“How long were you and he together?” Theo asked.
“Thirty-two years.”
“Good Lord,” Theo said faintly. It was a long time. As long as any marriage. “Did Mrs. Ford know?”
“Mrs. Ford is no fool, and she’s as loyal as they come. She never mentioned it to either of us, but when Stephen fell ill, I realised she knew. That she’d known for a while. She even tried to persuade me to let Stephen leave Blackfriars to me.”
Theo’s eyes widened. “He wanted to leave it to you?”
Martin nodded. “I wouldn’t let him.”
“Why not?”
Martin shrugged. “I didn’t want it without him. People would have talked, and it could have invited trouble from his family—maybe even a challenge of the will. I couldn’t have borne that, not with grieving too. Anyway, I didn’t need it. I have plenty of savings.” He gave a quiet huff of laughter. “It turned out Stephen had been setting money aside for me for years, since I’d refused to take a salary. He only told me near the end.” Martin’s throat bobbed with emotion at the memory. “I didn’t really think things through, though. When I insisted I didn’t want him to leave me Blackfriars, it never occurred to me that there would be practical problems when someone else became the owner. Especially if that person wasn’t even in England when things needed to be done after Stephen was gone. It wasn’t very long after his passing that I discovered there was nothing I could do if a repair was needed to some part of the estate that I was not the tenant of. I had no authority, no rights.”
Theo shook his head in frustration. “You should have let him leave it to you,” he said angrily. “You could have just sold the place if you didn’t want to live here without him.”
Martin only shook his head, rubbing wearily at his right temple. He looked exhausted. Even now, weeks after his fall, long conversations tired him out, and Theo could hear the fatigue in his voice as he began to slur his words. “It’s not just about me. There’s the Morgans to consider. Mrs. Ford. He wanted them to keep their homes and livelihoods.”
“Is that why he picked me?” Theo asked. “Because he thought I wouldn’t sell the place? I can’t imagine why he would think that. Everyone who’s met me knows I’m a feckless idiot.”
Martin considered him thoughtfully. At last he said, “Your uncle was a second son, like you. He thought—well, he hoped—that you’d appreciate inheriting some land of your own. And since he knew you’d inherited a good sum from your grandmother, he thought there was a chance that you’d see the benefits of staying and making a life here. He’d intended to write to you about it. Invite you to come for a visit and explain it all to you. But soon after he changed his will, he fell ill again.” Martin swallowed and looked away. “It was very quick after that. I wasn’t ready.”
“I’m so sorry.” Theo said, with real regret. “And then I came here and you had to watch me take over your home like a perfect boor. God, you must have hated me.”
Martin only snorted. “I admit I didn’t much like you the first time I met you—but you’ve grown on me.” After a few long moments, he added more quietly, “Stephen would’ve liked you, I think. He liked to laugh, like you. He found it difficult to be serious, actually, which was sometimes aggravating, but he was fun. He made me laugh every day, and I am not a naturally good-humoured man.” He shot Theo an amused glance. “As you may have noticed.”
Theo gave a huff of laughter, but the truth was, he felt stupidly, ridiculously touched, his throat suddenly full, thick with salty tears. Over a man he’d barely known. What was wrong with him?
“I’m afraid,” Martin said then, his voice strained with weariness, “I’m rather tired now. Just from eating my bloody breakfast. I might go and lie down.”
Theo rose to his feet and held out his hands.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll help you back to your room.”
Martin made a grumbling noise, but he let Theo lever him up.
Shortly after Martin returned to his room, Norris called at the house.
“I hope you don’t mind me turning up so early, Mr. Caldwell,” he said as Mrs. Ford ushered him into the breakfast room. “But I have some news for you and I happened to be passing.”
“Not at all,” Theo said. “Would you like some tea?”
“Thank you, no. I won’t be long.”
Theo gestured at a chair. “Please, sit. What’s this news?” He had a suspicion of what it might be, and he was correct.
“Mr. Prentice, the gentleman I mentioned to you a few weeks ago, has returned from Liverpool and is eager to meet with you. I think he plans to make you an offer. A good one. Better than you’d probably get from anyone else.”
“Do you know what he wants to do with Blackfriars?” Theo asked.
Norris shook his head. “I daresay you can ask him when you meet,” he said. “If it matters.”
“Indeed,” Theo replied. “So, when does he want to meet?”
“He’s free tomorrow at noon, if that suits? He lives in Balmouth, so it’s not too far. I can drive you there, if you’d like.”
“Noon tomorrow is fine,” Theo said. “And thank you, I’d appreciate you driving me.”
