“I can see why the family abandoned this place. I can’t imagine anything grew well in that rocky soil; certainly not enough could be harvested to support a family,” Miles said.
“I want to inspect the cottage,” Noah said, dismounting. He walked to the door and pushed it open. Inside, a large fireplace dominated the room. There were stairs leading to the loft that served as sleeping quarters for the family. The only furniture left in the place was a large wooden table that was probably too heavy for the family to take with them when they left.
“What do you think?” Miles asked, coming inside.
“It’s a good-size cottage with plenty of room for a family, but without good land to farm, no one would want to stay here.”
“Did you see those weeds out there? Some things do grow here. Perhaps sheep and goats would be better suited to this location.”
“Do you think so?”
“I do. Let’s check out the other cottage. The land might be the same. If so, that gives plenty of room for two families to reside here if they’re willing to tend the flocks. I would suggesteither Southdown sheep or Merino, although the Merino stock can be prone to foot rot. I had to give up my herd of Merino because they were more trouble than they were worth, but the Southdown breed has done well. Any new tenants could have a comfortable living, even after giving the estate coffers a percentage of the wool and the goat’s milk.”
Noah took one last look around the cottage before exiting. “I like your idea.”
They traveled to the other cottage, which was a mirror image of the first one, except the loft area had been walled off into three separate rooms.
“Any other ideas before I look into the sheep and/or goat one?” Noah asked on their ride back to the stables.
“No. Because the land is so rocky, it will never be good farmland. I think goats or sheep or a combination of the two will be the best use for those cottages.”
“I’ll check into everything we talked about to find the best options. I’d love to have those cottages occupied by next spring.”
“That would be ideal. No sense trying to fill them now,” Miles said. “Winter will be upon us soon enough, and without a harvest to support a family through the winter, it could prove to be a disaster.”
“I agree,” Noah said.
After they dropped the horses off at the stables and were heading toward the manor, they heard the crunch of gravel in the driveway.
“Robertson must be here,” Noah said, walking faster toward the front.
A stately carriage sat in the driveway, and a footman had hopped down to open the door.
“Robertson!” Noah shouted as the earl stepped out.
The earl smiled at Noah while handing down Lady Robertson and her maid from the carriage. “We came as soon as we heard the news.”
Noah extended his hand. Robertson took it and pulled him in for a fierce hug, patting his back. “We’re so terribly sorry for your loss, my friend.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you coming so quickly.” Noah stepped back and turned to Lady Robertson with a bow. “Lady Robertson, a pleasure to see you again.”
“Thank you, Lord Harrison. I wish we were seeing each other again under better circumstances though.”
“As do I, my lady.”
“Robertson, Lady Robertson, good day,” Miles said, joining the group.
“Mr. Walker, a pleasure to see you again,” she said with a smile that lit up her face.
“A pleasure to see you too, my lady,” Miles said.
Noah gestured towards the manor where Jerrison was standing in the open doorway. “Come inside. I’ll let my cook know you’ve arrived and have a tea tray delivered.”
“Excellent. I’m starving,” Robertson said, holding out his arm for his wife.
“My darling, you’re always starving,” Lady Robertson said with a chuckle.
Two footmen rushed passed the butler to unload the suitcases.
