Page 10 of A Duke Changes Everything
“And my father would rise from the grave to stop them if he could.”
“But he cannot.” The old man’s eyes flicked to his. “He is powerless now.”
Powerless.The word loosened some of the tension that had ridden his shoulders since he’d left London.
“I suppose this is his worst nightmare.” A little grin pulled the edges of Nick’s mouth upward. “I survived him and the heir he groomed for the dukedom.”
“And you’re here at Enderley.” Wilder spoke softly, tentatively, like one attempting to gentle a dangerous beast.
“Direct me to Thorne.” Nick cleared his throat to shed the gruffness from his tone. “There’s much to do, and I want to make a start.”
“You were not expected until tomorrow.”
“I presume the estate steward does his job every day. Now where is he?”
“Sir—”
“Just direct me to him, Wilder.”
The butler pointed toward the kitchen’s service door, where milk and food were delivered. The door exited onto a yard that contained all of the work buildings on the estate—the granary, bake house, and stables.
“Out back, sir. Most likely in the stables.”
Nick wasn’t sure why the steward would be wasting time in the stables, but it wasn’t nearly as important as getting out into the fresh air. He yanked open the kitchen door and immediately breathed easier. Even a few minutes in the house felt tight and confining.
On the threshold, something held him back. A task left undone for decades.
“Wilder? There’s a great deal I don’t remember. Much I’ve forced myself to forget.” He should face the man, but he couldn’t. The memories would come back too sharply. “If I didn’t say it then, I owe it to you now.”
A hand. A key. Bursting through the door. Running for his life. He couldn’t hold them back. Memories washed over him, a flood of vivid images.
“Thank you. The sentiment is long overdue.”
“Where is she?” Mina stood with a hand on each hip, narrowing one eye at Gleason, the senior stable hand. The man usually did his job well, but he tended to attack trouble with a maul, never considering that a less blunt tool might do the job.
“The copse,” he said churlishly, swiping at an ugly bleeding scratch on his chin. “Quite a ways up the tallest oak. Tobias sent me out and I couldn’t get her either.”
“And how did she get up there?”
Gleason cast Mina a beseeching look. “The wee devil was into the feed bags, miss. Shooed her off. A bit o’ shouting. Flapping me arms. Didn’t mean the Ole Scratch any harm.”
“She’s not the devil, Henry. She’s a cat, and she needs to eat now more than ever.”
“I’ll go and try again.” He started for a roughhewn ladder they used to reach the storage level of the barn. It was a rickety old thing, and Mina doubted it would ever hold his weight.
“You’ll only make it worse. I’ll go. Give me the ladder.”
“Let me carry that for you, miss.” Gleason viewed her as Hardbrook did. A feminine flower to be protected and treated with delicacy. “It’s not work for a lady.”
“I’m not a lady, and I don’t need help. Surely you have enough to keep you busy before the new duke arrives.”
“Will he be as rotten as the last two?” Gleason called as she started out of the stable yard.
“There’s every reason to think he’ll be worse.” Mina turned back to face the young man. “But if we show him we can be relied upon to run Enderley efficiently, perhaps he’ll spend as much time in London as his brother did.”
“Leaves a good deal on your shoulders,” Gleason retorted.
Mina lifted the ladder and hefted a rung over her shoulder before starting off toward the tree line.
