act the matchmaker on my behalf. I do not wish to marry. I need to stay at Dunburn House and keep my father from losing it.
This was her place of safety and refuge. She could not bear it if her father had to sell. What would happen to Niven and Davina?
She concentrated on sipping her tea and, to her relief, the conversation moved on to talk of other people. Her mother appeared to be enjoying herself tremendously. That made Mairi happy. Of all of them, her mother could least cope with poverty. The strain would probably kill her.
Mairi vowed not to let that happen.
The clock ticked away the minutes until she must meet Mr Hargreave. She stood up from her chair. ‘With your permission, Mama, I will take my leave.’
‘Oh, yes, dear, go now,’ her mother said. ‘Take a little time to freshen up.’
‘You look lovely just as you are,’ Lady Crawfurd added with a smile.
Did she look lovely? Mairi did not know. All she knew was that she was damaged and that made the idea of courtship and marriage abhorrent to her. To Hargreave or to any other man.
Chapter Ten
Robert came in to the kitchen with dishes from the breakfast table.
‘How did you fare serving the meal?’ Lucas asked.
Robert worried about serving all the guests alone when Lucas had given him the assignment.
‘It was nae as hard as I thought,’ Robert told him as he took the dishes to the scullery. ‘But I thought they would never stop eating. First one came and then the others.’
‘Are they all finished with the meal?’ Lucas asked. ‘I’ll help you clear the table.’
They carried the dishes down on trays so Evie could wash them. When she was finished, Lucas would count the silver and make certain all the pieces were there, just like his family’s butler did.
As they left the scullery, Robert remarked, ‘Did ye know that Mr Hargreave may be courting Miss Mairi?’
Lucas frowned. ‘Indeed?’ So that was the man’s intent.
‘Anyways, that’s what Lady Dunburn and the other lady think. And that Mr Hargreave, he was making eyes at Miss Mairi. Course, he did enough lookin’ at Miss Davina, too.’
Hargreave had better not lay a hand on either Mairi or Davina.
‘What did you think of that fellow?’ he asked Robert.
‘Mr Hargreave?’ Robert paused as if choosing his words carefully. ‘I dinna know why, but I cannae like the man.’
Lucas nodded. He agreed completely. ‘Did he ask you questions about the family?’
‘He didnae talk to me at all, except to bring him food.’ Robert shook his head. ‘But I wasnae in the room alone with him.’
‘If he does ask questions, do not answer them,’ Lucas warned.
Robert looked affronted. ‘I never would!’
Lucas thought he’d better warn the other servants not to answer any questions about the family either. Hargreave was up to no good. Lucas was protecting the whole family, he told himself, not just Mairi.
Lucas returned to the breakfast room and removed the linens from the table. He took the cloth out the back door and shook off the crumbs. From the corner of his eye he spied Hargreave and Miss Wallace walking in the garden, Hargreave talking in an animated manner. Merely seeing the man with her made Lucas want to boot him off the property.
But it was really none of his concern, was it? Of course, his father’s butler took protecting the family very seriously. Lucas must, too, while he played the role.
He walked back inside the house and made his way to the hall.
‘How are you faring, Erwin?’ he asked.
Erwin looked unsettled.
‘Only the family and guests have been coming and going.’ The footman frowned and knitted his brows. ‘But I should tell you that John—’ He looked at Lucas. ‘You know John? The stable lad?’
Lucas nodded.
Erwin continued. ‘John brought the mail from the village. When the Baron looked through it, something unsettled him. He was really upset. I did not know what to do.’
Erwin, of all the servants, was the least likely to become distressed about an
ything.
‘When did this happen?’ Lucas asked.
Erwin rubbed his chin. ‘About a half-hour ago, I’d guess.’
Was this something Lucas must care about? He could not help himself. ‘Where is the Baron now?’
Erwin signalled with his head. ‘He closed himself off in the library.’
‘With Lord Crawfurd?’
‘No, he said he wanted no one to disturb him,’ Erwin replied. ‘Lord Crawfurd went to his room before the Baron looked at the mail.’
How bad could this be? He’d heard of men shooting themselves in the head because of debts.
Ignoring Dunburn’s wish not to be disturbed, Lucas knocked at the library door.
* * *
Dunburn did not respond to Lucas’s knock and Lucas’s anxiety rose. He tried again. ‘Baron? It is Lucas.’
He still did not respond.
Lucas opened the door.
Dunburn sat at his desk, papers strewn everywhere, his head in his hands. He rocked back and forth, moaning.
Lucas hurried over to him. ‘Baron?’ He touched him on the shoulder. ‘It is Lucas.’
‘Lucas?’ The older man looked up briefly, but then dropped his head into his hands again. ‘What am I to do? What am I to do?’
Lucas picked up the papers that had landed on the floor. ‘What appears to be the problem, sir?’ Many of the papers were demands for payment of bills.
Dunburn lifted one sheet from the desk and, without looking, extended it towards Lucas.
It was a demand for payment of a loan. A rather sizeable loan. Five thousand pounds. Apparently Dunburn had missed several payments and now the moneylender he’d gone to was threatening to seize his property unless he paid up.
‘I cannot possibly pay this!’ Dunburn wailed. ‘This is the end of me!’
Lucas read further. ‘You have two months, it says. Much can be done in two months.’
Dunburn picked up the papers on his desk and threw them in the air. ‘But there are all these others! I fear I will have creditors knocking down my doors and taking everything I own.’
The situation looked much more dire than Lucas had imagined. ‘Calm yourself, sir. Let us look through everything and make a tally. I am certain something may be done.’
He hoped so, anyway. With the exception of Miss Wallace, this family was ill-equipped to adapt to straitened circumstances.
* * *
By the time an hour had passed, Lucas had organised all the demands for payment and made a list showing which ones had to be prioritised. Next, they looked through the books and Lucas pointed out where Dunburn might economise in the future, but that would not help the current situation.
‘You must raise funds now,’ Lucas said. ‘The only way to do so is to find what can be sold.’
Lucas started with the stable. Selling off some of Dunburn’s horses would both raise money and save on expenditures.
They were deep in the discussion of how many horses he owned and how many were needed when a voice came from the doorway. ‘What are you doing?’ Lucas looked up to see Miss Wallace in the doorway. ‘What are you talking about?’
Dunburn adopted a patient tone. ‘Now, Mairi, dear, we are discussing finances. Not a subject for a lady to think about.’
‘You were talking about selling some of the horses, were you not?’ she challenged.
Lucas knew she would prefer the truth. ‘That is precisely what we were discussing, miss.’
‘Lucas is kindly advising me,’ her father said.
She glared at him. ‘Papa, I told you ages ago you should sell some of our livestock. You would not listen to me.’
The man’s face turned red. ‘I won’t have you taking that tone with me, Daughter! I insist on being respected.’
She did not heed him. ‘What has happened? Some new bill? Why are you discussing this with Lucas?’
Her father straightened. ‘He is our butler.’
‘Not really, Papa!’ she cried. ‘He is only pretending to be our butler. We do not know him and we have not actually hired him.’
Dunburn pointed to the door. ‘You are excused, Mairi! This is none of your concern. Go now or I’ll have Lucas throw you out!’
That Lucas would never do, no matter who instructed him.
She looked as if she might explode and the air in the room seemed to crackle with her anger, but she spun on her heel and walked out of the room.
‘My daughter,’ muttered Dunburn, ‘thinks she can do a man’s job. Can you fancy that?’
‘Perhaps you should listen to her, sir,’ he said.
Dunburn waved his hand. ‘What could she know about a man’s business?’
Lucas suspected she knew a great deal. Miss Wallace had a head on her shoulders and was not afraid to use it. He admired that.
But it would not help the matter at hand to argue this point with Dunburn.
Lucas stacked some of the ledgers and the papers. ‘With your permission, sir, I will examine these some more and see what I can discover. If you sell what we discussed, though, you will be making a good start.’
Dunburn stood and extended his hand for Lucas to shake. ‘I cannot thank you enough, Lucas. I was ready to put a period to my existence.’
Exactly what Lucas had feared. He’d done the right thing by interrupting the Baron’s privacy. ‘Never do that, sir. Your family needs you.’ He picked up the ledgers. ‘Return to your guests and give no indication that anything is amiss. You do not want to hint at trouble or the creditors will rain upon you.’
Dunburn clasped Lucas’s shoulder. ‘I believe I can do so now, thanks to your assistance.’
Lucas bowed. ‘It is my pleasure to be of service, sir.’
* * *
Mairi paced the hallway of the servants’ floor, angrier than she could remember being for a long time. It was one thing for Lucas to organise the servants and order them about; it was quite another for him to be directing her father in the paying of his bills. He was taking over everything and what did they really know of him? Nothing. Nothing at all.
She did not know how long she was there before she saw him enter the hallway carrying ledgers under his arm. Ledgers! Her father had never offered to show her the ledgers. Why would he trust them to Lucas?
He reached his door and opened it.
Mairi quickened her step. ‘Lucas! I would speak with you!’ She reached his doorway and strode past him into his room. She closed the door. ‘Why are you interfering in my father’s financial affairs?’
He faced her directly. ‘Your father’s finances are at a crisis point, Miss Wallace.’ His voice was even and reasonable. ‘I came upon him when he was quite in despair. There was nothing to do but offer my help.’
‘What do you mean a crisis point?’ she pressed.
‘He took out a rather sizeable loan from a moneylender and did not meet the payments. The moneylender will call in the loan in two months’ time.’
She paled. ‘Or seize the house and property?’
‘Yes,’ he admitted.
Her hand went to her mouth. ‘It cannot be! The house, the property, the title, all are Niven’s birthright. Our family has held the title and lands for generations!’
‘There are other creditors as well.’ He was adding more salt to her wounds.
She started to pace again. ‘I told Papa and Mama to economise! To stop buying horses and new dresses! I told them they should sell what we don’t need! Did they listen? Not at all. Now, with one word from you—’
‘They should have listened to you,’ he said. ‘But at this point it is more important to raise as much money as possible than to rail about what they should have done.’
She looked at him aghast. ‘You are telling me this? When I have been begging them to do that for months? You are instructing me with what must be
done?’
‘What is it, Mairi?’ He’d even slipped into using her given name. Who had given him permission to do that? ‘You would rather blast me than seize on this opportunity to solve your family’s problems? I do not know why your father confided in me. Perhaps I appeared at a crucial moment. It is no reason not to take action now.’
‘Did I say I would not take action?’ Her frustration spewed from her like a dam bursting. ‘What part am I able to play? My father will not allow me to do anything about it.’
‘I will need you,’ he said.
Her gaze flew to his face at those words.
‘I can advise him about livestock, but not about your family’s personal items. And your parents seem incapable of such decisions.’ He paused. ‘You must choose.’
She could not see beyond her anger. ‘You are telling me what I must do?’ She averted her gaze. ‘You are taking over everything.’
He clasped her arms and it almost sent her into a panic. ‘I have no wish to take over anything. And I am not telling you what to do. Can you not see this as an opportunity? You tell me what can be sold. Work through me.’
He released her, leaving her with a tumult of emotions. She tried to calm down.
He spoke quietly. ‘When the guests are gone, you can select what must be sold. I’ll go along as if the ideas are mine.’
It wounded her that her father would trust this stranger—this Englishman—over the judgement of his daughter, but this was a chance to do what she’d wanted all along, a chance to save her family. And if she was honest, she had trusted him, too—with the planting, with the silver, with her family’s reputation. What other choice was there?
It was only later she realised that while her father and mother clearly did not have faith in her, Lucas did.
* * *
Mairi left Lucas, still whirling with emotion. She’d been so angry at him—she still was. Angry and resentful. But not afraid, at least not until he had grasped her arms. Even then the edge of panic she’d experienced seemed to have nothing to do with him.
And everything to do with the memories she fought to keep at bay.
