exactly whom he was talking about. There could be no denying it, but the less said on such matters, the better. “Indeed.”
“She’ll make a fine wife for someone someday.” Ellison gave a sharp nod before tossing the amber liquid down his throat. “No doubt that is Mrs. Ellison’s intention. Now that Constance is spoken for, my wife will need something of the sort to occupy her mind, and seeking and selecting Isabel’s future husband should do just that.”
Colin chuckled. Mrs. Ellison had made quite a production of finding the most suitable husbands for her four daughters. But whereas Mrs. Ellison was often perceived as light and carefree by the townsfolk, Colin was well acquainted enough with the family’s situation to know that a more selfish reason fueled her motives. Emberwilde Hall was entailed, and as such should have passed to Freddie upon Ellison’s death. But with Freddie dead, the property would pass to Mr. Ellison’s nephew, leaving the ladies adrift. Now that all her daughters were married or betrothed, Mrs. Ellison should have been able to rest, but it was not her nature.
“I was only partly joking about your taking a wife, Colin. It’s high time, a man like you in the prime of life.”
Colin shook his head and gave a little chuckle. He was no stranger to the pressure to marry. He was just not accustomed to it from Ellison. “I am in no position to marry. Not now.”
“Oh, I disagree. You have an estate that needs tending. You can’t continue to live in that boardinghouse forever. Unless, that is, you’ve taken a liking to old Mrs. Daugherty.”
At the thought of his miserly landlady, Colin huffed. “Not likely, sir.”
But Colin could not argue Ellison’s point. He did own land, and quite a bit of it.
When he was young, a fire not only claimed his parents’ lives, but destroyed the estate’s family house and immediate outbuildings. His aunt and uncle became his guardians, and because Colin was too young to inherit, his uncle served as the estate’s agent. His uncle’s own business had taken priority, however, and during Colin’s boyhood the main house and properties were never rebuilt. The estate continued to reap an income from its tenants, but the great house and its fields were never leased or repaired. Since returning from the war, Colin had made steps to provide for and establish relationships with his tenants, but he had not amassed the funds to rebuild the great house and reclaim the damaged land. Between managing his tenants and his work at his cousin’s solicitor’s firm, he had scarcely a free moment to entertain such a notion.
“There is great opportunity there, indeed. But a great deal of work to be done as well.”
“Never known you to shy away from work, Galloway.”
It wasn’t the work that intimidated him. In fact, far from it.
“Houses can be built,” Ellison continued. “You’ve a great deal to your name, and you are well respected. It is time you put your land to work for you in a more effective manner.”
Colin adjusted the cuff of his coat. “Capital is required for such a venture. Capital I do not have at the moment. And if I am to look to the rents I receive and my wages in my cousin’s office, I am in a sore state.”
“I understand that quandary all too well. Ah, money. Were I able I would cut down every tree in that bothersome Emberwilde Forest and sell every last bit of timber. That would set my financial troubles right, to be sure. But the forest cannot be touched. It must remain in place for future generations. So I will prevent it from becoming a hub for illegal activity instead of using it to keep the estate afloat. But you, on the other hand! Timber abounds. Mark my words. You have capital in the form of raw materials. Sell that timber, my boy, and see what kind of home you can set up for yourself.”
The words simmered. Had he not entertained those very thoughts? Of turning his humble birthright into a thriving estate in its own
“She’ll make a fine wife for someone someday.” Ellison gave a sharp nod before tossing the amber liquid down his throat. “No doubt that is Mrs. Ellison’s intention. Now that Constance is spoken for, my wife will need something of the sort to occupy her mind, and seeking and selecting Isabel’s future husband should do just that.”
Colin chuckled. Mrs. Ellison had made quite a production of finding the most suitable husbands for her four daughters. But whereas Mrs. Ellison was often perceived as light and carefree by the townsfolk, Colin was well acquainted enough with the family’s situation to know that a more selfish reason fueled her motives. Emberwilde Hall was entailed, and as such should have passed to Freddie upon Ellison’s death. But with Freddie dead, the property would pass to Mr. Ellison’s nephew, leaving the ladies adrift. Now that all her daughters were married or betrothed, Mrs. Ellison should have been able to rest, but it was not her nature.
“I was only partly joking about your taking a wife, Colin. It’s high time, a man like you in the prime of life.”
Colin shook his head and gave a little chuckle. He was no stranger to the pressure to marry. He was just not accustomed to it from Ellison. “I am in no position to marry. Not now.”
“Oh, I disagree. You have an estate that needs tending. You can’t continue to live in that boardinghouse forever. Unless, that is, you’ve taken a liking to old Mrs. Daugherty.”
At the thought of his miserly landlady, Colin huffed. “Not likely, sir.”
But Colin could not argue Ellison’s point. He did own land, and quite a bit of it.
When he was young, a fire not only claimed his parents’ lives, but destroyed the estate’s family house and immediate outbuildings. His aunt and uncle became his guardians, and because Colin was too young to inherit, his uncle served as the estate’s agent. His uncle’s own business had taken priority, however, and during Colin’s boyhood the main house and properties were never rebuilt. The estate continued to reap an income from its tenants, but the great house and its fields were never leased or repaired. Since returning from the war, Colin had made steps to provide for and establish relationships with his tenants, but he had not amassed the funds to rebuild the great house and reclaim the damaged land. Between managing his tenants and his work at his cousin’s solicitor’s firm, he had scarcely a free moment to entertain such a notion.
“There is great opportunity there, indeed. But a great deal of work to be done as well.”
“Never known you to shy away from work, Galloway.”
It wasn’t the work that intimidated him. In fact, far from it.
“Houses can be built,” Ellison continued. “You’ve a great deal to your name, and you are well respected. It is time you put your land to work for you in a more effective manner.”
Colin adjusted the cuff of his coat. “Capital is required for such a venture. Capital I do not have at the moment. And if I am to look to the rents I receive and my wages in my cousin’s office, I am in a sore state.”
“I understand that quandary all too well. Ah, money. Were I able I would cut down every tree in that bothersome Emberwilde Forest and sell every last bit of timber. That would set my financial troubles right, to be sure. But the forest cannot be touched. It must remain in place for future generations. So I will prevent it from becoming a hub for illegal activity instead of using it to keep the estate afloat. But you, on the other hand! Timber abounds. Mark my words. You have capital in the form of raw materials. Sell that timber, my boy, and see what kind of home you can set up for yourself.”
The words simmered. Had he not entertained those very thoughts? Of turning his humble birthright into a thriving estate in its own
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