Page 65 of The Lyon Whisperer
His eyes narrowed. “No.”Not yet.
She did not appear convinced. “Are you quite certain? Both Cook and Mr. Oliver balked quite strongly over the notion of ordering the items on my list. It occurred to me to wonder if”—she lifted her chin—“that is why you asked to marry me.”
Profound relief poured through him. She hadnotlearned of the bet his uncle had lost, landing her with him.
“Amelia, are you asking if I married you for your dowry?”
She lowered her gaze to her hands, now clenched in her lap. “It would explain much.”
“Such as?”
“Such as why the house is short staffed. Why the stables are not stocked despite their grandeur. And…” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Why we married in a fortnight.”
Without making a conscious decision to do so, he grazed his fingertips over her cheek. Her skin felt cool and smooth as satin.
“I think I mentioned my uncle’s predilection for mismanaging his affairs?”
She nodded.
“When I returned from the peninsula, I discovered he’d also lost a fortune at the tables and races. Meanwhile, neither he nor my aunt had curtailed their spending.”
She gazed at him, her violet eyes glowing with an awe his actions did not merit. “So you took over managing their estates to save them—and their tenants—from financial ruin,” she summarized.
“Yes, if he agreed to…”stop his excessive spending and gambling.He ran a finger under his cravat. Any reference to his uncle’s gambling losses was too closely linked to their engagement.
He amended his words. “To be put on a budget. Further investigations showed me the lands were in desperate need of updated infrastructure. I had to get creative with the resources to fund the necessary repairs and upgrades.
“It turns out the barony to which I acceded, courtesy of the Crown, is in much the same state. Mismanaged, funds drained, in need of repairs.” In truth, it was less of a reward than a burden. But, as the job now fell to him, he was determined to bring it to good.
She angled her torso toward him, leaning with cat-like grace into the cushions. She folded her arms over the sofa back and rested her cheek on her hands as she listened to him with an intent expression. “If anyone can bring the estates back from the brink, it’s you.”
He smiled briefly, charmed and a little embarrassed by her faith in him. “Both estates will be profitable again. To that end, I recently procured a lucrative contract with Liverpool boat builders for a large shipment of lumber. The proceeds would have done much to bring both estates into the black. Unfortunately, that entire shipment recently burned.”
She sat up, her eyes wide as saucers. “Dear Heaven. Will we meet the demands of the contract in time?”
We.Rather than expressing repulsion, or even contempt, over the state of affairs she’d married into, Amelia had joined forces with him in less time than it took to blink.
“We will certainly try. In the meantime, I congratulate you on your powers of deduction, madam. As you discerned, the bulk of the viscountcy’s and barony’s liquid funds are allocated to repairs. You could say we are cash poor.”
She nodded, though her brows puckered with concern. “The estates must be very badly off, indeed, if my dowry did not suffice to bring them up to scratch.”
“As to that…” He blew air out his cheeks. “It’s quite complicated. The contract stipulates…”
She gazed at him expectantly.
“The funds be allocated over time.”
“That seems odd. I had the impression the money exchanged hands almost immediately.”
Chase said nothing.
She frowned. “I will postpone my dinner party.”
“I think we can afford to host a dinner,” he said dryly. “I shall instruct Cook and Mr. Oliver to carry out your instructions.”
She eyed him doubtfully. “If you’re sure.”
“Quite sure.”
