In loving friendship,
Olivia
Peter refolded the letter and put it at the bottom of the pile of other letters on his desk. He hadn’t yet decided whether or not he would give the note to Bett. He knew Olivia was a dear friend of his sister-in-law and had recently married a wealthy earl, but Cecily needed Bett here more. He didn’t know who Lord Harrison was, and he certainly didn’t want Bett to go visiting with Olivia, especially now that Cecily had finally agreed to hire awet nurse. He needed to keep the household as calm as possible so his wife could recover her health.
He saw the seal on the second letter and didn’t recognize the crest. It didn’t matter because he had decided he wouldn’t give Bett this letter either, but he didn’t break the seal to read the contents. Whoever it was from would be waiting a long time for an answer. Peter shoved this letter at the bottom of the pile as well.
He would go to any lengths necessary to ensure his wife’s happiness, even if it meant denying Bett hers. He felt a momentary pang of guilt for keeping the letters from her, but he pushed the feeling away. His priority was clear.
Cecily needed Bett more.
Chapter 19
It took more than aweek after Noah had delivered the baskets to the tenants before he and Miles had a chance to check out the abandoned cottages. After eating breakfast, the men headed to the stables. They were planning to ride out to the two abandoned cottages and survey the land to see what use could be made of it.
“Your mounts are ready, gentlemen,” the stablemaster said.
“Thank you,” Noah said, vaulting onto Midnight’s back. His stallion had fully recovered from that mad dash from Guilford nearly six weeks ago and looked eager to run, stamping his feet in the dirt. He patted Midnight’s neck. “Come on, boy. Let’s show Vulcan how fast you can run.”
Miles chuckled as he mounted Vulcan. “You might be in for quite a gallop, my friend.”
“Good. It’s just what I need. These past weeks have shown me that I must never take life for granted again.”
“I was thinking the same.”
The two men walked their horses to the meadow beyond the formal gardens. “Will you stay until Robertson arrives?”
“Yes. I would like to see him and his lovely wife again. But then I must get back to Fleming Manor. As you know, there’s an important matter I must discuss with Fleming.”
“Has he mentioned anything to you about his daughter’s future?”
“No. It doesn’t seem like there are any suitors for her at the moment, and I want to act before one shows up on her doorstep while I’m away.”
“I totally understand, and I can’t thank you enough for spending these past weeks with me. I admit that I was totally shocked and lost when Uncle Charles and Aiden passed.”
“We all were, my friend. It was a tragedy that no one could have anticipated.”
“Exactly, and that’s why I want to make sure I have everything in order that I possibly can from now on. Uncle Charles was well-organized, and that has certainly made understanding the estate accounting much easier. Life is short, and now that I’m the viscount, I don’t want any of my tenants to suffer due to my inexperience.”
“Noah, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing fine. It takes time to understand all there is to know about estate management. Have you thought any more about hiring a steward?”
“I’m warming to the idea, but I want to know firsthand what’s happening with everything before I hand over control to someone else.”
“I have absolute faith in you. However, not so much in your riding skills,” Miles said as he kicked his heels in Vulcan’s side. The stallion took off like a shot.
Noah chuckled. “You’re not going to win that easy,” he said. Midnight didn’t need any coaxing to race after Vulcan.
The horses flew across the meadow like there were wings on their feet. It was the first time in weeks that Noah felt the burden of inheriting the title ease somewhat. Maybe Miles was right. It would take time for him to learn how to manage everything, and he didn’t need to be so critical of his progress thus far.
The horses were neck and neck as they raced past the tenant cottages and the crops growing in the fields. Both stallions wereseventeen hands and powerful beasts, and neither one seemed like he wanted to stop running. As they neared their destination, Noah pulled back on the reins. “Whoa, boy. We’re here.”
Miles did the same. Both horses had lathered necks as the first vacant cottage came into view.
“Midnight is as fast as ever,” Miles said. “I’m glad to see that he suffered no permanent damage trying to get to Oxfordshire so quickly.”
“Vulcan is a prized stallion as well. They’re well-matched,” Noah said, nodding.
As they rode closer, Noah immediately saw why the land wasn’t suitable for farming. The soil was rocky, and the weeds that poked up through the earth had grown immense without anyone to tend to them.
