The disappointment she felt each time she glimpsed Tobias only in passing—each time he bowed formally and continued on his way without speaking beyond the barest civility—was merely her concern for maintaining a peaceful household.
It had nothing to do with missing him whatsover.
Nothing at all.
CHAPTER 6
“My lord, I fear this matter has escalated beyond my authority to resolve... I need… your help.”
Tobias looked up from the ledger he had been pretending to understand for the better part of an hour, grateful for any interruption that might spare him from Edward’s meticulous accounting. Pemberton stood in the doorway of the study, his weathered face creased with concern.
“What matter?” He set aside his pen almost eagerly, looking at the hesitance with which Pemberton approached him.
“The Millers and the Carters, my lord. The boundary dispute has reignited. Both families are quite agitated, and I confess I am… at a loss.”
Boundary dispute. Tobias frowned. Why… would a boundary dispute between two families affect him at all? He nodded, though, pretending to understand, and rose from behind thedesk, moving toward the estate map mounted on the wall. He studied it with what he hoped appeared to be thoughtful consideration, though in truth the various property lines and tenant holdings blurred together into meaningless ink.
“The Millers and Carters,” he repeated, stalling for time. “Remind me of the particulars?”
Pemberton did not even attempt to hide his sigh, and Tobias looked down. He’d been asking a lot of these types of questions, and he did not entirely blame the man—who had been used to Edward—for becoming rather exasperated. Still, there was only deference in Pemberton’s voice when at last he spoke. “Adjacent holdings along the eastern border, my lord. The families have disputed the precise boundary for generations. Your father attempted a resolution multiple times without lasting success. Your brother, however, managed to broker an arrangement that held for nearly three years. Until last week.”
Of course, Edward managed it. Of course, his perfect brother had possessed some magical ability to settle disputes that had confounded even their father.
“And what precisely caused this arrangement to collapse?”
“The younger Miller boy—Tom, my lord—erected a fence that the Carters claim encroaches upon their pasturage. Tom insists he built precisely where his father instructed, following the agreement Lord Redmond—that is, your brother—established. But Carter claims the boy has moved the boundary a full three feet onto Carter land.”
Tobias moved to the window, ostensibly to observe the mentioned eastern fields, though they lay well beyond his view. In truth, he simply needed a moment to master the rising panic that threatened to expose his utter incompetence about an issue that he saw as completely ridiculous.
He had absolutely no idea what to do.
“Perhaps we might—” he began, though he had no notion of what he intended to suggest.
A soft knock interrupted whatever inadequate solution he might have proposed. Both men turned toward the door.
“Forgive my intrusion, my lord.”
Amelia. She stood at the threshold, one hand resting on the doorframe as though uncertain of her welcome. The morning light from the corridor illuminated her profile, and Tobias found himself momentarily unable to form a coherent thought.
He had managed to avoid her for days, though it seemed that had now come to an end. He looked down, unable to hold her gaze, though he knew not whether it was only shame behind the gesture.
“Lady Amelia.” He managed to keep his voice neutral despite the way his heart had commenced an undignified racing. “What a… pleasant… surprise.”
“I could not help but overhear,” she said after a short silence. “I am… aware of the dispute. Lord Redmond…your brother… Edward… spoke of it.”
She hesitantly approached them, her gaze fixed on the estate map rather than on Tobias himself.
“Your brother resolved it,” she continued, her voice growing stronger, “by proposing a solution that required both families to compromise. The Millers wanted to expand their dairy pasture, whilst the Carters needed additional grazing for their sheep. Edward suggested they share use of the disputed strip—Millers in summer when their dairy cows required lush grass, Carters in autumn and winter for sheep grazing. Both families benefited, neither lost face, and the boundary itself remained unchanged.”
Tobias could only stare at her. She had mentioned this solution as though it were simple.
“That is...” He cleared his throat. “That is remarkably astute. How did Edward enforce such an arrangement?”
“He did not enforce it, my lord. He convinced them it served their own interests.” She finally looked at him directly, and the cool composure in her blue eyes made something in his chest constrict. “John Miller is a proud man who will not be dictated to, whilst Samuel Carter values fairness above all else. I… believe your brother appealed to Carter’s sense of justice and Miller’s practical nature. Once both men believed the solution their own idea, they defended it vigorously.”
“My lady,” Pemberton interjected, his tone one of obvious respect, “that is precisely what I attempted. But young Tom Miller built his fence without consulting his father, and now John’s pride is wounded. He insists he will not be made to look the fool before his neighbors.”
Amelia’s brow furrowed in thought. “And Samuel Carter? How has he responded?”
