“You cannot be serious—” she started.
He put his finger up to his lips, urging her to be quiet, as the men’s voices drifted into the room. Whoever was speaking was coming to the study, and they needed to hurry.
Caleb pulled Simone behind the drapes and ensured they were both hidden. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer, and tried to ignore the delightful scent of lavender that drifted off her person.
Simone was tense, not that he blamed her. This situation was not ideal, but they had to manage. If they were caught, the consequences would be dire. No doubt Lord Hungerton would demand that they be married at once.
Their faces were inches apart, but Caleb couldn’t think about that right now. He was trying to distinguish the voices that he was hearing. There were definitely two men speaking. One he recognized as Lord Hungerton and the other voice he hadn’t heard before.
Lord Hungerton laughed loudly as he entered the study. “Give me a moment. I know the contract is somewhere on my desk,” he said. His words were slightly slurred. It would appear that the lord had been drinking before returning home.
The other male voice spoke up. “You need to organize your desk better.”
“Why start now?” Lord Hungerton joked.
Caleb could hear the sounds of paper shuffling until Lord Hungerton shouted, “I found it. It is all signed and ready for the buyers’ signatures.”
“Are you sure you want to sell the Earlshall estate?”
Lord Hungerton huffed. “I hated that place. It is so cold and damp. I cannot see a reason why I would want to ever visit it again.”
“It was a castle,” the man pointed out.
“Well, it is not my problem anymore,” Lord Hungerton said. “Just sell it and be done with it.”
There was a silence before the man asked, “Dare I ask if you even asked Miss Delacourt about this? After all, it was her grandmother’s estate and has been in their family for generations.”
Lord Hungerton clucked his tongue. “She is aware, and she wants it sold as well.”
Simone sucked in a breath, but she remained quiet.
“The buyers are on holiday, but when they return, I will finalize the sale,” the man said.
“Very good,” Lord Hungerton responded. “Shall we celebrate with a drink?”
“No, I have had enough to drink, and I suspect you have as well,” the man replied. “I need to be going. It is late, and I have much work to see to in the morning.”
“You are right. It is late. Allow me to walk you to the door on my way to bed,” Lord Hungerton said.
Caleb stood still, not daring to move, as silence filled the air. It was broken only by the distant closing of a door.
Simone looked up at him and whispered, “I think it is safe. You can release me now.”
He dropped his arm but remained close. “Did you recognize the voice of the man who was speaking with your father?”
“No, I did not.”
“What did you make of that conversation?” he asked.
She let out a sigh. “My father lied about me knowing about the selling of my grandmother’s estate.”
“I assumed as much, based upon your reaction.”
“Why would he do such a thing?” Simone inquired. “I would have objected since I loved that castle more than anything.”
“More importantly, why were you listed as the seller on thecontract?” Caleb asked. “Are you sure your grandmother didn’t leave you the estate?”
“I am sure since my mother was still alive when my grandmother died. It would have been left to her since she was the only child.”
