The Solicitor's Son by Anderson Rachael

Author:Anderson, Rachael
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: historical romance, romantic comedy, sweet romance, sweet historical romance, clean romance, clean historical romance, clean regency, clean regency romance, sweet regency, sweet regency romance
Publisher: HEA Publishing
Published: 2020-01-21T16:00:00+00:00

“I’VE BEEN THINKING about Talford, Sophie,” said Hugh as they sauntered beyond the gardens towards the woods that separated the two estates. It was in those woods they’d once caught lizards and spent hours talking, scheming, and laughing. He missed those days, when their only care had been how to evade their parents and her governess.

“Do we have to talk about that now?” she asked, a plea in her voice.

Hugh smiled and pointed to a large oak that towered above the surrounding trees in the distance. “Do you remember that tree? It had the perfect branch for that swing we never got to build.”

“You remember.”

“How could I forget? You talked of nothing else every time we passed it—how you wanted to find a thick wooden plank for the seat and carve out holes for the ropes. You made it sound like a simple task to scale a thirty-foot tree and tie knots around that precarious looking branch.”

She chuckled. “I used to think you could do anything. I still do.”

Hugh knew she hadn’t meant to pressure him, but he still felt the weight of Talford bear down on him. She may not want to talk about it, but there were a few things they needed to discuss.

“I can’t do everything, Sophie. I can’t find a way to make your home self-sustaining again. Things are going to have to change, whether you want them to or not.”

She sighed, and to his surprise, she seemed more resigned than upset. “I know.”

“You could charge a fee for your help with animals,” he suggested feebly, knowing she would have to help a lot of animals and charge a hefty sum.

She shook her head. “I could never ask for payment.”

That is the difference between your world and mine, Hugh thought. He had no problem requiring a fee for his services. It might make him a tradesman, but it also allowed him to live a comfortable life.

The upper class may not want to admit it, but they, too, accepted payments in the form of rents and revenues from crops, cattle, and other things. Why that was an acceptable form of work had never made sense to Hugh. It was not an easy feat to successfully manage an estate. It required a man to be fully involved in all aspects. Those who left that work to the hands of others were those who eventually had to seek the help of someone like Hugh.

“There are worse things than sullying one’s hands in trade,” Hugh finally said.

“You misunderstand.” She slowed her pace to pick her way through a rocky area. “My feelings have nothing to do with societal expectations and everything to do with the fact that most of the people who come to me for help can’t afford to pay me. Take Mrs. Danforth, for example. It is obvious she hasn’t purchased a new gown in ages because she hasn’t the means to do so. She merely loves her dog and was desperate for a way to help him. I would feel like a beast if I charged her a fee.

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