Read Online An Unusual Bequest by Mary Nichols - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mary Nichols
Ads: Link
village children at the Rectory. And I visit the sick and take them a little sustenance.’
‘From my larder?’
‘Why, yes, but only what would have been thrown away. It is no more than your own mother did in her lifetime.’
‘Yes, she was a good woman, but I am sure she did not teach peasants.’
‘Perhaps not, but education is something I feel strongly about. One should help those less fortunate.’
‘Oh, so you do consider yourself fortunate. That is good. One should always be grateful for charity.’
Knowing he was trying to goad her into an inconsiderate reply, she did not answer. She would have passed him to continue on her way, but the passage was a narrow one and to do so meant pushing past him, too close for comfort.
‘Nothing to say?’ he asked.
‘What do you wish me to say?’
‘That you agree, that you know you are here because I, in my charitableness, have allowed you to stay and you are suitably grateful.’
‘I am suitably grateful,’ she said, aware of the ambiguity in the statement, though whether he realised it she did not know. He was not the most intelligent of men. How could the late Lord Hobart have sired two such different men as Grenville and this man? The one was honourable and considerate, the other the exact opposite.
‘But my generosity comes at a price,’ he said.
‘I thought it might.’
‘Until I marry, you will continue to act as my housekeeper and keep those servants in line. I never saw such a shabby collection in my life. And who told them it was permissible to answer back, to voice opinions of their own? I have a mind to dispense with the lot of them, except that I am expecting guests and there is no time to hire others.’
‘Guests?’
‘Yes, a real house party. So, please prepare for them. Open up the house, get in some decent food and restock the wine cellar.’
Her mind flew to the stranger in the village, but quickly returned to what he had asked. ‘Very well, but I shall need money.’
‘Money?’ He started back in pretence of shock. ‘You speak of money? Don’t you know such a thing is never mentioned in polite company?’
She forbore to point out that he was hardly an example of polite company. ‘Nevertheless, we have to pay for food and wine, not to mention coals, oil and candles, and laundry women. Guests make a great deal of washing.’
‘Was my father’s credit not good?’
‘I am sure it would have been, but he made it a point of honour not to ask for it, but to pay his bills promptly.’
‘He, my dear sister-in-law, had the blunt to do so. Until I have overturned that preposterous will, I have not, so until that happy day you will obtain credit. If my father was as scrupulous as you say, you should have no trouble.’
‘Surely Mr Hardacre—’
‘Ah, I forgot, you are privy to that ridiculous legacy.’
‘I do not know anything about that, my lord,’ she said quickly ‘But I cannot believe Lord Hobart left you without any means at all.’
‘I am supposed to have made a profit from my time in India.’
‘And did you not?’
‘It must be self-evident that I did not, certainly not enough to sustain the life of a gentleman.’
‘I see. Then should you not postpone your house party until you have improved the estate and made it pay again? I am afraid that when Lord Hobart became ill, it was let run down. But it will reward a little attention.’
‘Do you presume to tell me what to do? No wonder the servants question their orders, when they have the example of the mistress of the house to teach them. But you are the mistress no longer.’ He stopped suddenly and laughed. It was an ugly sound. ‘Unless you would like to take up the role?’ He put out a hand to touch her cheek and she jerked her head away.
‘No, I would not,’ she said and, taking a deep breath, pushed past him and went to the kitchen to see about carrying out his orders. The servants were working, but gone was the
‘From my larder?’
‘Why, yes, but only what would have been thrown away. It is no more than your own mother did in her lifetime.’
‘Yes, she was a good woman, but I am sure she did not teach peasants.’
‘Perhaps not, but education is something I feel strongly about. One should help those less fortunate.’
‘Oh, so you do consider yourself fortunate. That is good. One should always be grateful for charity.’
Knowing he was trying to goad her into an inconsiderate reply, she did not answer. She would have passed him to continue on her way, but the passage was a narrow one and to do so meant pushing past him, too close for comfort.
‘Nothing to say?’ he asked.
‘What do you wish me to say?’
‘That you agree, that you know you are here because I, in my charitableness, have allowed you to stay and you are suitably grateful.’
‘I am suitably grateful,’ she said, aware of the ambiguity in the statement, though whether he realised it she did not know. He was not the most intelligent of men. How could the late Lord Hobart have sired two such different men as Grenville and this man? The one was honourable and considerate, the other the exact opposite.
‘But my generosity comes at a price,’ he said.
‘I thought it might.’
‘Until I marry, you will continue to act as my housekeeper and keep those servants in line. I never saw such a shabby collection in my life. And who told them it was permissible to answer back, to voice opinions of their own? I have a mind to dispense with the lot of them, except that I am expecting guests and there is no time to hire others.’
‘Guests?’
‘Yes, a real house party. So, please prepare for them. Open up the house, get in some decent food and restock the wine cellar.’
Her mind flew to the stranger in the village, but quickly returned to what he had asked. ‘Very well, but I shall need money.’
‘Money?’ He started back in pretence of shock. ‘You speak of money? Don’t you know such a thing is never mentioned in polite company?’
She forbore to point out that he was hardly an example of polite company. ‘Nevertheless, we have to pay for food and wine, not to mention coals, oil and candles, and laundry women. Guests make a great deal of washing.’
‘Was my father’s credit not good?’
‘I am sure it would have been, but he made it a point of honour not to ask for it, but to pay his bills promptly.’
‘He, my dear sister-in-law, had the blunt to do so. Until I have overturned that preposterous will, I have not, so until that happy day you will obtain credit. If my father was as scrupulous as you say, you should have no trouble.’
‘Surely Mr Hardacre—’
‘Ah, I forgot, you are privy to that ridiculous legacy.’
‘I do not know anything about that, my lord,’ she said quickly ‘But I cannot believe Lord Hobart left you without any means at all.’
‘I am supposed to have made a profit from my time in India.’
‘And did you not?’
‘It must be self-evident that I did not, certainly not enough to sustain the life of a gentleman.’
‘I see. Then should you not postpone your house party until you have improved the estate and made it pay again? I am afraid that when Lord Hobart became ill, it was let run down. But it will reward a little attention.’
‘Do you presume to tell me what to do? No wonder the servants question their orders, when they have the example of the mistress of the house to teach them. But you are the mistress no longer.’ He stopped suddenly and laughed. It was an ugly sound. ‘Unless you would like to take up the role?’ He put out a hand to touch her cheek and she jerked her head away.
‘No, I would not,’ she said and, taking a deep breath, pushed past him and went to the kitchen to see about carrying out his orders. The servants were working, but gone was the
Similar Books
