Colin rose from his chair. “If you will excuse me, it is time for me to get to work,” he said. “Good luck to you, Burton.”
“Thank you, milord.”
After Burton departed from the room, Colin returned to his seat and reached for a ledger. He might as well get some work done before he went riding. He had just reviewed the first page when his mother stepped into the room.
“There you are,” she said in an exasperated voice.
“Whatever is the matter?” Colin asked, rising.
“I just received word from Lady Langdon, and she is in desperate need of your help,” his mother shared.
“How so?”
“The children from the orphanage in the village are coming to her country home for a Christmas party, and she needs you to select a tree.”
“Lady Langdon has more than enough servants who would be up to the task,” Colin said, raising his brow. “Why ask me?”
“Because you always manage to find the perfect tree for our manor, and I promised her you would do so for her.”
“I’m afraid I am much too busy to be traipsing through the woods to find an elusive tree.”
“It isn’t elusive. You just have to find the biggest, best looking tree.”
“That is quite a tall order.”
His mother stopped in front of the desk. “Will you do it?”
“No.”
A pout came to her lips. “For the children?” she begged. “It would make them so happy to see such a large tree in Lady Langdon’s saloon.”
He pursed his lips together, then sighed. “You don’t play fair.”
“I never have,” she joked.
Colin came around his desk and kissed his mother’s cheek. “I will go speak to Lady Langdon after my ride.”
“Wonderful,” she said, clasping her hands together. “I can’t wait to see Lady Langdon’s expression when you tell her the good news.”
Colin eyed her curiously. “What are you about, Mother?”
“Nothing,” she replied. “As a patron of the orphanage, I am invested in the success of this party.”
Colin didn’t believe his mother’s suspicious behavior was due to something as simple as that. She was up to something.
Chapter Two
Dressed in her grey riding habit, Arabella departed from her bedchamber and walked down the hall towards her grandmother’s room. She stopped in front of the door and knocked, waiting to be invited in.
“Enter,” her grandmother called.
Arabella opened the door and stepped inside. “Good morning,” she greeted. “How are you faring today?”
Her grandmother reached for a bottle of lotion on her dressing table. “I am well,” she replied. “Do you truly intend to go riding this morning?”
“I do.”
“Isn’t it rather cold to do so?”
