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For several minutes, they spoke of insignificant things, their conversation slipping easily into the comfortable rhythm of old acquaintances who had once known one another well. Percy asked about Glenmore, the estate, the local families, and the state of the county.

Then his expression sobered. "I was sorry to hear about your father, James. I heard the news while I was in Vienna. I would have written, but by the time I learned of it, I was already travelling again."

James lowered his glass slightly. "Thank you."

Percy gave him a sympathetic look but wisely did not press the subject. Instead, he leaned back and smiled. "So, what else have I missed in two years?"

James considered him for a moment. There was, he supposed, rather a lot to tell him. Yet the words that came most readily were not those concerning his inheritance, his father's death, the trustees, or the strange circumstances surrounding Felix.

"Well," he said, "I recently married."

Percy's eyebrows shot upward before a delighted smile spread across his face. "You married?"

"Yes."

"James Delves actually married?" Percy shook his head in disbelief. "This I must see. Congratulations, my friend. I cannot wait to meet the duchess."

Something shifted inside James at those words.

The duchess. Olivia.

Until that instant, he had thought of their marriage primarily as a necessary arrangement, something designed to secure Felix's future and satisfy the terms of his inheritance. Yet Percy had unknowingly reminded him of something he had overlooked.

Olivia cannot simply remain hidden at Glenmore until the time comes to present Felix as their child. She is the Duchess of Glenmore now, and sooner or later the local gentry would expect to see her.

James straightened. "And indeed you shall."

Percy looked amused by his sudden animation. "I will?"

"I mean to host a small party here soon," James continued, his mind already moving rapidly through the practicalities. "Nothing grand. Supper, cards, perhaps a little music. I want the local gentry to meet the duchess properly. Her sister is staying here as well."

Percy smiled. "I think that is an excellent idea. It will be good to see Glenmore lively again."

James nodded, though his thoughts had already left the room. Olivia would need gowns. She would need to know which families mattered, which conversations to avoid, which customs she had not yet learned. The housekeeper could teach her the management of the household, but the Ton was an entirely different matter. And James suddenly realized that he wanted Olivia to be comfortable before she was placed beneath the scrutiny of half the county when Felix was finally presented.

Percy interrupted his thoughts. "I have plans of my own, actually. I mean to establish a wool enterprise on my family's lands. There is excellent grazing country near my western boundary, and I think we have been wasting its potential."

James's attention returned to him. "Wool?"

"Yes. I have spent considerable time studying the markets abroad. If I can improve the breeding stock and establish proper shearing and processing arrangements, I believe I can make the estate considerably more profitable."

"You will need reliable labor," James said.

"I had thought of that."

"Do not build it until you have secured the market." James leaned forward, his expression becoming more intent. "Produce first, then determine where the demand is strongest. Too many landowners spend fortunes creating supply before considering who will purchase it."

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "That was precisely the sort of advice I hoped you might give me."

"You should also speak with the farmers on your neighboring lands. If you can persuade them to improve their flocks and sell through you, your operation becomes larger without requiring you to purchase every acre yourself."

Percy's eyes brightened. "That is clever."

"It is practical."

"It is still clever."

James gave him a faint smile. "Then take the advice while I am willing to give it."