“No, generally, I find employment of some kind for those I assist personally, but few of those are caring for an adorable infant,” he said with a smile.
She sighed heavily. “You win, my lord, but only because you think my nephew is ‘adorable,’” she conceded. Then she perked up as a new idea arrived. “Oh, I meant to tell you,” she said with a giggle he found to be the perfect sound to come out of any woman, “I have sketched a few designs for your idea for a metal plate. They are on the small desk in the corner.”
Benjamin controlled his frown. “I did not mean for you to extend your energies. You have much to do each day without tending to me.” He was not confident he would follow through with her suggestion, and Benjamin did not wish to offend her.
“No reason to apologize,” she said, ignoring his caution. “Please fetch the paper resting on top of the desk.”
Benjamin did as she asked. He studied the various versions of his initials on the paper and knew surprise at how pleasing they were. “I like the way you linked the ‘L’ and the ‘T,’” he said in an honest tone.
“I attempted to keep it simple so that it might be stitched into the hems of drapes or any household goods you furnish for those who let a house from you. I also wanted the ‘L’ for ‘Lord’ to be subservient to the ‘T’ for ‘Thompson,’ for you and your family are what makes the earldom important, not the other way around.” She blushed prettily. “I had to ask Mr. Patterson for your given name. I had not heard it prior. Mrs. Gabriel said there was more than one ‘Lord Thompson’ in Parliament, and perhaps we should add the ‘B’ for your Christian name.” She swallowed her next words and waited.
How could Benjamin refuse her? His reason floundered for some sort of footing. “If you hold no objections, I will show these to my man of business and ask him to discuss it with a metal worker to learn what is possible. Would one of the sketches be easier than the other for a seamstress to execute?”
“All of the combinations I created would be easier to execute than the more elaborate one chosen for Lady Cunningham,” she said with a smile indicating a bit of sassiness in her words.
“The ‘English’ Lady Cunningham or the ‘Scottish’ one?” he asked.
“From her accent, she was Scottish, though her ladyship never spoke to me directly: She simply ordered Mr. Sustar to assure my diligence.”
“Yes, such sounds of the Scottish Cunninghams. Lord Cunningham and Duncan often butt heads,” he explained. “Duncan is the superior peer for the Scottish delegation to Parliament.”
“At least her ladyship has recommended my work to others,” she explained, “which pleases Mr. Sustar greatly.”
The following day,their “relationship” again had them breaking their fast together, while reading tidbits of the newsprints to each other. More than a few of the stories he had to explain to her, for she was not accustomed to thehaut ton’s snarkiness nor the newsprints’ habit of lampooning them.
“Tomorrow,” she said, “I shall be returning from my work when you sit at your table for breakfast.”
“I will have Mr. Patterson hold the meal for you,” he said, unwilling to lose her company.
“There is no reason to hold your meal. You are a busy man,” she assured him. “Some days I am a bit later than others. I cannot leave the shop until the work is complete.”
“Brunswick will wait no matter how long it takes to see to your safety,” Benjamin instructed. He preferred to be the one securing her safe passage, but the lady had rejected his presence.
“You are very kind to me, my lord,” she said as she dropped her eyes in an act of submission, which did not sit well with Benjamin.
“And when must you be at Sustar’s establishment today?” he asked.
“Before he closes at six,” she explained.
“Mr. Patterson,” Benjamin instructed, “we will have our midday meal a quarter hour earlier than customary and please ask Cook to prepare a small basket for Miss Whitchurch so she must not wait so long between meals.”
“Yes, my lord,” Patterson said with a nod of approval.
“It is not…” Miss Whitchurch began.
Yet, Benjamin overrode her response. “It is necessary. The child depends on you. He has no one but you who willingly has placed herown life on hold in order to secure his future.”
“Thank you, my lord, but I might say the same thing about you.”
And so, Benjaminhad altered his routine so he might break his fast each morning with Miss Whitchurch when she returned to the house after her overnight work and an early small meal before she left again for another night of close work to please Mr. Sustar’s customers. Assuredly, Benjamin did not like their arrangement, but the lady meant to carve out her own path, and he could not fault her for that.
Mr. Froschele, his man of business, liked Miss Whitchurch’s suggestion for the metal plates and the embroidered emblem. “What if we make these items in Kent? Surely there are multiple women on your estate and in the nearby village who could create the needlework for the drapes, bedding, and so forth. Hire men to make the tables, bedposts, frames and the like. They would be standard for each of your homes, making them more difficult to steal and resell. High end pieces, all under your insignia.”
Benjamin considered the idea seriously as Froschele described it. He liked the idea of assisting his cottagers and the village, and Kent was not so far removed as to make it costly to ship the items. He could even hire some in London to supplement what could not be made in the countryside. “I like the idea of standardizing the quality of the items in the houses we let, while putting many of my tenants to work, as well as some local businesses. Has anyone else ever executed something similar? If so, did it succeed?”
“Assuredly, someone in London is exploring ways to increase profits. Many in the area’s warehouses attend estate sales and so forth to buy furniture, silver, artwork, and thelike. Heck, those pieces coming from India and Europe were likely created similarly. Yet, if you could have your tenants perform as we are thinking, you could increase profits with your London properties and provide many in your home shire a better living without building factories and such. Handmade tables and beds.”
Satisfied with his meeting, Benjamin returned to Macalhey House in hopes of sharing his ideas with Miss Whitchurch, only to hear, “I apologize, my lord,” Brunswick reported. “Mr. Sustar asked the lady to come in at five today instead of six,” the footman explained.
