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What had him acting so strangely this morning? Perhaps Mr. Tanner had sent some information in his letter and Simon didn’t want to discuss it in front of the servants. Oh, dear God, what if Tanner had found Davies and he had told the runner about the gold she’d found? That would explain his questions about her health. If Davies was caught, there was no need to marry her to protect her.
Her stomach roiled as the questions in her mind overwhelmed her. She pushed her plate away and reached for the comfort of her tea. As the footman removed the plate, she inhaled deeply to settle her nerves. After sipping the last of her tea, she pushed her chair back and squared her shoulders. It was time to hear what he had to say.
After making her way to the study, she stood at the threshold for a long moment and stared at the handsome man. He stared intently at some papers on his desk, oblivious to her presence. His square jaw tightened as he read something. She had such an urge to kiss the stress from his jaw away. To taste his lips, his cheeks, flick her tongue against his flat nipple.
“Mia, are you all right?”
She blinked quickly and then rushed into the room. “I apologize. I was...” What? She couldn’t tell him she was fantasizing about what it might feel like if they made love. “I was wondering if Selina would stop by. I haven’t seen her in several days.”
“Oh. You could send a note to her. One of the footmen could take it to her.”
“Thank you.” She took the seat across from him with a great deal of dread. When he rose to shut the door, the impending doom she felt only deepened. He knew something.
“I need to speak to you about something and don’t want the servants to overhear us,” he explained as he sat back down.
Oh, dear God, he knew. “What is it?” she squeaked.
“After seeing the amazing job you did with the estate books and speaking with your mother, I would like to offer you the position as estate steward.”
Mia released a relieved sigh. “What did my mother have to do with it?”
“She explained how your father had been a steward at an estate in Suffolk before they married and how he taught you everything you know. She is quite proud of your accomplishments with numbers.”
“You could have asked me instead of my mother.”
He acknowledged her remark with a brief nod. “It doesn’t matter how I discovered it; the fact is you are far better than I am with mathematics. I would pay you the same as I paid my last steward.”
“Well, hopefully, not as much as he paid himself,” she said with a smirk.
“I will determine if you receive a bonus. And I will ask you to review the books with me once a week. I will also have the right to examine the books any time I choose. Are you interested?”
Excitement coursed through her. She wanted to blurt out yes, but knew she shouldn’t. “Simon, I have made a few too many rash decisions lately that only placed me in a bad spot. I would like a day to think about the position.”
“Fair enough.”
“Was that all you wanted to speak to me about?” she asked hesitantly.
He shrugged. “Yes. I didn’t want the servants to overhear us in case we talked about my financial position. I don’t want to lose excellent servants on a rumor that I am nearly bankrupt.”
Relief relaxed her shoulders. “Of course. Although, you are not bankrupt just yet.”
“Do you think I should increase the tenants’ rents if we have a good crop?”
If she did take this generous position, she would be forced to make difficult decisions like this all the time. She knew the majority of the tenants were solvent and some even had a little extra money due to the gold she’d given them. But she also knew something Simon did not. “I would hesitate to do so, Simon.”
“Why? They haven’t had an increase in a few years.”
“Actually, they did.”
“I would have approved an increase and I did not.”
She bit down on her lower lip wondering how to tell him what Burton had done. “For the past two years, Burton has come to all the tenants with a letter from you stating a need to increase the rents.”
He pushed back his chair and stood. “I did no such thing. I thought the estate was doing very well. That’s what...” Slowly, he sat back down and he closed his eyes. “That’s what Burton told me.”
“He must have forged your signature, Simon. No one questioned your rights to raise the rents and thankfully it wasn’t an exorbitant amount. Most of the tenants could afford the increase and the ones that couldn’t were helped by the others.”
“I had no idea,” he admitted in a whispered tone. “I feel like such a fool.”
