“Most likely. I doubt any of the sons of aristocracy would be drawn to it. But it is not my aim to compete with Eton or Harrow.” Robert tapped a piece of paper on his desk. “I have already begun a list of the older boys I think would benefit. Some have been working a variety of Campion businesses as apprentices and are remarkably sharp.”
“What is your goal for them?”
Robert straightened his shoulders. “Mostly I wish to get them out of the rookeries and into respectable professions. Or service. I can envision a time when somecouldmatriculate to Harrow or Eton, perhaps with the idea of becoming a professional. But I would be pleased just that they will learn to read and do more than pick pockets and cut purses.”
“So why the horses? With the idea of becoming grooms or stable boys?”
“Or coachmen. But knowing how to ride gives a man a leg up in the world, so to speak.”
“But you could teach them to ride. Or hire an instructor. You do not need me for that.”
Robert shook his head. “No patience for it, and I barely ride myself. I have not raced an animal in years. I have not even been in a saddle since our last visit to Ashton Park.”
Michael grinned. “And only once then.”
“It was too bloody hot, thank you very much.” Robert pulled another page from a stack of papers. “I also know nothing about the horses themselves.” He passed the page to Michael, his words piling over each other as he spoke, picking up speed along the way. “While I could hire all this out, who better to trust than my own brother?”
“Plus you won’t have to pay me.”
Robert laughed and stood, beginning to pace back and forth behind the desk. “True. But I plan to. As I told you at breakfast, I want to bring you on to help return the stables to what they once were, and I plan to offer you more than the cachet of the position. I’ve had it inspected, and the facility is sound and needs little except a bit of cleanup. Theménageis in a shambles, and there are two riding trails surrounding the property that need repair, and a park that needs to be examined for any issues that might create harm to the animals.
“Your primary responsibilities will be to hire a head groomsman as well as the grooms, stable boys, coachmen, and begin to purchase the appropriate animals. I have re-hired the land steward who had managed the property for the previous owners. He had resigned in disgust at the neglect and is excited about the opportunity to bring the estate back around. Mr. Peter Stewart. I think you will find his company somewhat stimulating. When can you begin?”
Michael blinked. “Take a breath, brother. I can’t remember when I’ve seen you so excited.”
Robert’s crooked grin returned. “This is different from anything else I’ve tried. It’s unlike anything I’ve known. And I truly want it to succeed. And I want you in it with me.”
Michael glanced down at the page in his hand. “You are talking about a great deal of money.”
“I’m setting aside one-hundred thousand pounds for the horses. As a start.”
Michael’s mouth gaped. “Do you want thoroughbreds?”
“For the boys? Of course not. We are not going to race them. Yet. But we will have to face the miasma of Tattersall’s eventually. But I had in mind several sweet ponies for the younger boys, work horses for them to learn field work—some would work with our tenants—and mares and geldings for the older riders. Twenty or so, total, to start with. Stallions to come later, as I would like to build a breeding stock so that we are not always replacing horses through purchases. Geldings for racing someday, or a stallion if he had the temperament. The visibility of a few wins could increase his value as a stud.”
Michael put the page back on the desk. “Are your plans for the rest of the estate this ambitious?”
Robert stopped pacing. “Yes.”
“Where are you getting the money?”
“Best you not ask.” His brother shrugged one shoulder. “Not yet.”
“And all of this with the idea of winning Lady Eloise?”
This time the smile held a slight slyness to it. “Primarily. But also for my boys.” Robert stood and went to the window, looking down over the gambling floor.
Michael could hear the thrum of the crowd, the occasional call of a dealer or unhappy gambler. “You have already pulled them off the streets.”
“No one deserves that life, that filth. They work hard,” Robert murmured. “And I can see how having a regular job and income changes them. It gives them hope.” He looked back at Michael. “It’s addicting, that providing of hope. You see it once, you want to do it again and again.” He pointed at the desk. “Come with me, and you’ll see it.”
“When are you going next?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Michael hesitated, his mind immediately darting back to that Mayfair receiving room. That glow when Clara spoke of the peregrine, lips pursed so sweetly as she looked up as if watching that falcon soar over her head.
Robert’s eyebrows arched. “Were you planning to see her again tomorrow?”
