“It would be if you owned enough land,” she corrected.
“I own several hectares,” he reminded her.
“Yes, you do, much of it taken up with grapes, wheat, barley, rye, and oats, besides the kitchen gardens and fruit trees.”
“I still do not understand. There was enough land to plant tobacco for two years.”
“Tobacco grows best in previously uncultivated ground so land needs to be cleared before each planting. You would soon be out of land, though after a few years, you could likely replant in the first field, and rotate, as many crops are, but you would need more land to rotate, or so it is assumed. The difficulty was addressed to Lord Avery, but a response has not yet been received. Which was difficult when it took three months for a letter to be delivered and another three months for the reply to be received, and why many decisions were made without consulting the owner.”
“You are very well-informed and knowledgeable about the growing of tobacco,” Sterling remarked when she was finished.
Had she provided too much detail? Except that was what had been included in the letter to Lord Avery. She could explain that it was only because she had copied her father’s letters, but the lie was become more uncomfortable and she really hoped that he asked no further questions.
“It was discussed,” she finally said, which was the truth, because ithad been, at length, just not with her father.
Wyndham tilted his head and slowly nodded. “Yet, your father seemed surprised that tobacco had been grown at all the one time that I was able to sit down and meet with him.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Caroline chuckled. Yetshe sounded nervous, which piqued his curiosity.
“As I told you earlier, my father is only thinking about grapes and wine this time of year.”
It was an assurance that he appreciated but an estate manager shouldn’t be focused only on one task while the rest of the estate was ignored, and something he would give further attention to, and observe once they returned to Wyndview Farm.
As they neared the home of his great-aunt, Malik approached, his chin high, shoulders back and spine straight.
“Lord Wyndham, may I please have a moment of your time.”
Sterling straightened, grew stern, and tried not to smile. Malik would not have approached had Kaya’s father not granted permission to marry his daughter. Yet Malik’s hands were shaking. Was he afraid that Sterling would deny his request? In any other circumstance, he might question the man further, but Malik may view it as torture if he did, so Sterling decided to make the matter easy for his employee.
“If it is to ask my permission to marry another servant in my household, then I grant it.”
Malik’s eyes widened as his jaw seemed to drop. He had probably been working up the bravado to approach and likely rehearsed a speech in his head and was full of nerves while doing so.
“Congratulations, Malik,”he offered.
“Thank you, Lord Wyndham. Thank you very much.” Then in a blink he turned and ran off, likely to tell his future bride.
“That was good of you,” Caroline said.
“Good of me to do what?”
“To save him from having to ask you when he was terrified of doing so.”
“He was nervous, not terrified.”
“Then you did not see how much his hands trembled.” She chuckled. “You are a good employer, Lord Wyndview.”
“Sterling,” he corrected.
“Sterling.”
“If I am, why do the servants appear to be afraid of me? They are certainly nervous in my presence and never speak.”
“You gave no warning that you were going to arrive and none of them know your character and likely fear what you may do or the changes you may make.”
“There is no cause for concern.”
