A Pitiful Remnant by Judith B. Glad

Author:Judith B. Glad [Glad, Judith B.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 19th Century, England, marriage, Regency, Regency Romance, Romance
ISBN: 9781601742001
Publisher: Uncial Press
Published: 2015-01-16T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seven

Oh, dear. She'd never thought to tell Nettles that her request was to be between the two of them. "I...ah... Oh, for goodness sake! Here, my lord. Read it for yourself." She carried Alanna's letter to him.

She sank onto the hassock before his chair and watched his face as he read. His expression went from mild curiosity, to amusement--Alanna had called Uncle Percival a fat little leech--to narrow-eyed, thin-lipped wrath. When he at last lowered the crossed and recrossed sheet to his lap, she wanted to sigh in relief. His reaction was all that she could have desired.

"How old is your sister?" His tone was at odds with the calm expression he wore.

"She is just turned eighteen, but what--"

"Was there some overwhelming reason why you left a young woman--little more than a child--of eighteen alone and at the mercy of predatory relatives?"

Speechless, she could only stare at him. Why was he angry with her? When at least she found her voice, she said, "We thought it best that someone in the family remain at Ackerslea, to oversee--"

"You have a bailiff, have you not?"

"Yes, Tumos Hakon. He was bailiff for nearly forty years, until my grandfather replaced him last year with an estate agent. Mr. Fishman was...unsatisfactory. I discharged him before I left Ackerslea Farm, and Tumos stepped in to fill the vacancy until I could find a replacement. But he--"

"That would make him sixty or thereabouts. Is he a large man? Strong?"

"He was, but these past few years have taken their toll on him. That was one reason we felt Alanna should remain there." She twisted her fingers together as she heard her own words and realized how she had lied to herself. "She did not want to come here with me, you see. It was her suggestion that she remain at Ackerslea, in the event that Tumos encounter problems."

His brows, which had been drawn ferociously together, raised. "Why did you allow it?"

"My lord, I am the best judge of what is good for Ackerslea Farm, and I agreed with Alanna that it would be unwise to leave the manor without someone in a position of responsibility."

"I see." Guillemot grimaced and shifted in the chair. "My dear, might I trouble you to bring something for me to rest my foot upon?"

She sprang to her feet. "Oh, I am sorry. Here. Let me--" She scooted the hassock into its usual place. "There. Do you need help?"

"No, not at all." Once his foot was resting on the hassock, he seemed to relax, but the brackets about his mouth did not soften. "I regret that I must ask, but could you also bring a chair close enough for us to both be seated while conversing?"

While she fussed, he rested his head against the chair back and closed his eyes. Lisanor knew that the improvement in his mobility had not been accompanied by a lessening of pain in his buttock. Elmer Snead, who had taught her all that she knew about animal husbandry, had once said that muscle injuries always took four times as long to mend as broken bones.

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