Chapter 20

CHAPTER 20

B eth thought that her husband might have been going to the extreme, but she tried to understand nonetheless.

“Is there any reason in particular why you feel that is necessary?” She asked, “You said he has been with you for years.”

“He has, but of late something has changed. He did not seem to like the idea of you looking at his workings.”

“I am a lady. Of course that does not sit well with him.”

“Even if that is all it is, I do not like it. I do not mean to say that I will definitely be firing him, but that I am considering it greatly.”

“I feel as though that is not reason enough. He has to have done something wrong, first.”

“Which is precisely why I am here so early,” Adam explained, “When you told me that you couldn’t make sense of his work, I knew something had to be amiss. You are good with these things, very good, and so if you cannot make heads nor tails of it, then there has to be a mistake, or worse.”

“It could well be a mistake.”

“No, not this time. Look.”

He handed her some papers, and she looked over them. It was Adam’s writing, with the solicitor’s numbers.

“Might you recognize some of these purchases? I do not think you have done anything, but I do not recall making them.”

Beth looked at ones with lines underneath as he pointed to them, and tried to think of what they were. They were small payments, very small, but they were not things that she recalled. She shook her head, and when she looked at Adam she could not tell what he was feeling at all.

Was he relieved that he was correct? Furious that something truly was wrong and it was his accountant’s fault? He had no way of knowing that this was happening aside from looking at it all himself, but he had trusted his solicitor and in return the man had used him.

“He is skimming off the top,” he said incredulously, “Very well, that settles it. He shall no longer darken our doorway. I shall call him to the estate now, and then I will do what I must.”

“Very well, if that is what you think is best.”

“Do you?”

“Sadly, I do. I do not know what else we could possibly do about all of this. It is not something you can give a warning for, after all.”

“Good. I am glad that we agree. Would you like to be present for the discussion?”

“I suppose I can. It would be good to have someone in agreement with you, even if it is simply your wife.”

“You are not simply my wife. You are my confidante, just as a countess should be to an earl. That is why I would like you to join me for this.”

Her heart fluttered. This was what she had wanted in a partnership, what she had been missing that first time he travelled without her. She felt important to him, and that alone made her feel wonderful. It would be an awful argument to hear, but the mere thought of him wanting her assistance made it all worth it.

That did not make it easier to hear, of course.

Two days later, the solicitor was in the study, face white and knuckles somehow even whiter as he balled his hands into fists.

“My Lord,” he began, “I know that we discussed letters sufficing, and that you told me it was better to speak in this manner, but I must remind you that I have other matters to tend to. Christmas is approaching and I do not have time to run across England simply because you are unhappy.”

“My unhappiness is precisely why you are here, that is correct,” Adam nodded, “And I will remind you in return not to speak to me like that. You work for me, at least for now.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I have seen what you have been doing when you were unaware that we were looking. Well, you knew that I was not, and it somehow evaded you that my wife was.”

“What do you mean? If you have something to tell me, you ought to do it quickly.”

“Very well. I will say it as simply as I possibly can, so as not to keep you any further. I want you out. I will no longer be using your services, and should you ever say anything about myself or my wife, I will ensure everyone is made aware of what you have done. My wife saw the errors in your work. So many, in fact, that it made little sense. That is because they are not errors, are they?”

“I do not make errors, My Lord.”

“So you agree, in that case, that it was deliberate? You agree that the missing money is in your pocket, is that correct?”

Beth watched as the solicitor realized what he had confessed to.

“No, not at all! What I am suggesting is that your wife has made a mistake in her own. You know how ladies can be.”

Adam thudded his fist against the desk.

“Should ye say one more word against me wife, ye will not be walking out of ‘ere, ye will be limping. Do I make meself clear?”

Beth had to admit that she loved the way his Scottish accent came out when he was angry. She was not afraid of him, not at all, but she could see that the solicitor was. The idea of Adam being a brute was highly entertaining, but seeing him tower over the other man did make her see why such a rumor seemed to stand the test of time.

“I understand, My Lord. Does that mean you do not wish to hear what I have to say?”

“I want you to leave,” Adam replied, trying to compose himself, “And I do not wish to hear from you again.”

“And who will you have working for you now I am gone?”

“That is none of your concern.”

The man laughed, walking towards the door.

“Very well, you can rid yourself of me after all of this time, but you will not find it easy to locate anyone else willing to work with someone that has a reputation such as yours. I wish you look, My Lord, for you will certainly need it.”

The butler escorted him out, and Adam slumped in his seat soon after.

“Are you alright?” Beth asked, and he raked a hand through his hair.

“I will be. It is simply difficult to do, even knowing what he has done, after all of the years he has been with me. He is right, not many would be willing to look passed what people see in me and work with me regardless.”

“I did,” she pointed out.

“Yes, you did.”

“We will find someone else. I would rather handle all of this myself for a while than have someone taking advantage of us, if that ios anything.”

“I know, but I worry for us. It is my job as the head of this household to ensure your happiness.”

“Then it is just as well that I am perfectly content.”

He smiled at her, and she reciprocated warmly.

“Now,” he continued, “Given that you have found all of the solutions that you have, and I have helped that lady, I propose we take some time for ourselves.”

“Oh? Why is that?”

“We have earned it, I believe. It has been a while since the dinner, and I believe you asked me for a visit to London.”

Beth blinked. Could he truly have been offering what she thought?”

“Granted, I must speak with that lady about James and Nathaniel helping her for the foreseeable future, but when that is done with, I believe we should take some time for the two of us. I would like you to see London again, and not only that but we received this invitation this morning.”

He handed her the invitation, and she read it quickly. It was for a ball that was to be hosted by the Winchesters. They had been invited, and Beth could not fathom why that was. To her knowledge, they had not received any such thing since they were married, likely due to her husband’s reputation, not that it had affected her too terribly if she were honest.

“Are you certain?” She asked, “I do not want you to feel obligated to do this simply because I would like it.”

“I do not, but think of it this way. We can find ourselves a new solicitor, and finally attend an event as a married couple. The ton shall appreciate that, and so in a way we are doing it for our title as well as our enjoyment.”

She had no choice but to accept it, considering that. Adam knew what he was talking about, and so she willingly followed his lead. Two weeks later, their things were packed, and James was to set off for the village the same day. He had been chosen to take the first while with the livestock, and Beth couldn’t be happier that they had done some good for someone in need.

At last, she was taking on her role in society, and nothing was more fulfilling.

As they rode away, however, Beth began to think. It was not the sort of thinking that led to good ideas, but the kind that made her unfathomably sad. They were enjoying their time together, or at least she was, but with each passing day it reminded her that their year together would come to an end, and then they would go their separate ways.

It was not too terrible, and she had to blame herself in part given that she had agreed to it. Her husband was a good man, and would ensure she was taken care of, and she had a village to help while he was away, and a household to run, and that had to be enough for her. Their time together would make for wonderful memories, at least, and those would not evade her as easily as her husband would the moment their position in society was secure.

In came the doubt once more. Was that why he was being so kind to her? Was he aware that he only needed to do so for a year and then he never had to see her again? Was she going to be treated no differently to his sisters, left behind and forgotten about at a moment’s notice?

She chose not to think about it any further. It was better for her to simply sit quietly and think about the ball instead. She hoped that Adam would be able to hold himself well, even if he would have to be different from how he was at home. It was then that she realized just how much she would miss that confident ease when he was wandering a ballroom with her on his arm.

“We shall dance, of course,” she said suddenly, startling him.

“Are you suggesting we continue your lessons?”

“No, you have certainly come along enough that those need no longer be endured. I am referring to the ball. We shall have to dance at least once.”

“Very well. A waltz? You did tell me those were for married couples exclusively.”

She bit her tongue and smiled.

“A waltz would be perfect.”

“Wonderful. You know, I am actually rather looking forward to doing all of this with you. You make it easier to do.”

She nodded and thanked him, wishing she could have brought herself to say those exact same words, but she could not. It was too painful to confess knowing it would all be over with soon.