Chapter 6

Chapter Six

F rederick, Marquess of Emerton and Richard’s oldest friend, along with Mr. Baldwin Stanley, requested specifically for today, had arrived that following day just after breakfast. Richard was pleased to see them both, but he had yet to inform Amelia as to the nature of Baldwin’s visit.

Of course, this had been a purposeful choice.

It had already been made clear that his wife was an obstinate thing, and if he was going to get her to play along, it appeared that Richard needed to be imaginative with his methods. Approaching her in the drawing room where Amelia had gone for personal reflection, the Duke invited his wife to join the three men in his study.

“Of course, Your Grace.”

She bowed, her brow furrowed so profoundly that Richard could tell for certain that she suspected something of him, even if behind her eyes, Richard could see a deep well of burning flame—one that threatened to consume him should he dwell in it overly long.

Amelia was, of course, right to assume that he possessed ulterior motives. Still, he was hard-pressed to shift focus now that Baldwin had agreed to the meeting and was already present at Heartwick.

It was no easy thing, however. Amelia’s eyes tracked Richard with interest and suspicion. Furthermore, he could just make out the slight tremble of her fingertips, her lips, as he’d approached her, and that sharp intake of breath she’d offered filled his mind with improper thoughts.

“Thank you, Baldwin, for coming on such short notice. The entire estate appreciates your arrival.” Richard turned to Amelia. “I trust that you will be sure to make our guest feel right at home while you converse. I have business to discuss with Frederick. I will return.”

Turning to exit the room, Richard heard the rush of footsteps behind him as Amelia hurried to his side before he could depart.

“Your Grace,” she held him back with a gentle yet firm hand on his arm, “you have provided Amelia with little that I might prepare for. Please, won’t you inform Amelia of the nature of Baldwin’s visit and his personage?”

Slipping his arm free, Richard regarded Amelia with an impassive expression, seeking to let nothing of his countenance change despite the internal storm brewing.

“Baldwin is here to apply for the position of steward of the estate. As you have taken care to hire each of the house’s staff members, I had assumed you would wish to do the same with filling this particular role amongst our servants.”

Amelia blanched, her lips gently parting before she could snap her teeth shut once more. Richard fought against the inclination to smirk. He could be well satisfied knowing simply that his plan to disrupt the course of Amelia’s usual activities had been successful.

And the look of contempt in her eyes that blazed with a glowing heat nearly intense enough to feel on his skin was undoubtedly an enjoyable addition to this morning’s activities.

“You cannot simply drop this announcement into my lap, Richard. You’ve no knowledge of what meetings I was required for today. What’s more, I know nothing of the need to hire a new steward. Mr. Dannish will be mortified, particularly in the case of his firing for no apparent cause when he is both quite willing and able to work.”

At that, Richard could not contain the grin. “This is merely the first interview, Amelia. I would be quite astonished if you were able to locate a suitable replacement so expeditiously. And as for Mr. Dannish, he is getting on in years. It would be wise of him to consider retirement, for which we could pay a severance.”

With that, the Duke extricated himself from the duel with Amelia. He joined Frederick out in the hall, where they would walk just next door to the drawing room to continue their conversation while his wife attended to the hearing of Baldwin’s references. As the door to the study shut, Richard her the pained grumble released by Amelia and forced himself not to enjoy that over much.

“Good friend,” Frederick started as he opened the door to the drawing room for Richard, “I must ask. Your wife looked quite perplexed by the meeting with Baldwin. Had you truly not informed her of the event?”

He closed them in together, proceeding to the settee so that the Duke might at the least enjoy a moment off his feet while his wife stewed in the other room. As Frederick joined him, taking the seat across from him, Richard let out a sigh, holding his hand to his chest before beginning.

“This is quite the conversation that I had asked you here to have. I am unhappy with the state of the ledgers that my wife has been conducting for some five years now, and I wish to make a number of necessary changes to how Heartwick is run henceforth.”

Frederick regarded him, dropping his stare to consider the Duke’s words as a maid brought in a repast for the afternoon along with a bit of coffee with cream and sugar. When they were alone once more, his friend took up his cup as he offered his opinion of the matter.

“I understand your concern for protecting your estate’s wellbeing, Richard. Though, you might consider including your wife in the intricacies of what you wish her to correct, for she may not comprehend and therefore execute those changes upon your departure.”

Richard hummed, sipping at his coffee in a vain attempt to rid his blood of the steaming vitriol coursing through it.

“She is most inflexible when it comes to my commands, Frederick. And it is more than a passing concern that grips me. The balance of our debts and credit is of the utmost importance. Furthermore, I find too many frivolous purchases and funds forsaken to the cause of other houses.”

Nodding, Frederick returned his coffee to the small table at his left, clearing his throat as Richard decidedly ignored the food that sat before them.

“Has she not kept the receipts in order? Can you find due cause as to require more oversight? If so, it may, in fact, be wise to avoid returning to Blackford so that you might attend to the house yourself. Though, any proper wife should be more than equipped to do so herself.”

Aggravation gripped Richard, and he had to force down the latest gulp of his coffee.

“The numbers are correct, Freddie, but the choices…She is not of a prudent mind nor one to consider finances first and foremost among the estate’s concerns. Her charity is far too generous and, left unchecked, could land all of Blackford’s holdings under the hatches.”

Cocking his head, Frederick regarded his oldest friend with a look of judgment. They had known each other since attending college, and there was next to nothing that the man did not know about the Duke. A status that no other human save those there for Richard’s abysmal childhood could claim.

“Don’t look at Amelia like that, friend. I am well aware of my own prejudices with regard to financial matters and family status. That is not what colors my thoughts.”

Frederick scoffed. “How could it not, Richard? Your father was a cruel and particular man, and while those lessons may be looked upon with derision now, they are still a part of your past. I only worry that you judge Her Grace too severely. Falling into the footsteps of that very man you so distrust and abhor.”

Richard stiffened, his spine going rigid as a plank as his stomach knotted within him. “We shall not discuss my family. I do not speak to them, and my father has passed. I will not be controlled by his last command for Amelia now that his oppressive presence can no longer cause harm.”

Frederick’s expression softened, and he leaned forward to clap a hand on Richard’s shoulder. Offering a gentle squeeze, his friend offered him the only means of sympathy that Richard would accept from anyone.

“I did not wish to upset you, old friend. The situation you find yourself in is not one I am jealous of. You have much to consider, it’s true. I can only provide my perspective from a position outside the direct conflict. Please know that I only wish to aid you however I might.”

Relaxing, Richard nodded once, clearing his throat as Frederick pulled back his hand and returned to his coffee in earnest.

“I hear your words, Freddie, genuinely. In truth,” he let out a heavy sigh, “the situation with Amelia is far more complicated than I could have predicted. She is a willful, headstrong woman, one that I do not recognize from the day of our wedding. Though, I am, of course, aware of how little time we spent together.”

“That is not entirely uncommon, Richard. And while I understand your choice to reside in the country, it is by doing so that you have driven a wedge between you two. She had been left alone to manage the estate these five years. Surely, you must at the least be a bit impressed by what she has managed to accomplish without your oversight or education.”

Richard could not keep himself from rolling his eyes. “I am impressed that the number of scandal sheets has only been enough to count on one hand. Have you read them? How am I to not be concerned? There is true damage to be done to our reputation should the claims grow unresolved and in number.”

Frederick leaned into the arm of the chair, sighing with a shake of his head. “The Ton is fickle with its obsessions, and as with every other minor incident, this latest claim will fade away when no evidence can support it. Indeed, if I were to let their workings affect my personal concerns, I would lack the wherewithal to exit my bed each morning.”

At that, Richard had to laugh. Frederick did indeed have quite the reputation that the Ton appeared to enjoy spreading about town and beyond. It was unlikely that Lord Emerton knew the extent to which people talked, but it had long been suspected—if not proven—that he was a bit of a rake.

A fact that Richard knew with complete certainty.

However, he had to admit that he was aware of the Lord’s dealings only because Frederick enjoyed speaking of them to him. Freddie was quite discreet with his appointments and such. Still, he was impossibly charming, and that, with his handsome countenance, proved a telling facet of his personality.

“That is precisely what I am so concerned about. The talk surrounding you is far less at present than it is for this most recent scandal involving my wife. And we are both aware of the fact that some of what is spread about you is true. Can the same be said of Amelia? Do I have genuine cause for worry over the state of her fidelity?”

Silence crowded the space between them. Richard knew that his friend was too nervous to broach the topic, choosing to abstain from commenting on his wife’s intimate encounters. He could hardly blame the man, but the Duke was growing more and more enraged over the way these inner workings of his estate and very life slipped from his control.

“I wish to have nothing more to do with the woman than imparting within her the knowledge to manage this home and our family’s reputation with more fastidious care. Once that is done, I shall leave. And should there be another sheet presented to me, I shall be far less forgiving.”

The two of them returned to their coffees, sipping as the quiet pressed in. While the thought of abandoning his wife to the world should she not bend to his will rang of logic and justified punishment—a term he’d often heard from his father—his stomach soured at the thought, an odd twinge in his chest appearing at the thought of never seeing her again.

Be steady, Richard. You must never forget where the most significant importance lies .