Page 44 of The Heir
Victoria stretched out the list and looked at it again.
“Who is this man, Mr. Rea?”
“I don’t know,” said Jane. “I think Liza said he was an accountant and a friend of Father’s from his time in the army. He’s not one of the counselors?”
Victoria shook her head. “They’ve all come to inspect me at one time or another, but I don’t know him.”
“Does it matter?”
“It might. Sir John surely finds him useful for some reason. But if he’s not a board member, then what is it?”
She waited for Jane to suggest that as Sir John had known Mr. Rea from his time in the army, he might simply be a friend. But Jane was not so naive.
“I don’t understand . . . ,” began Jane, but she let the sentence trail away.
“What, Jane? You can say anything.”
Jane looked doubtful, and Victoria found herself torn between guilt and impatience.
“What use did Father have for Dr. Maton? Why was he at these dinners with the Kensington Board? Liza said he always drank too much and Mr. Rea was the one who had to keep him from talking. Father hates a man who can’t hold his liquor.” He had, in fact, complained about Ned’s failure in this area more than once.
“Perhaps we’ll find out this afternoon. I convinced Mother to pay a condolence call on Mrs. Maton. You’ll come, as well, and together we should be able to learn something from the family.”
But Jane hesitated. “May I ask a favor, ma’am?”
“What is it?”
“Instead of my accompanying you to the Matons, would you . . . send me on an errand?”
“What errand?”
Jane shrugged. “Any errand. Something away from the palace.”
“Why?”
Again, Jane hesitated. “It’s private.”
Victoria’s brows arched, but she nodded.
“Very well. Let’s think. What could we—”
“No, there. You see there? Those are diseased!” The booming voice reached them from up ahead.
Victoria turned, so did Jane. Aunt Sophia, in a billowing linen smock and straw hat, stood with a cluster of gardeners. She leaned on her cane and pointed emphatically at one of the flower beds.
“You see? There, and there?” She stabbed toward the nodding flowers. “They must be pruned at once, or it will spread everywhere!”
The under-gardeners looked bemused. But the head gardener nodded energetically.
“Of course, ma’am,” he said. “It will be attended to immediately. I apologize we did not do so before.”
“Well, now, no harm done. Yet,” added Aunt Sophia ominously.
Excellent!Victoria felt herself grinning. She’d been searching for an excuse to speak with Aunt Sophia alone.
She picked up her hems and hurried across the lawn.
“Aunt Sophia!”
