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“Oh? Has he given to charity?”
“He’s hiring them,” Marcella replied. “I don’t know what he plans beyond that. I think my husband has a very caring heart. He wants to help the world, and he isn’t certain how to do it.”
“To his credit, I wouldn’t know how, either,” Adeline replied.
“Agreed.”
“Let’s see? What else might you have missed?” Adeline murmured. “I can’t think of anything particularly interesting, but then, the country is generally dull. Your stepmother came for tea, though.”
“How is she?’ Marcella asked.
To say that her feelings for her stepmother were complicated would be the most obvious thing in the world. Despite their complexity and contradictions, however, Marcella did genuinely hope that Claudia was doing well.
“Fine, I suppose,” Adeline replied. “She didn’t bring much news. She accepted congratulations for your good match and spoke of getting new gowns for the coming Season.”
It was strange hearing of one’s stepmother from someone else. She still wasn’t entirely used to having her father and stepmother so far away from her and having to hear of them from other people.
“We should do that, too. Get new gowns,” Adeline said. “It’ll be enjoyable. I know you don’t like balls, but we could still have one another’s company for the day. It would be a delightful diversion if nothing else.”
“It sounds like a wonderful idea,” Marcella replied.
If she could persuade him to go to London, she wondered if Reginald might be willing to show her some of the places he’d visited. Southwark wasn’t proper for a young lady, but she’d have liked to see where he’d lived for so long.
“Is something wrong?” Adeline asked. “You look suddenly sad.”
Marcella shook her head. “It’s nothing. I was only thinking of the years when Reginald was gone.”
“Has he told you what happened?”
“He hasn’t told anyone,” Marcella replied. “Someone else might know. Mayhap he’s told his father, but I won’t ask. Reginald will tell me when he’s ready. He’s already told me a great deal about his past that I suspect he’s not revealed to others.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Adeline said.
“Yes, well…would you like to tour the manor? Reginald does have the most exquisite library.”
Adeline laughed. “I can see that you’re dying to show it to me. Let’s go, then.”
Marcella rose at once, and Adeline followed her. They crossed the entryway and then climbed the familiar stairs. During the course of the two weeks, Marcella had become intimately acquainted with every aspect of the manor. She knew the path to the library quite well.
“What does thatmean, though?” Reginald’s voice drifted into the corridor. “You’ll have to explain it to me. You know I don’t have a head for numbers.”
Marcella halted. Across from her, the door to Reginald’s study was open. Marcella peered inside. The entire room looked as though it had been the scene of a fierce battle involving paper and ink. Documents were piled in chairs and spread over the floor, and in the midst of it all, Reginald stood, running his hand through his hair.
Nearby, Matthew Smythe had a heavy book opened in his right hand. He flipped through the pages with a feverish kind of energy.
“Oh, My Lord!” Adeline exclaimed.
Both men immediately looked toward the doorway. Marcella smiled and entered, gingerly stepping around a stack of papers to Matthew’s obvious relief.
“Lady Adeline,” Reginald greeted. “I apologize for not coming to greet you. As you see, I’ve been otherwise occupied.”
“What is all this?” Marcella asked.
“Receipts and records,” Reginald replied. “Matthew was sharing his progress on the estate’s finances, and as you can see, I gave him permission to use my study as if it was his own.”
“These are quite a substantial amount of papers,” Adeline said. “Is it really necessary to look through every single one of these?”
Reginald looked conflicted, as if he really wanted to say something but wasn’t sure heshould. “I like to be thorough,” he offered. “As does Matthew.”
