“Perhaps we could see about getting you on staff.”
Shaking his head, Charles replied, “I don’t think that would work. I have little to no background.”
“If you want, I could make some inquiries,” White persisted.
“In the future, perhaps. Right now, I have a lot going on with my latest book and a few other things my brother asked me to look into.”
“I understand. I’ll be in touch about the students’ reactions.”
“I would love to hear what they have to say.”
The two men parted ways and Charles walked to his carriage. Satisfied by the success of his talk with Professor White’s students, Charles felt he’d overcome a major obstacle. It hadn’t been the first time speaking to a group, but these students took their studies seriously. For a moment, he wished he’d had the opportunity to go to university. Instead, life had dealt him an entirely different set of cards, and he would make the most of that fact.
Arriving at his waiting carriage, Charles made the decision to continue walking for a time. They could follow behind him andwhen he was tired of walking, he could climb in and ride the rest of the way.
Glancing at a huge clock on the side of a large tower, he noted there was plenty of time for him to meet Cathryn and have tea together.
The afternoon was magnificent. Blue skies prevailed and white puffy clouds dotted the horizon. He finally climbed into the carriage and rode the rest of the way. It was the best way to save time. He would make it back with plenty of time for him and Cathryn to have a nice, leisurely tea.
She must have seen the carriage pull up and stop as she came rushing out of the hotel. “Did you have a nice afternoon?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied. “From the look on your face, I would say you did as well.”
He nodded. “Yes, it was a remarkable group of students.”
“Good.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
She nodded. “There are a lot of shops unique to the university.”
He patted her hand, which was tucked in the crook of his arm. “This is one of the oldest universities, so I imagine a lot of places have been here for eons. Handed down from generation to generation.”
“You’re right. I visited a couple like that. It made it a lot more interesting, knowing the patrons of some of the shops were part of a unique group.”
He stopped in the middle of the lobby, knowing the hotel did serve tea in their restaurant in the afternoon and they also would bring it to your room. “Where would you like to have tea? In the restaurant or in our room?” He really hoped she would choose their room. He’d been around enough crowds of people for one day, but he would do whatever she chose. He couldn’t force her to live life completely around his idiosyncrasies.
“Would you mind terribly if we had it in the privacy of our room? I’d like to relax, take off my shoes, and enjoy some quiet. I’m sure you would as well after being around all those young men.”
He gave her a lop-sided grin. “Wait here. I’ll go arrange to have tea sent to our room.”
“I’ll be right here,” she replied.
Walking over to the desk, Charles informed the gentleman behind the desk what he wanted. Today was a good day.
Chapter Fifteen
Two days later,on a sun-filled cloudless summer day, Charles and Cathryn made their way to Gloucestershire to meet up with an agent over the possibility of purchasing an estate south of Tetbury.
Endless discussions with both himself, Cathryn, and even his valet always led to the same conclusion. In order to have a new life and successes, a new home not attached to his family was the best way to accomplish that.
The estate wasn’t as stunning as the one in Somerset. It wasn’t sitting on the edge of a cliff, which had made him nervous that the entire house could slide into the water below if the right storm came around.
The estate in Gloucestershire had been built in the eighteenth century in a Georgian neo-classical style. From the drawings and even the photograph he’d seen, Charles was positive this was where he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his wife.
There were acres and acres of gardens which had become neglected in the last year or two. The widow of the property had spent little time at the estate and wanted it sold as quickly as possible as she had no intention of ever returning. According to the agent, her thinking was if she wasn’t going to live there, there was no reason to keep it up as it had been. The interior had been kept as though she was away on a trip to some exotic land. A skeleton staff had been kept on for this purpose.
As they turned onto the drive, he noticed Cathryn make a face upon seeing the grounds. He said nothing as they continued to the house.
