Page 48 of Lavender’s Lost Duke

“Just the night before he disappeared. He was bright eyed, and alert. A rare thing as of late. He’d not taken a drink of anything but water for a week. It was almost like I was seeing the man he’d been before his father passed on.” The older lady smiled.

“Is that when he started drinking?”

Mrs. Howard nodded. “It was his way of coping, among other things. He tried gambling for a while, but he had fantastic luck, and only got himself richer. I think he was hoping for something to shake him from his grief.” She sank further into the chair with a heavy sadness in her countenance.

“You obviously care for your master.” Lavender smiled.

“He’s like a son to me. I’ve known him since he was but six years old.”

Lavender followed the housekeeper’s lead and relaxed into her chair. “Would you tell me about him? Everyone else seems so concerned about his treason and his disappearance, but I find myself drawn to who he was.”

“Who he is,” Mrs. Howard corrected. “I refuse to believe he isn’t coming back. His letter made that quite clear.”

“Of course. I apologize for suggesting otherwise.”

“Thomas was raised by his father—an exacting man and not friendly. His mother died giving birth to him, so he is an only child.”

“That’s terrible.”

“It is the way of things. But the deceased duke was glad to have a legacy to pass on to his posterity. He trained Thomas himself in the workings of the estate long before he needed to understand the intricacies of being a landowner. The older duke was not well liked by his peers or his staff. When he passed, Thomas let go a good many of the existing staff and hired everyone himself without the help of a steward.”

“Thomas? Is that the duke’s name?” It was a common enough name, but close enough to remind her of her Tom.

“It is. Forgive my slip, sometimes I still think of him as a boy.”

“Hmm. How old was he when his father died? And why didn’t he ask for help from his steward?”

Mrs. Howard bit her bottom lip for a moment. “I thought you weren’t here for information, but for the library.”

Lavender dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I admit, I am here about the library, and the man behind it. But not for the reasons everyone else is here. Forgive my interrogation.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I wish the men in the study would ask questions like these. They would finally get some answers. But they have their noses in the books like they hold the answers to the universe.”

“It is quite official, isn’t it?”

Mrs. Howard nodded. “Yes, but if there is one thing I know about our duke, it is that he cares about his staff. When his father died, the steward was the first member of the staff he let go. I don’t know why, but I was pleased with the change myself.”

“Why was that?”

“Have you ever met someone who changes? They can be one person when they talk to you, but seem like someone else entirely with someone else?”

Lavender nodded. There were far too many people like that in her opinion. Lord Chilcott among them.

“Well, the steward was like that. He acted kind and gracious to the duke but was selfish and hateful to the rest of us. It was gratifying to see that Thomas saw past his facade where his father never had.”

“Mrs. Howard,” Lavender leaned closer to the housekeeper. “Why do you think the duke left the way he did?”

She chuckled. “I have no idea. I’m just happy to know he left after cleansing his mind from the drink. He’s a little misguided at times, but he has a good heart.”

“Do you believe he could be guilty of his charges?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know how he could have done it, or that he would have cared enough at the time. He was so lost in the drink and in taking care of his estate, he didn’t care enough about the war to make enemies.”

“I never knew him. But I’ve only heard things that support your claim.”

Mrs. Howard stood. “If you don’t mind my asking . . . why have you come to snoop around?”

Lavender felt her face lift into a smile. “Honestly, because one of my friends think we would make a good match. But it’s a hard thing to manage if I can’t ever meet him. I admit to curiosity about the man others think would suit me.”