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“Oh, well show him in.” Rick closed the current volume, put it on the shelf, and turned as a large man with high color and an imposing belly encased in a peacock brocade waistcoat strode into the room.

His dark hair was greying at the temples, but his eyes sparkled, and he wore a broad grin. “My lord, as soon as word of your arrival reached me, I told my lady wife I must call upon you. I hope you’ll pardon the intrusion.”

“It’s no intrusion at all,” said Rick with a smile, offering his hand and having it gripped firmly. “It’s a little early in the day for spirits—would you care for tea?”

“That would be most welcome!” said Baines taking the seat Rick waved him to, and Hendrix bowed in acknowledgement of the request and left quietly.

Rick took the other armchair that was drawn up to the fire and crossed his ankles. “I’m glad you came,” he admitted. “How long have you been a tenant here?”

“Over thirty years, my lord. My father held the tenancy before me, and well before Mr. Woodrow bought the place, in fact.”

“I see. Well, you will be able to tell me all about it.”

“Happy to, my lord.” He paused and said a shade awkwardly, “Hendrix tells me you’ve been informed of Mr. Falconbridge’s—ah—sudden departure.”

“Yes.” Rick regarded him steadily. “Can you shed any light on the matter, sir?”

Baines grimaced. “I had my suspicions, my lord, but it wasn’t until I heard he had removed himself that—well, it looks mighty fishy, doesn’t it?”

“So you don’t know anything for certain?”

At this point Hendrix appeared with a tea tray, and conversation was suspended for a few minutes while the tea and a rather nice plum cake was served.

When Hendrix withdrew, Baines took a sip of tea and a bite of cake before dusting his fingers with a handkerchief. “As I said, nothing I can put my finger on. He seemed a perfectly affable chap and good at his job.” He coughed. “It was understood that the reason for the neglect of the house,” he waved a hand, “was because Mr. Monk didn’t wish additional moneys spent on its upkeep. Of course, things like leaky roofs and broken windows were attended to, but things of a less structural nature . . . were allowed to lapse.”

“Yes, Hendrix told me that.” Rick sipped his own tea “I’ll need a new steward. Have you any recommendations?”

“I’ll give it some thought, my lord. I’d be happy to give you a tour of the tenants’ lands in Falconbridge’s absence, if you like.”

Rick nodded. “Thank you. That would be welcome.”

“Tomorrow perhaps? I have some business in Bedford this afternoon—calling here was by way of a detour.”

They agreed on a time, Baines finished his tea, took his leave, and Rick went back to the ledgers.

***

After several hours of poking into dusty, cobwebby rooms and making an inventory of things that either needed repair or replacing altogether, Cecey ventured downstairs in search of Rick. Mrs. Hendrix had promised luncheon in half an hour, and it seemed like a good excuse to discover how he was doing with the accounts.

She found her way to the office and pushed open the slightly ajar door. Rick was seated at the desk with a pile of large leather-bound volumes at his left and one open before him. He was referring to it and writing something on a sheet in front of him. He had an abacus on his right.

“Luncheon will be served in half an hour. How are you going with the books?” She nodded to the pile of ledgers at his elbow as she pushed the door shut behind her and came toward the desk.

He smiled at the sight of her and put down his pen. “Not well, I confess. You have a smudge on your nose and cobwebs on your cap. What have you been doing?”

She grimaced. “Making an inventory of the rooms and getting grubby in the process. I hope we have enough funds to cover the cost of repairs and replacement. The furnishings are in sore need of refurbishment, and much of it is very heavy, dark, and old fashioned.”

“Once I’ve figured out what is going on with this lot, I should be able to tell you. But Rob seemed to think we were quite well off, so I expect we shall be able to afford it. I may well need to take a bolt to the city to visit our bankers and find out what the real situation is. Or at least to get a draft on our account.” He pushed back slightly from the desk and patted his knee. “Come here, I want to tell you something.”

She came around the edge of the desk and perched on his lap, putting her arms around his neck. He slid his arms around her and kissed her.

He spoke softly in her ear. “Do you know that very few women come easily from penetration? But you do,” he said nuzzling her neck.

“Oh!” Her pulse skipped at this unexpectedly salacious comment and her body filled with a tingling warmth, as she was reminded of the delicious things he had done to her last night. She arched her neck and murmured, “That is good to know.” She turned her head and lifted his so that she could kiss his mouth. If he was going to be bold with her, she would return the favor.

His response was everything she desired, and Cecey lost herself in it until he broke their kiss, pushed the papers away, and lifted her onto the edge of the desk. Rising, he moved toward the door.

“What are you doing?” she asked, twisting to watch him.