And in that simple act, he had given cushion to her fall.
The next day, Alex ate a fairy cake.
It was pink and feather-light and unutterably sweet.
He immediately reached for a second.
He tried for days afterward to banish the glow in Lottie’s eyes as she watched him swallow, a decidedly-kissable smile on her lips.
She was wrong, of course.
He did not deny himself every sweet thing. If he did, he would have banned himself from her presence weeks ago.
But instead, day after day, he sought her out, desperate for her company.
I never understood the weight of my words until someone truly listened to them.
Her insight was a punch to his senses.
Because, heaven help him, he wanted to be the one who caught her words.
Every last one.
18
Areturn letter from Mr. Argent finally arrived ten days later.
Lottie was the first to see it. Mr. Argent’s reply was nestled under a letter from Margaret asking, yet again, when Lottie would leave for London.
After all,her sister wrote,the doctor is quite recovered. He has been journeying all over the estate, from what I hear. Mr. Warden is of the opinion that Dr. Whitaker should have quit Frome Abbey a fortnight ago. To be quite honest, your insistence that Dr. Whitaker does not wish to assume the marquisate is the only reason Frank hasn’t ordered Mr. Warden to evict the doctor entirely. More to the point, you are no longer needed there. Yourself and Grandmère are sorely missed. Please write back and tell me you will be coming soon.
Sigh.
Lottie needed to join her family in London. She knew this.
But neither she nor Alex were eager to quit one another’s company.
And given the weight of Mr. Argent’s letter in her hand, there was still the state of the marquisate to consider.
Her father’s final injunction weighed upon her. She had made a promise, but what did it mean, in the end, to ‘ensure his lands and people were secured’? Was it simply an extension of his request to have Freddie inherit the title, as he specifically instructed Ferndown? Would Papa have wanted Freddie to inherit, no matter the cost?
Lottie had no answers.
“Look what has arrived,” she said to Alex as she set the letter before him in the library. “I am eager to know its contents.”
Alex set down his quill and motioned for her to read the letter with him.
Its contents did not disappoint.
After a brief greeting, Mr. Argent got right to the point.
I must be honest with you, Dr. Whitaker. I was stunned to be let go. I spent over twenty years as man of affairs to the prior Lord Lockheade and grieved his loss. Being dismissed so quickly after his death was a second painful blow. I am even more appalled that my position has not been filled.
As I am sure you are aware, the marquisate is a sprawling empire of lands, estates, and people (both tenants and employed workers). Overseeing it effectively was a busy job for myself and the other six men on my staff. However, at Lord Lockheade’s passing and the subsequent confusion over the succession of the title, the Committee on Privilege made several decisions. They appointed Lord Frank Fulton as the interim regent for the estate and charged him with maintaining it. The assumption being that as his son stood to inherit, Lord Frank would be motivated to deal honorably with the land and people. As a check against any greed, however, all estate monies were frozen. Beyond the reasonable allowance given, Lord Frank cannot access any of the deeper funds of the marquisate.
I have come to understand that myself and my staff were let go in an effort to economize. I hear rumors that Lord Frank has accumulated large gambling debts and had hoped to use the wealth of the marquisate to assist in settling them. When those funds were denied him, he looked to other options. By casting off myself and a score of other staff, Lord Frank thinks to skim funds. I surmise that this is not the only cost-cutting measure Lord Frank has employed.
My cousin, Mr. John Bartlet, lives on the Frome Abbey estate and has been a source of much of this information. He could likely give you a more accurate picture of what specifically is happening. My information is second- and third-hand, at best.
