Page 2 of The Gentleman Was Right
Withholding a sigh, he selected a scone and took a nibble.
“I prefer to do my painting at Greydon Hall.” It was meant to be an explanation, and he didn’t realize it until he said it, but he had never painted elsewhere.
“Your studio there is quite well situated. The light is amazing. Do you wish to return?”
He hadn’t considered that maybe a part of him was missing the familiarity and comfort of home. The question was, did he want to go to Greydon Hall alone? Would returning cure the feeling of inadequacy that he couldn’t seem to shake? Or would it only make things worse?
He would be well and truly alone if he went to the country estate where he’d spent almost his entire life, and he wasn’t at all certain how he would react. “I’m…content to remain in London for now.”
“Are you certain?” she asked, her concern evident.
“My family is here,” he reminded her, as if men who were five and twenty were required to remain within the bosom of their family.
* * *
Later that afternoon, after prowling the halls looking for a distraction, Edward lowered himself into a chair in Sebastian’s study and asked, “Where is Higgins?”
He hadn’t seen his brother’s secretary in days.
“He had to go to the country.”
“To Greydon Hall? Or to check on Mother?”
Sebastian set the paper he’d been reading on his desk. “Neither. He’s in Wiltshire.”
“Why is he in Wiltshire?” Edward asked, propping his foot on his knee.
“I recently acquired a farm there. The stable master quit last month. And the head groom is considering quitting. The stables are extensive. They used to be impressive, but now they’re a bit of a disaster. I needed Higgins to go and sort them out.”
“Why’d you purchase a farm in Wiltshire?”
“I didn’t. Our uncle obtained it last year, but he has a couple of other projects that are occupying him, so he offered it to me at a reduced cost because he didn’t have enough time to dedicate to it.” Sebastian had plenty of things to occupy him, but he couldn’t seem to stop adding to the heap of responsibilities he already had.
“What do you know about horses?” Edward asked.
“Very little,” Sebastian responded, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. “That is why it is unfortunate that the stable master quit and why it is imperative that Higgins convince the head groom to stay. We require more staff, not less.”
Edward nodded and, being relatively uninterested in newly acquired farms, changed the subject to something that had been nagging him for days. “What about the cottage? What did Higgins discover there?”
Before leaving Greydon Hall for London, Edward had noticed several irregularities in the expenditures at a small property his brother owned on the coast. He’d brought it to Sebastian’s attention, and Sebastian had informed him that Higgins would discover why the housekeeper was spending so much more than she ever had before, but Edward had never followed up and he was curious.
Leaning back in his chair, Sebastian frowned. “Higgins has not had the chance to discover anything. He concurs that the increase in spending is confusing, but he is unwilling to speculate why. Mrs. Eggington has managed the property since I acquired it. She is normally meticulous in her bookkeeping and has never given me a reason to question her.” He shrugged. “I considered sending a missive, but if she is suddenly comfortable with tripling the expenditures without explanation, it doesn’t seem likely that she’ll give me a straight answer. Additionally, I’m concerned any letter I compose will seem accusatory, so I decided to wait until Higgins has settled the issues at the farm and can attend to the matter himself.”
“I could go to the cottage and sort things out,” Edward offered.
As he spoke, he realized how much he wanted to go. A trip to uncover why an empty cottage suddenly required so many provisions was exactly the sort of distraction he required. It would give him the opportunity to make himself useful to the earldom even if he could no longer be useful to his family.
Sebastian aligned the papers on his desk in a precise pile before he asked, “Youwould like to go to the cottage to discover what is amiss?”
“Absolutely.” Edward squirmed in anticipation. The possibility of leaving London behind made him happier than he’d been in days. When Emmeline had asked if he wanted to return to Greydon Hall during tea, he’d felt sadness down to his toes, but now leaving for a purpose other than his malaise seemed like the perfect solution.
“It takes nearly a week to reach the village,” Sebastian said slowly.
“Excellent.” A fortnight of travel, plus the time it took to uncover Mrs. Eggington’s scheme. He could be gone for a month.
Maybe more.
It wasn’t as if he had any reason to return.
