Fletcher sat, still not entirely sure what to say, beyond, “It’s about Louisa.”
Petty nodded as though he expected this. “What is it?”
“Sir, I need you to know that Louisa came to me because she is in some level of distress. She wants to end her engagement to Rotherfeld, having determined that they do not suit. I can’t say I blame her. I made an attempt to befriend him, and it did not go well.” Which was putting it mildly. Fletcher’s loathing of Rotherfeld expanded each day like weeds in an untended garden.
“Oh. What was your impression of him?”
“Candidly? I found him unspeakably dull.”
Petty grimaced. “Not the most scintillating conversationalist, I will concede, but—”
“Please let me finish.” Fletcher felt like he had to lay it all out quickly. He’d spent the carriage rid here practicing what he’d say, but now it all left him. His heart pounded. He’d known Lord Petty his entire life, had always thought him a friendly, respectable man, but talking to him about Louisa was personal in a way that made Fletcher’s stomach flop. “And please also know how uncomfortable I am having this conversation, but I made a promise to Louisa, and I have a great deal of respect for you. I have always known you to be a kind and rational man.”
“Well, thank you, son, but—”
“Louisa came to me because she does not believe you and her mother are listening to her distress regarding the wedding. When Louisa asked her mother if she could end the engagement—and please know, it is not only Rotherfeld’s temperament but some other factors, too, that are rather salacious and that I’d prefer not to explore too much—but when Louisa talked to her mother, Lady Petty said that Rotherfeld had a business arrangement with you that was contingent on the wedding going through, and thus Louisa, no matter her distress, could not end the engagement without risking losing a great deal of money for you.”
Recognition dawned on Petty’s face. “I see.”
“I suppose my question is two-fold. Is there a business deal? I need not know the particulars, but the second part of my question is if there is anything I can offer that would entice you to break the agreement with Rotherfeld.”
Petty regarded Fletcher for long moment. Fletcher couldn’t interpret the look on his face.
“You seem rather invested,” Petty said at length.
“As I said, Louisa asked me directly for help.”
“And I appreciate that, but it seems out of character for you to meddle in business affairs. I know you are now managing your father’s investments, so maybe that’s changed, but you’ve never seemed especially interested in this sort of thing. Unless you have some other motivation.”
Fletcher nodded. Perhaps Lord Petty knew Fletcher better than he thought. He was reluctant to play this card, but he said, “Well, my lord, should the engagement with Rotherfeld end, I intend to offer for Louisa’s hand myself.” Once it was out, Fletcher braced himself for Petty’s reaction.
That seemed to surprise Petty. “You do?”
“I know this may seem sudden, but—”
“No, my boy, you misunderstand me.” He sighed. “What a pickle. I would happily throw over Rotherfeld tomorrow if I could. You’re right, he’s a bore, and I have my own suspicions about him that you’ve all but confirmed, but he’s wealthy and has a fine reputation, so I didn’t hesitate when he offered for Louisa. But you are like a son to me, and I would happily welcome you to my family…had you asked three months ago.”
“So there is a business deal?”
“It’s a mess. It’s all a grand mess.”
“I don’t mean to pry the details out of you, but perhaps I can be of some assistance. My business acumen is not as well-honed as my father’s, but I have spent the better part of the last year being advised by the best advisors in London.”
Petty nodded. “You really would marry Louisa? She has always insisted that the two of you felt like siblings and had no interest in marrying each other, and she’s been on the shelf so long now that I suppose I thought—”
“I believe it took her prospective marriage to Rotherfeld for us to both come to our senses.”
Petty smiled. “I can understand that. Lady Petty and I circled around each other for a bit before agreeing to marry.” He sighed. “All right. This all started about six months ago. We spent the summer at our estate in Bristol, and Rotherfeld came to visit for a few nights. I figured it was part of his courtship with Louisa, but one night over cigars, he mentioned that he was in Bristol in part on business because he’d recently come into some land not far from my estate. He wanted us to go in on the farm there together and share in the profits.”
Fletcher’s knowledge of Bristol was not encyclopedic, but something about that tugged at his memory. “The Cadwallader sheep farm?” It was an extremely profitable farm that sold wool to one of the textile factories Fletcher’s father had invested in. It had come up in one of the many business meetings Fletcher had sat through in the last few weeks.
“The same. After Mr. Cadwallader passed away last year, Rotherfeld claimed, the deed passed through a circuitous route and landed with Rotherfeld, and Rotherfeld wanted my help as a local to figure out the best use for it. Long story short, I invested some money on renovations of the house there and hired a staff to see after the sheep. The wool is supplying several textile mills in the region, and—you know what, the details are not of import. The moral of the story is that I invested the money on the understanding that Rotherfeld and I would share the profits from the farm. We didn’t sign a formal agreement because we were to be family, after all.”
The lack of a written agreement was a problem, and all but ensured that Petty would see none of the profits should the engagement end. Thus there’d be no possibility of recouping his investment. At least Fletcher had a better understanding of the issue now. One detail snagged in his mind, though. “You knew of Rotherfeld’s intention to propose to Louisa six months ago?”
“Indeed, it was one of many things he asked me for on that visit. And I admit, I was rather charmed by him. He’s dull, yes, but he has a good head for business, and I suppose I figured, he wouldn’t renege on this deal because he’d be at every Sunday dinner for the rest of my life, so why did I need a written agreement?” Petty made a disgusted sound and shook his head.
Fletcher summarized the predicament: “The deed is still in Rotherfeld’s name. And he intends to take it with him shouldthe engagement end, meaning you’d have lost your investment, which I’m guessing was substantial.”
