“Only when London comes to visit,” she muttered under her breath, then asked him point blank, “You met with Mr. Adams, I presume?” Charles finally took a sip of the delicious black liquid, followed by a small bite of biscuit.
Her taste buds bloomed with delight.
“Yes, stonemason Adams refused the work.” Wellesley grimaced. “Said he wasn’t interested, which is only going to set me back a good?—”
“Oh, he needs the work, my lord. He’ll not refuse you twice.” She chewed more biscuit and immediately felt better for it.
“He was quite clear he didn’t want it, miss.Quite.”
She pursed her lips. “Lord Wellesley, might I offer your lordship some advice?”
He arched a brow at her.
“Rather than command the people of Cumberland, you may wish to cajole them a bit instead, flatter them some. I am sure it is a foreign concept to your lordship, but men here like to feel valued, competent. Mr. Adams is the best stonemason these parts. You’d be wise to hire him and he’d be wise to take the job. Offer fair compensation and he’ll do excellent work for you.”
Wellesley looked at her. “And what wouldyouknow of masonry, woman?”
She stuck out her chin. “I’ve managed my father’s house these ten years past, my lord, and seen firsthand Adams’s work. He is skilled and efficient, and takes pride enough in his craft not to cut corners.”
He merely stared at her.
“Or don’t take my word for it, my lord, it is nothing to me.”
He grinned outright. “You are a gem, Charles, truly. Thank God you fell into my lap last night.”
She glowered at him for that.
“I think we shall get along well here this winter, don’t you?”
She took another bite of biscuit. “I have no intention of spending the winter trapped in your Abbey, Lord Wellesley, and intend to settle my fine as soon as possible.” She allowed a faint smile to play at her mouth. “If you wish for daily bread, sir, I expect such labor to pay down my debt. And I should like to see a running tally of services rendered towards the thirty pounds I owe.”
He laughed out loud. “A running tally, eh? And would your pretty head even know how to read my accounting, Charles?”
“Try me,Your Grace.” She dared to insult him again.
“Oh I will, Charles.” His eyes glittered savagely. “I will try you in every conceivable position, in every room of this house, upon every surface and in every manner most wicked.”
His words made her cheeks flame and her insides flip, even as her resolve to survive him hardened. “Then I imagine my debt will be paid quickly,Your Grace.”She abused the title again, just like she’d heard his steward do. If Wellesley’s man could get away with it, she’d push too. She’d insult this overbearing lord as often as he insulted her.
“Pray tell me what I earn for each loaf baked, my lord—and for each manner of pleasure your appetite demands.”
He met her gaze with a look of equal determination. “That shall depend entirely on how well you bake, girl, and how well you bed me.”
CHAPTER FOUR
His lordship had left Charles in the kitchen with orders to bake him and his men several more loaves—along with the promise he’d be back for his other pleasure too. She simply sat and sipped the exquisite, aromatic coffee, suddenly less afraid of Lord Wellesley and more content to savor the cup. It had been years since she’d tasted coffee. A veritable lifetime.
Charles looked about the kitchen once more, noting its wear but also its ample hearth. The room was well stocked with stoneware, cutlery, and pots, and her eyes briefly landed on a bread knife, fast dismissing the thought.
Escape felt futile—and a bread knife paltry defense.
Besides, if Lord Wellesley truly meant to restore Almsdale Abbey, wages for Cumberland would follow with well-paying, lasting positions in service. She continued to linger over her brew while mulling over options she knew she didn’t have, for if she fled his lordship he’d fine her family the thirty pounds, and when they couldn’t pay, Father would be sent to debtor’s prison in London. Which would leave her sister, Eleanor, destitute or—God forbid—leave Ellie to become Wellesley’s mistress instead.
Charles shuddered at the thought. No, she’d gotten herself into this mess and would somehow have to get herself out. Shestared again at the kitchen cupboards, the giant slop sink, the worn stone floor and narrow, slatted windows. She was as good as ruined already, but so long as no one found out, so long as sheappearedhonorably employed here at Almsdale, perhaps Eleanor might even benefit. Perhaps she could eventually earn enough to put aside a small dowry for her sister, anything to spare Ellie the humiliation she herself must now endure, alreadyhadendured. Perhaps, if she were clever enough, she might use Lord Wellesley much as he planned to use her. She briefly felt more hopeful.
Until his band of men descended.
“She still ’ere?” shouted one, grabbing a biscuit.
