Page 21 of The Baron Takes a Bet
“Oh Holly, why did you say that? Now everyone will think Jasper is no good. His reputation will be tarnished.”
“I had no choice. Can you believe that man? Trying to soil his own daughter’s reputation to gain the manor,” Holly said, returning to the table to gather her correspondence.
“Why did you tell him that you sold it?” Gavin asked, coming towards her, at the edge of the dining room table.
“So that he might leave me alone.”
“You could have told him that your debts were paid and that you had no reason to sell Felton Manor now.” Holly looked up at him as she picked up her letters. “Why not tell him the truth?”
“Because I don’t consider my debts paid.”
He tilted his head.
“You don’t?”
“No. If anything, they’ve just been transferred to you.” Gavin’s brow creased and Holly knew he was about to argue. Looking down at the pile of letters she held in her hand, she sawa letter addressed to Gavin and picked it up quickly to hand to him. “It seems your mail has gotten mixed up with mine.”
Without her usual attention to detail, she quickly separated her letters and handed Gavin his, leaving the room as fast as she could. She needed to prepare for the Paynes’ arrival, especially since she knew they liked to show up early. Hopefully she would be able to meet with them without Gavin’s presence as he had plans of going to Felton Manor to inspect the tree.
Holly was quick to go through her daily morning tasks. It was Thursday, and she was set to make lists for the larder. Also, as it was the last day of the month, the following Sunday meant that she would have to go out to see tenants, a task that she had performed for the past several months.
Yet the soft threat Gavin had issued Mr. Mannion hadn’t left her. She wasn’t sure if she should be offended by his outrageous words or if she should be grateful that he had been so swift to stand up for her. Holly had rarely, if ever, had anyone to protect her, and she was surprised by just how nice it felt to be defended.
Even though she would never admit it aloud.
Returning to her rooms to write replies to her correspondences, she wondered if she would have enough time to do so before the Paynes’ arrival. She was in something of a hurry, since the morning had gotten away from her and the conversations she had had with the kitchen staff had taken longer than usual.
Rushing to finish, Holly reached across the desk and carelessly knocked over her inkwell.
“Oh no!” she said quickly, standing up, but it was too late.
Blackish blue ink completely covered her hand and sleeve. She would need to wash it off instantly with lye if she didn’t want it to stain.
“Drats,” she said to herself as she ran from the room to return to the kitchens.
She was definitely going to be late greeting the Paynes now.
Chapter Six
Since before movingHolly and her sister into Kingston House, Gavin had made it his responsibility to have Felton Manor made livable again. Not because he wanted them to leave or because he desired to prove his uncle wrong. Well, he did wish to do that, but his ultimate goal in restoring Felton Manor was because it had been evident that Holly desired it. The way her shoulders would tense up whenever he mentioned the old farm displeased him greatly, and he had the unrelenting urge to smooth away her anxieties and eliminate all the worries of her world—even if she continued to argue against him any time he offered to make things easier for her.
He understood her hesitation, himself familiar with the desire to control all aspects of his life without needing to rely on anyone. Holly hadn’t been able to depend on any one person in a long time. But he would simply have to show her that she could trust him to take care of her problems, even if she didn’t relish the idea.
He first needed to figure out all that was wrong with Felton Manor and what needed to be tackled first. Gavin began visiting stonemasons and laborers in the local village during the past week, searching for men who could be hired to do the work. He even planned to buy back some of the livestock Holly had sold to Mr. Granger. It would take time for the farm to be profitable, but he didn’t mind waiting. Holly had made it clear that everythingshe received from Gavin was a loan and that he would be paid back in full. Who was he to keep her from doing so?
The tree removal was the most pressing issue, and it would be the most dangerous part, but Gavin was sure once the pricing had been settled on, the house repair would be completed by the beginning of autumn.
Gavin had unwittingly surprised Holly with the ledger he had begun to use to record all the expenses. The colorless cheeks and haunted expression on her face when he showed it to her one afternoon had gutted him. He hadn’t intended to make her feel bad. It was his way as a banker to keep ledgers on all expenses, and he had only wanted to show her that the damage wasn’t nearly as bad as he first surmised. But the rate at which the debt had accumulated clearly scared her. Holly had become withdrawn for a day or so, her shoulders drawn up in a tense strain whenever he saw her.
Eventually, it disappeared, but Gavin knew he had to handle the situation more delicately. He continued recording the expenses, since he had promised her he would do so, but he did not show the ledger to her again. And soon, he would be adding another item to the list—the cost of hiring a foreman. Since he would be escorting Holly and her sister to London to attend the upcoming season, he needed to find a trusted man to oversee the reconstruction while they were away in town.
It would be a good, distracting time for Holly to be in London, as she could pick out all new furnishings and décor for the house. It would give Mr. Granger and Mr. Lemon time to finish their work, and once that was complete, they could return to Felton and Holly herself could interview the tenants who would allow her to start paying him back as she was so insistent on doing. Or, if he could get her to accept that there was no need for repayment, she could keep the money for herself and havethe independence she seemed to crave without the stress and burden of the debts that had weighed on her for so long.
Gavin had gone out that morning to speak with Mr. Timothy Lemon, a foreman who was willing to lead the job at Felton House. He was a tall, middle-aged man with four sons who worked with him on the farm. He had agreed to oversee Felton Manor for a reasonable sum, and Gavin trusted him, having inspected the man’s house which he had built himself.
Walking through the front door of Kingston House just before noon, he was handing his overcoat to Dougherty when he heard a smatter of conversation from the parlor. Though he had planned to head to his offices, he followed the unknown voices instead and, coming into the parlor, saw an unfamiliar young couple seated on a sofa. It was clear that the butler had just seen them in, and turning at the sound of his footsteps, Mr. Jorden bowed at Gavin.
“The Paynes, my lord.”
