Page 30 of The Duke Who Loved a Widow
Robert nodded. “I see no reason why not.”
“Henry has been showing me the creatures that live on the side of the lake. We’ve made a sketch of all the fish we think live there. Have you ever seen the giant pike? It sounds like a monster.”
“I have. I even caught one once when out fishing. It was huge, and I felt quite sorry for it. Cook prepared it, and we had a feast at the castle.” He lowered his voice. “It didn’t taste very nice, but I pretended I liked it.”
“We found an old wooden boat down by the lake. Can we mend it? The Reverend Colbrooke said he would help us and then take us sailing on the lake.”
Robert smiled to himself, remembering his own childhood. “What an excellent idea. Yes, of course. I’d like to help, too, if I can.”
He could see the church spire and the village in the distance. “We’re nearly there. You can stay at the tavern or explore the village green. I have to meet Mr Brown for an interview. I won’t be too long.”
As they approached the tavern, Freddy skipped off to look at the horses in the stable, and Robert went into the dusty tap room to find Mr Brown.
Robert greeted Thomas Fanshaw, the landlord of the tavern, who waved him through to a parlour at the back of the tap room.
“Morning, Your Grace. Jason Brown is waiting for you in the back room. If you don’t mind my putting a word in for him, he’s a good lad. Known him since he was a boy, and his father before him.”
“Thanks, Thomas,” said Robert, giving a nod. “I’ll go straight through.”
“Oh, and thank you for giving young Jim a chance as a stable hand up at the castle. We did our best to support him here, but we didn’t have enough work for him to make a living. I heard he’s doing well up at the castle.”
“Indeed he is, Thomas. He will be an excellent asset at the Montbury stables.”
The next half hour was a pleasant surprise. Jason Brown clearly knew the Montbury Estate and had grown up there. He’d been working with Sir Joseph at Horton Hall and taken on considerable responsibility. He seemed eager to progress further and take up a leadership role.
He knew the current scientific developments with crop rotation and fallow land. He also had ideas about which cattle and sheep to buy to build up those herds. In short, Jason Brown knew the estate, the men who worked there, and what was needed to keep modernizing the property.
After considering the matter for a minute or two, Robert decided to offer him the job.
He knew as soon as Jason accepted it that he had made the right decision. Even better, Sir Joseph was prepared to release Jason the following week. Everything was falling into place very nicely.
Better still, his new steward and land agent had an in-depth knowledge of fishing on the lake.
“I will have to introduce you to my nephew when you start at the castle,” said Robert. “He has started to show an interest in fishing and wants to catch a pike.”
After leaving Mr Brown, Robert went to check the stables for Freddy. Not finding him there, he made his way to the village green. There, he could see Freddy and another boy with him. They were throwing sticks for a dog, and Robert immediately recognized Dash, the spaniel and realized the other boy was Henry. Robert smiled as he saw Freddy and Henry dissolving into a fit of giggles.
At that moment, he realized this was what he wanted his life to be about. The children showed such joy in playing and throwing sticks to the spaniel. The Reverend Colbrooke, with creativity and tenacity, had engaged both boys in a project that would help them learn far more than if they had stayed in the library looking at nature-related books.
Life was never easy, but the boys were showing the way to joy in life and learning.
“Henry, Freddy,” he called. “And Dash, too, Can we join you?”
“Uncle Robert,” cried Freddy. “Henry was in the village. His mama is at the haberdashery shop. We’ve been playing with the best dog in the whole world.”
Robert remembered the puppies and dogs he had grown up with and the spaniel his sister had given him a few days before. He’d often crept off to the stables where the dogs were kept when he was a boy. His father had a traditional approachand insisted that all dogs stayed in the stables and never came into the house.
He remembered asking his father for a puppy from a litter of spaniels and how his father had laughed at the idea of a special dog that shared your life. Dogs needed to be working animals and only join you for hunting. He’d loved his father, but he’d been wrong about dogs.
As soon as his father died, even his mother allowed her tiny King Charles’ Spaniel into the house. Times changed, and it was right to have dogs as part of family life at the castle.
“He certainly seems like the best dog in the world.” He looked at the spaniel and threw a stick for it to follow. “Dash,” he called and waited for the spaniel to return and sit in front of him.
“He’s very obedient. Did you train him?” he asked Henry.
“Yes. My father gave him to me for my sixth birthday. After Papa died, our coachman, Judd, helped me to train Dash.”
“He is a credit to you, Henry. Dash is a lovely dog.”
