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“Actually, Lady Beatrice hired me.”
A puzzled frown appeared on Drew’s face. “Hired you, for what?”
Beatrice hooked her arm into her brother’s elbow. “So many things have happened since you’ve been away. I inherited a bookshop from Aunt Matilda—did you know about her?—and Mr. Wright has been helping me repair the roof and patch the flooring. He’s done a wonderful job! It’s going to be the new clubhouse for the Mayfair Ladies Knitting League, that is if another prospective heir doesn’t win his dubious claim.”
“I’ve been gone too long.” There were mauve shadows under her brother’s eyes and new lines around his mouth.
“My ship arrives day after next,” Ford said. “Before I leave London, I’d like to speak with you on a business matter, Your Grace, but it can wait until tomorrow, after you’ve reunited with your family.”
“Why don’t you join me in the billiard room? I could use a drop of something to calm my stomach. Still feel as though I’m standing on the deck of the ship.”
“I know the feeling,” Ford replied.
The dowager appeared at that moment. “Andrew, my love, you can’t take my carpenter away. Not when I’ve just found him. The bower will be complete by tonight, won’t it, Mr. Wright?”
“Of course, Your Grace.”
“Wright, you’ll attend the ball as my guest,” Drewsaid. “I’ll invite some naval officers. It will do your career good to be seen hobnobbing with dukes.”
“That’s very kind of you,” said Ford stiffly, his back straight. “I don’t own any formal wear.”
Drew clapped him on the back. “It’s a costume ball, so you can wear anything you like and I won’t take no for an answer. You’ll be my guest. And he’ll keep an eye on the bower, Mother. He’ll make sure everything goes smoothly. Wright always gets things done. Now about that drink...”
Drew winked at Beatrice and then steered Ford out of the room.
Beatrice knew that Ford had been waiting to talk to her brother. It had been his goal all along. Now that the shop was renovated and her brother had returned, he really had no reason to remain in London.
As her mother chattered about costumes and dance cards, Beatrice couldn’t help thinking that tonight might be the last time she ever saw Ford.
The thought pierced her heart, leaving a pain that was almost physical.
If he attended the ball tonight, she’d be expected to ignore him while lavishing attention on people she was at best indifferent to, and at worst loathed passionately.
She could never ignore Ford.
The seed of an idea began to germinate in her mind. A proper lady was supposed to wait for a gentleman to ask her to dance.
But Ford was no gentleman, and Beatrice no longer followed the rules of propriety.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Thorndon waved away his servants and poured Ford a brandy. They sat in comfortable chairs by a roaring fire and the duke loosened his cravat.
“It’s an unexpected pleasure to see you, Wright. And it’s wonderful to be back in England.”
“Did you have a good tour?”
“It was... thrilling. Glorious. Exhausting. Couldn’t be anything else with a bride like Mina. My brother got into a spot of difficulty and we... Mina and I... let’s just say it wasn’t much of a tranquil honeymoon. As I said, I’ve been gone too long. I feel as though I’ve been neglecting my estate. How are things at Thornhill? I can’t wait to see the faded old beauty again.”
“That’s what I wanted to speak with you about. The great house is very well—I finished the renovations and even progressed further.”
“Thank you. I was lucky to have your services.”
“The house is in fine repair, but I’m afraid I have some bad news. I discovered something disturbing during my time there. I think your land agent and your solicitor are in league to skim profits away from Thornhill, and possibly your other properties, as well. Several things just didn’t add up while I was there.”
Thorndon sat up straighter and set down his brandy. “That’s a serious accusation. Do you have any proof?”
Ford hadn’t brought the bill of sale with him that he’d pilfered from Gibbons’s desk. “I can present you with proof tomorrow. It’s a bill of sale for timber from your estate. Some of it was to be used on Thornhill, some to be distributed to the tenants for repairs, and some purchased by townsfolk. I calculate that Gibbons only recorded half of what was sold.”
