“Yes. He thought India had the right climate to grow tea.”
“So, did you do that? Grow tea in India?” he asked.
“Yes, though not as successfully as Richard envisioned. I told him we needed to look at other areas for tea growth. The area he wanted to plant was too hot. I thought some mountainous areas, like the Assam region, would have done better. There is a native tea grown there by the Singphos tribe. The only difference in that tea that I could see, or anyone I talked with could see from the tea grown in China, was the leaves are thicker. I started investing in this area without waiting for any reply from Richard. The time required to send a message to England and get a response back was nigh on a year, so I went ahead with plans, not waiting for a response. I assumed he would be in agreement.”
“But he wasn’t,” Cassie said.
He shook his head. “No. He said the Assam region was too well known. He wanted to find someplace new, where the land would undoubtedly be much cheaper and the native population more eager for work in their region. I couldn’t face all the work I’d done getting a position in the Assam market being for naught.”
“What did you do?” Lakehurst asked, contemplating the Marquess’ motivation. Why send Stillworth to India to research the opportunities then suddenly take a stance of disagreement. Did he not trust his cousin?
He shrugged. “What could I do? I left a manager in charge of the estate I’d purchased in the Assam region and returned to England to talk to Richard, to reason with him.”
“When did you return?”
“About six months before he died.”
“Had you ever attended one of his parties?” Lakehurst asked.
“I did. I thought joining in his entertainments would open his mind to listen to my reasoning,” he explained.
“I take it, it didn’t,” Lakehurst said drily.
He shook his head, “Kept saying he had his reasons and would laugh.”
“Laugh?” Lakehurst queried.
“That would be Richard. He could be highly secretive when he chose,” Cassie said wryly.
“But he was always so nice about his secrets,” Mr. Stillworth said.
Cassie laughed. “True!”
“I wish I knew why he cooled to our venture. I hoped to use our venture to make my fortune,” Mr. Stillworth said sadly.
“We believe he may have been having money problems,” Lakehurst said.
Stillworth shook his head vehemently. “No! Never!”
“Did you know he sold an unentailed property to fund your India venture?”
Mr. Stillworth frowned. “Surely there is another reason he did that.”
“We don’t know,” Cassie said with a sigh. “But what with the thefts by the Gallaghers and what we believe he did to finance your efforts, I intend to hire an accountant to go over the marquessate finances.”
Mr. Stillworth looked troubled. “You are serious.”
“I am,” she said.
“That does put a different light on things.” He laughed shortly, “I have heard from the tea estate manager that things are going well in India.”
“That could be a saving grace for the estate.”
“Yes,” he said softly, his frown evidence of his deepening thought.
“Well, on that melancholy bit of revelations, and since it is nice outside, I think I will go practice my violin on the ramparts,” Gwinnie said, rising from the table.
The others rose as well, and they all left the dining parlor, more subdued than when they entered.
