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“It really is a shame you two dislike each other so much,” Mr. Layton said to the happy couple, his tone dramatically dry.
Gillian gave them a look of pity. “Even the tiniest bit of affection would make such a difference.”
Scott enjoyed hearing Gillian join in the teasing. Lightheartedness suited her. How long had she been tucking herself behind walls? How long had she been fortifying herself against the anticipation of rejection?
“When you have the means of adding flowers to the gardens, Scott,” Mr. Layton said, “Charlie’s one to ask. His father taught him a lot about flowers.”
“I’d happily consult on the matter of flowers,” Charlie said. “I’d even come plant them if it meant having a couple of quiet weeks here.” His gaze shifted to the moors. “No social obligations, no distractions. I’d have all your flowers plantedandmy next paper finished in a fortnight with little difficulty.”
“Academically inclined gentlemen, such as yourself, revel in isolation,” Scott said, “but most Society families do not, a fact that is causing me no end of frustration.”
“I wish I didn’t agree with that assessment,” Artemis said, “but I do. With Thimbleby situated so far from other families of standing and at an inconvenient distance from London, you aren’t likely to find someone wishing to take up residency here. And even if you found someone, you couldn’t ask very much in rent.”
So much for trying to avoid the topic of his desperate need for and lack of money. Would Gillian be disappointed to have her picnic turn somber?
“You simply need to find a scholarly gentleman with deep pockets,” Gillian said, a laugh in her voice. “There’s your problem solved.”
A jest. He’d not given her enough credit. Artemis smiled and shook her head. Charlie just chuckled.
Mr. Layton, though, looked contemplative. “Itisrather ideal for someone looking specifically for isolation.”
“Yes,” Charlie said. “But I hate to tell you: academics don’t have money.”
Scott suspected that was even more true than Charlie was letting on. University dons rented rooms near their universities, not merely for the convenience but also because those rooms were inexpensive. Those, like Charlie, who weren’t employed in academic fields often had even sparser incomes.
“It’s a shame,” Scott said. “An isolated estate really only appeals to someone who enjoys isolation.”
“Or who brings their own society,” Artemis said. “We had enough people at our house party at Brier Hill that we didn’t need any local society.”
“When Charlie’s parents and I and our group of particular friends would gather over the years,” Mr. Layton said, “we sometimes did so in rather isolated places. We had in each other all the society we wished for.”
Once again, Scott’s brain began to spin. Thetonflocked to house parties because of the people who were invited and not necessarily because of the neighboring estates.
“There’s an idea in here somewhere,” he said, his thoughts a little too jumbled to make much sense. “The academic types couldn’t afford to let an entire estate. People looking to hold house parties likely already have one.”
“Not necessarily,” Mr. Layton said. “Mr. Fortier, a particular friend of ours, spent years looking for an estate of his own, one he could afford.”
“The Huntresses have bemoaned for years the fact that none of us had a home at which to hold a house party,” Gillian said. “We’d have been beside ourselves with excitement to have a place like this, if any of us could have afforded to rent it year-round.”
Year-round.
He turned to Mr. Layton. “Are estates only ever leased for an entire year at a time?”
“I have heard of the occasional navy officer taking a property for a shorter term while ashore between assignments, for a quarter or two, generally.”
Three to six months.“Could a lease term be made even shorter? The length of a house party, perhaps? Or for the time needed to allow an academic to finish a paper?”
They all looked intrigued, especially Mr. Layton. That was encouraging.
“If you offered the house for shorter terms,” Gillian said, “then those who would appreciate a country home but couldn’t keep one all year or even half a year might very well jump at the opportunity.”
Scott’s mind was spinning fast. “Rather than needing to find a family or academic who could afford to and wished to lease Thimbleby for the usual duration, I could, instead, find a dozen to take it for a mere fortnight.”
Mr. Layton wore that look of contemplation Scott had come to know so well. He was thinking through possibilities. “I’ve never heard of anything quite like this. London houses are sometimes let for the two quarters during which the Season falls. I don’t know if it’s even possible to let a country estate for only a week or two.”
“But if it is?” Scott pressed. “If it can be done?”
“Then we have just witnessed the birth of a brilliant idea.” Mr. Layton shook his head, not in dismissal but amazement. “You would still need to find the funds to finish repairs here at Thimbleby, set the grounds to rights, furnish the place. And the overseeing of it would be complicated with a constantly changing resident family. That is, of course, assuming the idea of temporary tenants is even feasible. There is certainly no precedent for it that I know of.”
