Page 63 of A Sense of Turmoil
Ottilie, on the other hand, would accept his decisions without rancour and make an angelic countess in all respects. Flora couldn’t seem to help fighting against everything he said or did. He thought of those fiery violet eyes, missing them already, wondering whether the next time he saw them they would be turned towards Archie with adoration as the two of them stood at the altar.
A debilitating ache gripped him, but Luke shook it off. The time for self-pity was past. He would make the best of things and in time memories of Flora would fade; or so he tried to convince himself.
He stood up, whistled to Romulus, remounted and cantered back to the house to find Paul waiting for him in his library.
‘A cable from Sam,’ he said curtly, handing the opened communication to Luke.
‘I take it from your grim expression that it isn’t good news.’ Without waiting for a response, Luke started to read.
Confirm discrepancies going back ten yearsstopWell-hidden and substantialstopCan only have been done by Fleming and then Georgestop
‘What the devil…’ He tapped the paper against the fingers of his opposite hand, a little taken aback by Sam’s estimate of the losses, feeling furious and rather stupid to have been taken in. ‘How is this possible? Why didn’t I notice?’How did Flora know?Luke was mortified when he recalled the accusations he had thrown at her. No wonder she had been so wounded by them.
‘Sam has said he will send a full report,’ Paul pointed out. ‘It may be best to wait for that.’
Luke shook his head decisively. ‘Not a chance. Damn it, I’ve been an idiot and I need to put this right, or at the very least try to understand why those we considered trusted family friends chose to embezzle our money!’
‘No one likes being played for a fool, but this goes back to before your time. Your father appointed Fleming senior to the position of manager.Heshould have noticed the anomalies.’
Luke turned towards the door, a fulminating anger churning in his gut. Romulus tried to follow him but Luke motioned him back to the rug in front of the fire.
‘Where are you going?’ Paul asked.
‘To have it out with George, of course.’
‘What of Ottilie? Things could become complex.’
‘They are already complex, Paul,’ Luke replied, leaving the room at a brisk pace and calling for the horses to be harnessed to his curricle.
Chapter Eighteen
Flora settled into her new home surprisingly quickly. She felt a pang when a groom resplendent in Luke’s livery arrived on the afternoon of her first full day at Fox Hollow, driving a carriage behind which both Amethyst and Mabel were tethered. But she had no time to spare for dwelling upon regrets. She helped Will to settle the horses into their new home and concentrated her thoughts on the many tasks she still had to attend to.
‘That’s a spritely gelding you have there, miss,’ Will said, watching Amethyst cavorting up and down the paddock. Mabel, not one to expend energy unnecessarily, ignored his antics and dropped her head to graze.
‘He is that, Will, and Mabel has her uses too. I shall require a gig. Do you know of anywhere locally where one might be acquired?’
‘There’s a coachmaker over Calne way. He’s a decent man and won’t try to swindle you. I’ll have a word and see what’s on offer, if you like.’
‘Thank you. Yes, I would like.’
‘I’m assuming you’ll want the horses brought in at night. The evenings are getting cold. The cob won’t feel it but the gelding likely will.’
‘Yes, that would probably be for the best.’
‘Right you are, miss. I’ll prepare a couple of stalls, then I expect you’d like me to make a start on the gardens. Not much planting can be done at this time of year, but I can knock them back into order ready for the spring.’
‘That would be helpful. I have a mind to make the circular area beside the terrace into a herb garden. And I want to use one of the rooms in the barn as a stillroom.’
Will nodded his approval. ‘There’s already wild sage and rosemary growing in that patch.’
‘Leave that to me. I shall enjoy sorting it out. There’s more than enough for you to do.’
‘As you like, miss.’ Will removed his cap and gave his scalp a good scratching. ‘That stand of trees at the end of the paddocks, that’s part of your land. I reckon there’s a lot of fallen branches, what with the land not having been tended for a while. I’ll take myself down there and chop the windfalls into logs. They’ll need to be stored in the dry and then you’ll have enough fuel to keep your fires going through the winter.’
‘Very thoughtful, Will. Thank you.’
Flora explored the village, making herself known to the local shopkeepers, all of whom were curious about her, having heard that Fox Hollow had been let again after a long period of remaining vacant. She was unable to find out anything about the property’s history, other than to learn that it had recently been completely refurbished, but she had already known that much. Polite questions were put to her about her circumstances. More than one eyebrow was raised when she confirmed that she was unmarried and intended to live alone. All sorts of speculation about her circumstances were bound to arise, and she suspected that she would not be invited to mix with the local matrons any time soon, in case she wasnot quite the thing. Since that situation suited her perfectly, Flora couldn’t bring herself to be disappointed.
