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find these duties annoying in their demands, I will not let them rule my life, but I do not take them lightly. Your property is now one of these duties.”
    “What of Becksbridge’s intentions?”
    “To hell with his intentions. It is mine now and requires the same stewardship I give all my property.”
    He was going to put her off that land. She knew it now. The best she might do is negotiate a stay of execution so she had time to find some hovel to which to move.
    “You were more sympathetic when you visited us. A different man, actually.”
    “Mrs. Joyes, the biggest difference between that day and this, the only difference but the essential difference, was that it was not a Tuesday, and today is.”
    She thought that she had prepared herself, but she could not believe how horrible it was to actually face the certainty of this change. Not only her business would be lost—her very means of supporting herself—but also her long-laid plans and desperate hopes for the future.
    One such hope, a very private one, entered her mind on a memory, much like a specter, bringing anguished nostalgia. Her composure wobbled in response. She looked down and clenched her teeth so she would not submit to the sudden urge to weep.
    “It appears that you permit yourself cruelty on Tuesdays, Your Grace. That is why you reserve all those boring decisions for these days, isn’t it?”
    She sensed a reaction in him, but she dared not look up to see it. It altered the air so much that she feared she would see the fires of Satan if she looked in his eyes right then.
    It passed. Mostly. She felt him there, however. Watching her.
    “All is not lost,” he said. “It is accurate that I am not prepared to honor Becksbridge’s preference today, but I have not ruled out the idea either.”
    “You haven’t?” She looked at him, not daring to hope again, searching to see if he teased her for amusement.
    He appeared placid. Indifferent. He looked as if he was losing interest and would gaze out the window for diversion soon. “I have not made any decision yet. Before I do, I must learn a few things so I know my decision is based on sound facts. Even if I choose to ignore those facts, I must have them first. We must estimate the income to be lost if I leave it with you, for example.” He all but yawned. “It should not take long.”
    “It could take a year if you only tend to these things once a week.”
    “You exaggerate. After all, you said it would take a year of Tuesdays before your color rose with me again, and here it is less than a fortnight later, and it has happened several times today alone.”
    It rose again at his casual reference to that night in the greenhouse. It worried her that he could cause her to flush so easily and frequently. No one else could.
    She moved the conversation back to what mattered. “I should like to know where I stand soon, if possible. If I must leave, it would be better for the plants if it were in the autumn, and it could take a while to find another suitable property.”
    “Mrs. Joyes, are you now insisting that I decide today, when you just upbraided me for doing so? You are a confusing woman.”
    “It is disconcerting to be unsure of one’s abode and means of sustenance. I do not want to rush you to an impulsive judgment, of course, but would be grateful for a timely one.”
    He stood and paced around the chamber while her plea hung in the air. Finally, he crossed his arms and sighed deeply. He looked like a man about to say something that he already regretted. “I suppose, just this once , so you are not left to worry indefinitely, I could take up this one bit of business on other days besides Tuesdays.”
    “Oh, thank you, Your Grace.”
    “I do not want to waste my time or suffer more intrusions than necessary, however. If a question arises that requires your aid, I want a quick answer. If I am to be bothered on any random day by new developments, I should not like details left unsettled,