Page 24 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
“I will confess it to you,” whispered Frances, her cheeks turning pink. “There is someone else I have my eye upon … but I am unsure whether he returns my affection. Lydia would be appalled.”
Christina laughed. “Lady Lydia does not control your life and who you fall in love with. You do not need her permission.” She hesitated, thinking about the other lady and how much she disapproved of her. “I think I have well and truly overstayed my welcome at Newquay Hall. But I have no idea what to do or where else to go. It is so frustrating.”
She picked up a pebble, throwing it into the stream, watching it skip along the water’s surface. Her heart contracted again.
The duke was probably heartily sick of her presence in his home, as well, judging by his avoidance of her – and despite their closeness on the day they had visited the village. Lady Lydia wanted her gone for good.
A small kernel of panic lodged in her chest. What was she going to do? How could she keep imposing on the duke and his sister …especially since they both clearly wanted her gone?
***
“A brandy, Lord Powell?” Sebastian picked up the bottle, looking at the other gentleman, who had just arrived at Newquay Hall out of the blue and was now ensconced in an upholstered chair near the fire in his study. “Have you journeyed far today?”
The gentleman shifted in the chair, nodding his head. “A brandy would be welcome, Newquay. And yes, it has been a long journey to get here.” He paused, his eyes narrowing, as Sebastian passed him a tumbler of brandy. “But I am hoping that this visit will be fruitful.”
Sebastian sat opposite the man, sipping his own brandy, wondering why on earth Powell was here. They weren’t close friends despite the gentleman being a major investor in his mines.
In fact, Sebastian secretly despised the man, almost as much as he despised Walter Hester, and that was really saying something.
He ran an eye over the gentleman. Powell was a large man in early middle age, with a bulky physique, coarse silver threaded black hair, and a bulbous nose. His small black eyes were almost opaque, giving nothing away about the man’s thoughts. Sebastian knew him to be a tyrant, treating his servants and workers with utter contempt, and he also had a reputation for ruthlessness in business, although he hadn’t seen that side of the man. Yet.
“Perhaps we should get straight to the point, Powell,” said Sebastian, putting down his drink and gazing at the gentleman. “Why exactly are you here?”
Powell gave a bark of laughter. “You know that falling prices for copper are affecting many mines in this area of Cornwall,” he said slowly, as he swirled the brandy around in the tumbler. “Including your own, Newquay.”
“And?” Sebastian’s voice was edged with tension. “What is your point?”
“I am about to marry into the Draycott family,” stated Powell with a smirk. “I plan to leverage Viscount Draycott’s name to raise funds for my own business ventures.” He took a deep breath. “My ultimate goal is to acquire total ownership of your mines, Newquay … but if you refuse to sell to me, then I will invest in the Hester mines instead.”
“Is that your way of trying to butter me up to sell to you?” Sebastian couldn’t keep the acid out of his voice. “I do not much like your manner, Powell.”
Powell smiled slowly. “I came to you first because of your noble lineage, Newquay.” He paused, taking a long sip of his brandy. “The Hester family are nothing but filthy merchants. I would much rather own your mines and the noble association they have rather than acquire the Hester’s mines, which are tainted by their filth.”
“You certainly call a spade a spade,” remarked Sebastian, raising his eyebrows, trying not to show how much he despised the gentleman.
Powell was still a major investor in his mines, and he didn’t want him to pull out entirely. It would leave him in a very vulnerable position indeed. He must play this encounter very carefully, even if he did want to ram his fist into the other gentleman’s smug face. He suppressed a wave of anger and indignation. There was no way he would sell his entire mines to the man … but Powell didn’t need to know that yet.
“I certainly do,” said Powell, with a small, smug smile, looking proud of the fact. He finished his brandy, slamming the tumbler onto the table, and stared at Sebastian. “I will give you until the end of the month to decide, Newquay. I must keep going … for I have other business to attend to.”
“And what is that?” asked Sebastian, despising the man and the fact he couldn’t tell him to go to hell outright and take his offer to hell with him.
“I am searching for … a relation,” he said in a vague voice. “You do not need to concern yourself with it. But I must keep on with it. Time is ticking.” Abruptly, he stood up. “Until we meet again, Newquay. I would ponder my offer very carefully if I were you. You will not get another one so good.”
Sebastian drained his glass, got to his feet, and faced the man. “I will ponder it. That is all I can promise.”
Powell nodded, inclining his head curtly, before turning and leaving the room without another word.
Sebastian walked to the window, watching the gentleman climb into his carriage before it started rattling away down the long driveway and through the high gates. His stomach was churning unpleasantly.
He would rather die than sell outright to Powell, but the gentleman had spoken the truth – copper prices were falling and with other instabilities in the industry, he knew he was in a precarious position, indeed.
Suddenly, he jumped. Two horses were cantering towards the house from the other direction and were close enough now that he could clearly see the riders.
His eyes widened in shock. It was Lady Frances … and Georgina. There was no sign of a third horse carrying his sister, but then he remembered she was away for the day, visiting a friend in the district.
His heart started to pound as he fixated on Georgina, who was riding the black horse. Every time he saw her, even from afar, he was struck by her beauty anew.
His breath caught in his throat as his eyes roamed over her avidly. He had been avoiding her these past weeks after his sister’s lecture about her, but it hadn’t been easy. Every fibre of his being wanted to approach her, speak with her, and be in her company.
