Lord Matlock merely grunted in response.
“Silas, I am sure you meant that to mean something, but I cannot interpret that response. Did you see Darcy and Anne or not? Did you recognise either of their spouses?” Lady Julia asked again, raising her brow at her husband.
“Yes, I saw our nieces and nephew, but, no, I did not recognize either the woman with Darcy—though she certainly must be his wife—or the man accompanying Anne. Have you received anycorrespondence from either of them? Or from our own children? I have not heard from Richard lately, although Andrew writes often enough to request funds,” Lord Matlock replied.
Lady Julia let out a huff of breath. “What do you intend to do about your son, Silas? I know you arranged for the sale of his townhouse, but neither his estate nor ours can be sold. What will he do when he gambles so much that he can no longer pay?”
Closing his eyes and propping his head on the palm of his hand, Lord Matlock thought about how to respond to such direct questions. “He needs to marry well, but then his reputation is so poor that it might be difficult. He will need to do something about his habits, however, or he will run through his wife’s dowry as quickly as he has run through his own funds.”
“I have heard rumours that Matlock is in trouble, Silas. Should I be worried?”
“All will be well, Julia.”
“So, our son has not nearly bankrupted our estate as well? Matlock is not in danger of ruin without a substantial influx of funds?” Lady Julia asked, her voice sharp, her brow raised in accusation as she fixed her husband with a scathing look.
Lord Matlock’s eyes narrowed as he set down his fork. “What have you heard?” he demanded, his tone cold.
“Only whispers,” she replied, never breaking eye contact with her husband, “rumblings of bills that were not paid on time. It seems Andrew’s management of Ashburn is not quite as steady as you would like to believe. He would have done well to marry Anne, had Catherine not been so fixated on gaining Darcy as a son and keeping Rosings in her control—not that Darcy would have allowed that to happen. Richard would have been a bettermatch for her, of course, but at the very least Andrew might have learned how to work had he had someone watching over his shoulder to check on him. Richard might not possess Darcy’s skill in estate management, but he certainly would not have squandered funds the wayyourson has done.”
“Ourson,” Lord Matlock corrected, his voice stiff with indignation. “Andrew is as much your son as Richard is.”
“Do not pretend that you treated them equally,” Lady Julia snapped, her eyes flashing. “You left Richard to Darcy and his father, allowing him to spend more time at Pemberley than he ever did at home. Meanwhile, you kept Andrew under your roof, indulging him at every turn. Instead of teaching him how to manage Matlock, you taught him how to spend the money it brought in. Now, he is as good as useless and a continual drain upon our income.”
She paused, her mouth tight with frustration, as a footman entered, silently setting down the next course. Lady Julia waited for the servant to leave before continuing, her voice lower but no less cutting. “Do not act surprised, Silas. This is as much your doing as it is Andrew’s. You made him into this—a man who is incapable of fulfilling the role he should be preparing to step into.”
Lord Matlock’s grip tightened around his glass. “Andrew is not beyond redemption.”
“Not beyond redemption?” Lady Julia scoffed. “Tell me, how do you propose to redeem him when the estate he was meant to manage is slipping through his fingers? He has neither the skill nor the discipline to make things right. The damage has already been done. His habits are too ingrained.”
Her husband’s face darkened, and for a moment, there was a tense silence between them. Then, in a strained voice, he replied, “I will not see Matlock fall into ruin. I will do what is necessary.”
“What is necessary?” she repeated bitterly. “It is too late for ‘necessary,’ Silas. We needed action years ago, when you first noticed the growing bills, when you saw Andrew’s recklessness. Now you will have to make sacrifices.”
Lord Matlock’s eyes flicked up sharply. “What kind of sacrifices?”
“Either you sell some of the land that is not entailed, or you will have to seek help from Darcy,” she said, her tone as cold as ice. “You need his funds for he has not wasted his on women and gambling. I do believe Pemberley is rather better off than Matlock, and it is certainly better off than Rosings. Catherine is nearly as bad as you and your son at spending money without thought. Do you think Darcy already suspects something? All of society whispers about Andrew’s failings, even if they are too polite to say it to your face.”
Lord Matlock’s face twisted in a mixture of anger and pride. “I will not beg Darcy for anything.”
“No, of course not,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Better to watch your precious legacy crumble to pieces than swallow your pride and ask for help from the man who has made Pemberley stronger. A man who, unlike your son, understands the value of wealth and how to maintain it.”
Clenching his jaw, anger simmering just beneath the surface, Lord Matlock bit out, “I will not let Darcy interfere in our affairs.”
“I suggest you think of something,” Lady Julia said coldly. “I do not think marriage will be enough to save Ashburn, not so long as Andrew is managing it, and you, Lord Matlock, are hardly better.”
Lord Matlock said nothing, but the fury in his eyes betrayed the storm brewing within. Lady Julia, satisfied she had made her point, took a slow sip of tea, letting the silence linger.
The two were silent for several moments. Finally, Lord Matlock broke the silence between them. “Julia,” he said slowly, his voice laced with a calculated calm, “you are right about one thing. Action must be taken, but perhaps not in the way you imagine.” He paused, measuring her reaction, and continued, “I have my own plans in motion.”
She raised an eyebrow, suspicion creeping into her expression. “What do you mean?”
“I have made arrangements,” he said, keeping his tone neutral.
Lady Julia’s expression hardened. “What kind of arrangements? I trust that you are not as foolish as your sister, but what can you possibly do that will prevent your ruin from being made public?”
“Will it not be your own ruin as well?” he asked, chuckling darkly.
“If it becomes known, I will go to my father’s house. I still have my dowry, and there is nothing you can do to take those funds from me. I will be well provided for, regardless of what happens to Matlock,” Lady Julia informed her husband with a sardonic grin.
