Page 20 of Taming of the Rake
Stone folded his arms over his chest, the glass balanced in the crook of his elbow. “What do you reckon we do about it, then?”
“Well,” David said slowly, tapping his chin as he measured his words. This was new territory for him, and he had no idea what he was doing. He did, however, understand what was right and fair, and what his tenants were owed. “What if we were to come to an agreement? If I forgo collection of the rents until Lady Day, I imagine that would help ease the burden. Perhaps, enough that you might help me make right the matters that have gone neglected for far too long.”
“Forgo the … you’d really do that?” Stone’s jaw had gone slack, and he was looking at David as if he’d suddenly grown a cock in the center of his face.
“I would, if you give your word that you will convince the other hands not to abandon their work. In exchange, I will also ensure that the materials for repair of cottages are made available at the earliest opportunity. That will take me time, mind, but you have my word that it will be done.”
“Wren gave me his word lots of times.”
“I’m not Wren, nor am I my father. Look, Mr. Stone, I realize you have no reason to trust me. After I came of age, I left Lancashire without a look back and did very little to secure my inheritance. I was unaware of Wren’s perfidy, but that is no excuse. I do not expect you to forgive me the oversight, or to trust me right off. But you did say you were content to give me a chance, so that is all I’m asking for now—a chance to make things right. No rents until Lady Day, the materials to mend your homes, and an eventual improvement on all the rest—the enclosures, the tools and the mill. I do not yet know everything that needs to be accomplished, but I haven’t been idle since my return. I am taking stock of what needs doing. I could certainly use your help convincing the other tenants, and … well, advice you may have on any matter that I am ignorant to, I would be glad to hear it. It does nothing for my pride to admit that I am woefully unprepared to assume my role, and without a steward I am quite at a loss. I’d wager I could learn a lot from a man like you.”
Stone looked as if he would faint, but quickly recovered with a shake of his head. “I … me, sir?”
Now, he was ‘sir’, instead of ‘a London fop in a nice suit.’ They were making progress.
“Yes, you. In fact, if you would return in two days’ time, I would like to tour the fields. My father mentioned in one of his journals that that forest bordering the south pasture might make for prime farmland once slashed and burned. I’d like your opinion on the matter.”
Stone looked as if he might smile, but then smoothed his face back to inscrutability. “I been tellin’ Wren we should slash and burn that land for over a year. He wouldn’t listen.”
“Well,I’mlistening. What do you say, Stone? Neither of us has anything to lose, and I’ll admit to being desperate here.”
The man surprised David by extending a hand toward him with a hint of a grin. “You’ve got yourself a bargain, Mr. Graham.”
Taking Stone’s hand, he winced at the bear-like grip, but gave it a firm shake. “Then I will see you again on Thursday, as early as is convenient for you.”
“Of course, sir.”
“My pleasure. Oh, and Stone? See Caruthers on your way out and inform him that I want you to have a bottle of that brandy … to share with your sons. I’m sure they’ll like it as much as you seemed to.”
Stone was really smiling now, slapping his cap onto his bald pate as he backed toward the door. Their stores were nearly depleted, but it was less than David would be willing to part for to get the man on his side.
“That’ll be fine, thank you, Mr. Graham.”
The moment Stone was gone, David began to pace, hands clasped behind his back. He had just made a promise he couldn’t afford to keep. Refusing to take up Christmas rents meant making life harder on his mother and sisters. Perhaps it wouldn’t be unbearable, but they had already been through so much. The last thing he wanted was to inform them that they would live like paupers for half a year at the very least, while he worked to get the farm profitable again. Even if he sold every valuable thing he owned—which he fully intended to do—there were still unpaid debts to be considered as well as the collapsing roof of the east wing. Yet, he couldn’t go on collecting rents from tenants who had not been given what they were owed. The people who worked his land had families to care for, just like him, and he refused to sacrifice them to keep his own family comfortable. It seemed one would have to suffer for the care of the other.
Nothing needs to be sacrificed if you take Mrs. Hurst up on her offer.
With a frustrated grunt, he pushed a shaking hand through his hair. There seemed to be no other choice. Until the farm began generating enough income, David had only one thing to fall back on. Serving as some woman’s courtesan was far easier in London, where he’d had his pick of wealthy ladies outbidding one another to take him as a lover. But here in Lancashire there was only Mrs. Hurst, and the money she was willing to pay would be enough to keep them afloat until spring—perhaps longer if he could earn the bonus she was offering.
Of course, that bonus was contingent upon him successfully getting her with child.
The longer he thought on it, the more David began to see her offer as the perfect solution to his problem. Mrs. Hurst wanted a family, and he wanted to save his. By mutual agreement, they could both get what they wanted with no one the wiser.
Pleasing women had always been his forte, something he enjoyed, even. If planting a baby in her womb improved Mrs. Hurst’s life in some way, turned that solemn expression into a contented one … well, what could be so wrong about that?
He practically ran to his study, keen to make the decision final before he could change his mind. Short of the sky suddenly opening up to rain thousands of pounds upon him, David had no other recourse.
Unlocking the safe where he had stashed the contract, he carried it to the desk and signed it, hands shaking as he waited for the ink to dry. He steadied it long enough to pen a short note to Mrs. Hurst.
A smidgen of relief stole through him once both had been sent off, and the tension clenching his joints and muscles eased. Upon delivery of the contract, he would be owed a substantial payment from Mrs. Hurst up front. He would put that toward the most necessary of needs around the house, and the rest would go into supplies to repair the tenants’ cottages. It was enough for now; he would earn the rest.
And he would eventually convince himself that walking away from a woman pregnant with his child was necessary to the well-being of everyone and everything he cared about.
Two nights later,David was ushered down the darkened corridors of Regina Hurst’s house by her massive footman. He had spent the entire day on edge, despite having the distraction of hours in Stone’s company. In fact, he should be tired after a long day of riding and taking note of the improvements and changes he would begin implementing in the coming months. However, his exhaustion had lasted as long as it took to bathe and change clothes before sending for the carriage. All the way here his mind had run in a hundred different directions.
This was unprecedented. He had never been nervous to meet with a client, nor had he suffered any anxiety about taking one to bed for the first time. But, even his limited interaction with her had told David that Mrs. Hurst would be unlike any woman he’d ever serviced. She had made it clear that his charm and easy smiles would have no effect on her.
But then, those weren’t the only tools in his arsenal. David smiled at Powell’s broad back as he thought of getting the lovely Regina Hurst naked and spread out on a bed. He would have weeks—at least—to discover all the treasures hidden beneath her stiff bombazine; to discover the weight of her breasts in his hands and learn the contours of her waist and hips. His cock began to stir at the thought of spreading her legs to find curls the same vibrant hue as the strands on her head. Would she be a quiet lover, muffling the sounds of her pleasure behind pinched, quivering lips? Or, would she scream and cry out her release, hips bucking and body writhing? His smile had widened by the time they reached the door to what he assumed must be the lady’s bedroom.
