Confessions of Lady Tabitha, page 8
“I wonder ...” he began, trailing off.
Leaving his seat, Jeremy dug around in his cabinet, hunting for the book. It was only a thin one and easily missed.
“What are you looking for?” Mandee asked. “Perhaps I can help you.”
“No, that is quite all right because I have found it,” he said with satisfaction, pulling the book out.
Jeremy returned to his seat, pulling the larger ledger out and flipping it to where the smaller book’s entries started. The more he read, the less confident he was about the duke’s accuracy. There were mistakes everywhere! How had Storping missed so much? Where did he get these odd amounts?
“I don’t understand,” Jeremy said more to himself. “The losses are significant, but I cannot understand why. Fifty pounds for a bag of wheat? That’s extortion and impossible.”
“Surely you didn’t put those entries in,” Mandee asked. “You’re meticulous and thorough.”
“It wasn’t me, but the duke. He insisted on ... a hundred pounds for thirty pounds of butter? What?! There must be a mistake here.”
“At least drink your tea,” Mandee insisted. “It’s getting cold, and you’ve already missed a meal. I’m sure the books can wait a little while longer.”
“It can’t, Mandee. How could I have allowed this to happen? I should have done the entries myself. The duke has never been an accurate man, but I thought he would put effort into keeping the books free of error. How wrong I was.”
How much would the losses add up to once he counted everything? Jeremy didn’t want to know. He rubbed his face roughly, angry at himself.
“Do not take this to heart, Jeremy. It’s not your fault.”
“But it is. It’s my duty to ensure the books are accurate, and I failed. It doesn’t matter that the duke did them. What matters is that I didn’t see the need to look over what he had done. I truly am to blame for the situation Tabitha is in. I have made her miserable.”
“It’s not your fault, Jeremy,” Mandee cried.
“Yes, it is.”
“Oh, I hate gossiping, but I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t tell you what I heard. You don’t deserve to question yourself when you have done everything in your power to make this estate what it is today. It simply isn’t fair.”
Mandee’s words raised his interest. “What did you hear? Is it about this mismanagement issue?”
The woman nodded, her expression apologetic. “You will not like what I have to tell you, but it’s necessary. I haven’t even told Tabitha because I’m afraid of her reaction.”
“You’re putting a sliver of fear into me, Mandee. What is this gossip about?”
The woman looked around them as though nervous someone might overhear them and scooted closer to the desk.
“I was with the other servants while in London. They were talking about many things, mainly gossip about other people, but when they mentioned the duke, I took note.”
Mandee was unnecessarily prolonging whatever she had to say. It was all rather dramatic.
“What did they say?” Jeremy asked with more patience than he felt at that moment.
“His Grace gambled away an entire year’s income in one night and has put the estate in financial debt. He owes many people a lot of money. I doubt there’s anything left in the coffers.”
Stunned, Jeremy sat back. “No, that can’t be true.”
“It’s true,” Mandee insisted. “Why do you think Tabitha could only attend one ball? And we have not entertained as much as we used to. The duchess did not go on any shopping trips while in London either. I even heard her speak to Mrs Baggins about lowering the household expenses any way she can. You know I am not one for gossip, Jeremy, but the rumours are true. Why else would the duke force Tabitha to marry the marquess? They refuse to listen to her protests.”
Jeremy linked his hands, cupping the back of his head. This was insane! How could the duke have gambled so much money? Jeremy decided he needed Baxter to verify the story. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Mandee, but the butler usually gleaned his information from reliable sources, whereas Mandee relied on servants’ gossip.
“Would you mind if I left?” Jeremy asked, getting to his feet. “I need to see Baxter.”
Disappointment flashed across the woman’s face for just a moment, disappearing as soon as Jeremy had seen it for what it was.
“Yes, go right ahead,” she said. “I’ll have to take the tea back as it will be cold by the time you return. Perhaps you can have something to drink after you see Mr Baxter.”
“That’s an idea. Thank you for letting me know about this, Mandee. You’re a godsend.”
Mandee nodded. “Anything to help Tabitha.”
Jeremy rushed to the door, but he could have sworn he heard Mandee say something along the lines of ‘if only you loved me as you love her’. He decided he was hearing things and rushed on ahead. It was foolish even to assume that the woman could have feelings for him. Jeremy saw her as a friend and little sister. It was Tabitha that he loved, although he probably would have been better off with the handmaiden. Unfortunately, hearts didn’t work that way.
Jeremy found the butler speaking to the scullery maid about washing dishes she had missed from the noon meal. Raising his hand, he caught Baxter’s attention, pulling him aside.
“It has been a while since I’ve seen you in the servants’ quarters,” Baxter remarked as he drew near.
“I’ve never had a reason to be here until now,” said Jeremy, looking around.
He felt a little paranoid that someone might overhear him and take the news back to the duke. That would prove disastrous.
“You seem troubled, Jeremy.”
“I’ve heard some disturbing news, and I need you to confirm it for me.”
The butler’s brows gathered to create a heavy frown, almost hiding his beady eyes. “What is it?”
“Has Storping gambled away a year’s worth of the estate’s income? Is the estate in financial difficulty?”
Baxter’s expression changed almost immediately. The man looked around them, his worried gaze likely searching for eavesdroppers.
“Yes,” he whispered. “It’s all true. A friend of a friend works at the club where Storping gambled away thousands of pounds, more than you can ever hope to see in your lifetime. Furthermore, he owes money to countless people. He’s in a bad way.”
Jeremy groaned, rubbing his eyes. It was as he had feared but did not wish to believe. The foolish man!
“The duke still hasn’t learnt his lesson,” Baxter added. “He continues to disappear at night, returning in the early hours of the morning looking bleary-eyed and unhappy. You can always tell when he has lost, which is more often than not.”
Jeremy wasn’t aware of any of this because his house was some distance from the main house.
“What of this Lord Bazeley?” Jeremy asked. “Lady Browning seems to believe he isn’t a good man.”
Baxter shook his head sadly. “That is an awful fate indeed. That man is the worst of the bunch; believe me. Bazeley may not use guns to intimidate and rob people, but he sure knows how to use cards. Many a person has fallen into his trap and lost everything. Lady Browning doesn’t deserve her fate.”
Jeremy was speechless. What had the duke done?
Chapter 7
Respecting one’s employer was a necessity for any servant, but Jeremy was finding it hard to do just that. Any man who gambles away his fortune and gives up his own daughter as payment was not even good enough to be called civilised! Was this normal for the higher class? Were their daughters mere commodities to be used in case of emergencies?
“And they call themselves ‘proper’,” he muttered to himself.
Proper what? Proper monsters? Fools? Shaking his head, Jeremy tried to focus on the plans he had drawn up for extending the vegetable farm. He had created it before he spoke to the duke, but now he wondered if it was worth it. If the vegetable farm brought in more money, the duke would just gamble it away. Why give the man the means to continue the sort of life that had allowed him to sell his daughter?
Jeremy didn’t know if he even wanted to work for a man like that, but he couldn’t simply abandon the estate. He had made it what it was, and people depended on him. It wasn’t their fault that Storping was an imbecile without a stitch of sense in his head. As soon as that thought was formed, Jeremy felt ashamed. The duke was fallible just like any other man, and he had an addiction that had got the best of him, but did he have to exchange his own daughter? There had to be another way to work through this mess.
Unable to concentrate, Jeremy thought to call for some tea when Baxter appeared at his doorway.
“Good day, Baxter.”
“G’day, Jeremy. The master would like a word with you up at the main house.”
“Right now?”
“That’s what he said.”
Jeremy nodded. “Very well. I’ll be there in a moment.”
The butler gave one nod and left, his coattails flapping behind him. Rubbing his eyes, Jeremy stood up and stretched. What did Storping want with him? He had already spoken to the duke this morning, which had been more trying than usual.
Maintaining his respect for the man had never been so challenging for Jeremy, not even when the duke had fumbled some years ago. This was not the first time that Storping had gambled away a sizeable portion of the estate, but this was the first time he had used his daughter as some sort of bargaining chip.
Grabbing his coat from the back of his chair, Jeremy shrugged it on and followed after Baxter. If Storping wanted to see him at this time of the day, it clearly had to be important. The butler didn’t tell him where the duke would be, but Jeremy guessed the library. Not that the man was a great reader, but Storping rarely spent time in his study because there was no work for him to worry about; Jeremy dealt with everything on his behalf. However, the library had a hidden cabinet that stocked all sorts of spirits and wines, providing the perfect cover for a man who wished to be seen as an intelligent man but was really a drunkard and a gambler. Jeremy had often found Storping tipsy with an unopened book in his hand and would then have to assist the stumbling duke to his room.
When Jeremy arrived at the house, he found that his suspicions had been correct. The duke was in the library, but he was surprisingly sober and looking rather smug.
“Good day, Your Grace,” Jeremy greeted.
“Ah, Jeremy! Come in, come in. I have much to discuss with you. Close the door behind you.”
Jeremy obeyed, shutting the door tightly and taking a seat opposite the man. He waited for the duke to say something and found himself holding his breath. Expelling it slowly, Jeremy wondered at the time of his summoning. Storping would usually be gone at this time to who knew where, but now Jeremy was starting to put the pieces together about the man’s frequent absences. The man had surely been gambling or trying to, beginning in the afternoon until well after midnight. No wonder he had put the estate into financial ruin.
“I have some good news to give you,” the man said, looking pleased with himself. “Lord Bazeley will be coming next week, and I expect you to make everything look good.”
That marquess was coming here? Of course, it was inevitable that the man would come to the estate, but Jeremy wasn’t ready yet.
“I see,” he said, his voice devoid of any emotion.
“It’s an important day,” the duke continued. “First impressions always matter the most. Can I trust you to ensure that the estate will be ready for him? He will naturally wish to inspect everything that will one day be his.”
Jeremy’s hands clenched into fists. Give a crook the estate that he had helped to grow to what it was today? But Jeremy didn’t know where it financially stood today, did he? The duke had hidden and lied his way out of a thriving estate and was now expecting him to pretend that all was well so the man could impress his soon-to-be son-in-law. This was all very wrong.
Jeremy relaxed his hands with some effort, but they still looked like they wanted to claw their way through something.
“If you don’t mind me asking, Your Grace, but what kind of man is the Marquess? I have not heard much about him.”
The duke’s jaw twitched. “What do you mean by that question?”
“His character, Your Grace. The man is marrying your daughter, after all.”
Jeremy added a smile to soften his words, hoping the duke would think the question harmless. He didn’t want the man to grow angry or believe he was unnecessarily prying.
“Well, uh, he is a good man and respected by all who meet him.”
That sounded vague. “Do you know him personally? How did you come to choose him as Lady Browning’s suitor?”
The duke’s brow creased, almost hiding his eyes beneath his bushy eyebrows. “What are you trying to say, Jeremy? Are you questioning my choice?”
“Not at all, Your Grace,” Jeremy denied. “I know how precious your daughter is to you. You would never give your daughter to the wrong person. I’m merely asking because I’m curious about the man I will one day work for.”
The duke’s cheeks grew pink. “There’s no reason to ask. I have heard enough about Lord Bazeley to know that he is a good man.”
Jeremy had a feeling that the research Storping had done concerned the marquess’s wealth.
I wouldn’t put it past him to have heard about the marquess’s coffers during one of his gambling sprees and decided that Tabitha was his only way to tempt the man to part with some of his money.
“Oh, so you know of him? You don’t know him personally?”
“That’s a lot of questions there, Jeremy,” the duke said, shifting in his seat.
“Don’t mind me, Your Grace. I am always curious about new people, but I must admit that I am wary about the people who come into close contact with the family. Why not postpone the wedding for a little while so you can better investigate the man’s background? I think it’s important to know everything about the man who will marry your daughter.”
The duke’s eyes widened just a little before narrowing into slits. “What are you trying to say?”
Jeremy knew that the duke hated being questioned about his decisions, but could the man not set aside his pride and think about his daughter?
“Am I wrong to be concerned, Your Grace? If I am, please forgive me. It was not my intention to upset you.”
Jeremy watched the duke draw up to his full height in the chair and look down his nose at him.
“I think it best that you keep to running the estate. Commenting on things that are out of your reach is not flattering for a man in your position.”
Jeremy could have laughed. He better than anyone understood the estate’s financial situation and why the duke was giving his daughter away. A person didn’t have to be high class to know that. Jeremy resented the duke for implying that he wouldn’t understand what the man was doing and why.
“Forgive me, Your Grace. I should not have spoken out of turn.”
“I know why you did it, Jeremy. You have feelings for my daughter, don’t you? Do not think I have not seen the way you look at her when you think no one is looking. I think everyone has noticed your gazes in Tabitha’s direction. I suppose I cannot blame you because my daughter is beautiful, but know your place.”
