An ache in Theo’s heart welled up at the mention of his mother. He turned to Mr. Hodge. “I owe it all to you and your under gardeners, for getting the work done so quickly. With some good rain and any luck, these trees will give us a bountiful harvest this year.”
Although Theo wished he could spend every day tending his gardens and orchard, there were too many tasks to undertake as a baron. Much like his father’s seemingly intentional neglect of the grounds, his steward had been a poor manager. Rents had gone uncollected, tenants’ complaints went unheard, and then there was the matter of Oliver’s living. Neither the steward nor the solicitor in London seemed to have any idea where the document consigning the living over to Oliver could be found. The solicitor did not have a copy, which Theo found disconcerting. Whatever his father’s faults, he had always been good to Oliver. He would not have changed his mind about holding the living for him when the previous incumbent passed. Therefore, the resignation bond must exist, Theo concluded.
He refrained from telling Mr. Hodge. It would only upset him to learn that the benefice promised to his son might not be given after all. Mr. Hodge had nothing but pride in his son, the Eton and Oxford graduate, who was to have a respectable life as a gentleman, above his birth.
The grounds overall looked considerably better. Besides pruning the orchard, the gardeners had replanted the flower beds, weeded and mowed the lawn, and planted a row of seedlings which would grow up to be a fine hedge.
The two men began walking in the direction of the cottages.
“With the orchard finished, m’lord, when would ya be wanting us to begin work on yer designs?” Theo had given Mr. Hodge sketches of his plans for the new garden. Although not a landscape architect himself, Theo had studied and sketched gardens he saw all across the Emerald Isle, and had even spoken to a famous landscape architect he had met while in Dublin, to get some ideas for his own grounds.
“I am waiting on the building materials for the new fountain to arrive. Until then, your men can begin work measuring out the perimeter of the parterre and preparing the ground for the boxwood hedges.”
“Very good, m’lord.”
“I could never accomplish this feat without you, Mr. Hodge. You are a credit to your trade.”
Mr. Hodge thanked Theo repeatedly for his praise, and afterwards invited him into his cottage for a cup of coffee, which Theo accepted. Once inside, he also offered him bread with jam and a bowl of the vegetable soup he had prepared earlier that day.
As they enjoyed their beverages and food, Theo remarked, “You invite me to sit at your table, Mr. Hodge, and yet you decline to sit at mine.”
The older man’s cheeks pinked. “I mean no disrespect, my lord. I was brought up to know my place. Tis’ a fine line to walk, to be friends with one’s master.”
“You are more a father-figure to me than my servant, though!” Theo said. As a boy, he often enjoyed a midday meal or a light snack at the Hodges’ cottage after he and Oliver grew hungry from playing together all day in the gardens or exploring the beaches, farms, and woodlands that surrounded Raven’s Cliff. Their roaming was how they came to discover the falls at Hayburn Wyke, and how Theo knew the beaches and the tides so well.
“It warms my heart to hear ye say so, m’lord,” Mr. Hodge replied with a smile. “But I wouldn’t be comfortable dining at such a fancy table, all them forks n’ spoons n’ glasses, n’ me sittin’ there in my Sunday best, still looking like a pauper next to my rich lord n’ his guests. I haven’t set foot in the big house once, exceptin’ that terrible day…” He cleared his throat.
Theo nodded. “I understand. I won’t trouble you again about it, Mr. Hodge.”
“I am grateful to ye, for keepin’ my Oliver with ye on yer tour. Lot o’ lords in yer position woulda shook him off at Eton, or at least at Oxford; made him ter fend for himself. But ye been a true friend all along, m’lord.”
“I have tried to be.”
“T’won’t be long now, I s’ppose, until Ollie gets himself down to Oxford again to be ordained, and then set up in the rectory. Though those Birds will have to clear out their nest first, eh?” He chuckled.
Theo kept quiet. He did not know what would happen if Mr. and Mrs. Bird’s claim about the living proved to be true. A gentleman without property or income was hardly a gentleman, was he? He supposed he could give Oliver some portion of his lands which were not entailed. But the gesture would wound Oliver’s pride, and Mr. Hodge’s too. Oliver couldn’t stay on as a gardener either. Not when he had an education that would allow him to make his way in society as a gentleman. No, such a step backwards would be a disgrace. A brief thought occurred that another living could be obtained somewhere, but Theo had no connections to try to further such a thing. His decision to break for Ireland at the first opportunity meant he had not formed the necessary friendships in society that could assist his friend. Beaujean was his only friend of any standing, and Beau did not have any livings in his gift.
Mr. Hodge’s mention of the Birds reminded Theo that he was to dine at Fairclough and Mr. and Mrs. Bird were expected also. He would have to bear their presence as best he could.
As he thanked Mr. Hodge for the coffee and luncheon, his thoughts turned to Miss Bingley. He contemplated what qualities she bore that attracted him. She was beautiful, no doubt. But, surely, it was more than lust! He had not yet had sufficient time to observe her character, but she reminded him of a wild mare that had been broken. Strong, willful, but her spirit hidden behind a reserve and constraint formed by society. He noticed how she desired to join him beneath the falls, but had held back, either from her own conviction of it not being lady-like, or by the knowledge of her sister’s keen observance. He wondered how she might behave when not under those watchful eyes. The memory of her crossed his mind, how she looked in her yellow dress, climbing up from the beach, her skirts drenched and her hair tousled. Was this the real Caroline Bingley, or the prim and proper miss who would not deign to dip her feet in the pool beneath the falls?
S
Caroline did as she was told and wore the red dress with the daring neckline.
Mr. and Mrs. Bird and Miss Greenbough arrived first, followed shortly by the gentlemen from Raven’s Cliff.
During dinner, Caroline tried her best to command Lord Connally’s attention, but he seemed far more interested in Miss Greenbough. He spent the better part of the meal conversing with her, and even while Caroline was speaking to him, his eyes kept glancing over at her. Caroline felt her heart sink. This same thing had happened to her in Hertfordshire. Once Mr. Darcy came into the acquaintance of Miss Elizabeth Bennet, he no longer paid her any attention, despite all her attempts to hold onto him. She clenched her napkin, struggling to concoct something amusing or witty that she might say to direct his interest towards herself.
“You seem miles away, Miss Bingley.” Mr. Hodge’s voice beside her interrupted her thoughts.
She released her hold on her napkin and picked up her fork again, trying her best not to seem perturbed. “I am trying my best to recall a joke I heard recently.”
“Oh? Have you recalled some part of it? What was it about?”
“A lawyer making his last will, but I cannot remember the final part.”
“I think I recall this one,” Mr. Hodge said. “There was a lawyer who, making his last will and testament, gave all his estate to fools and madmen. When asked why he did such, he replied, ‘I inherited it from such–’”
