CHAPTER ELEVEN #3
"What does it say?" Lady Fordshire asked.
"Lord Davies wishes me joy in my matrimony." Harriet's voice was dry as dust.
"He expresses hope that I will find the happiness I so clearly sought when I rejected his generous offer.
He notes that he bears me no ill will and trusts that our paths may cross again in more pleasant circumstances.
He signs himself my 'humble servant,' which is perhaps the least accurate description I have ever encountered. "
"Magnanimous of him," Sebastian murmured.
"Isn't it?" Harriet folded the letter with precise, deliberate movements. "I shall treasure it always."
"In the fireplace?" Sebastian suggested.
"Where else?"
Lady Fordshire made a sound that might have been a suppressed laugh. "Well, at least he had the grace to pretend at civility. That's more than I expected."
"Davies has always been concerned with appearances," Sebastian said. "A gracious letter costs him nothing and allows him to claim the moral high ground. He can tell everyone he wished us well, and if we don't respond in kind, we look churlish."
"Then we shall respond in kind," Harriet said. "I'll write a perfectly polite note thanking him for his good wishes. Three sentences. No more."
"That seems appropriate."
"And then I shall burn his letter."
"Also appropriate."
Mr. Thornton cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to the matter at hand. "If I may continue? There are several other items of note."
He proceeded to outline the estate's current financial position, which was considerably healthier than Sebastian had expected.
With the debts cleared, the income from tenant rents was now sufficient to cover operating expenses with a comfortable margin.
The back wages owed to servants had been paid and the most urgent repairs to the tenant cottages had been completed.
There was even a modest surplus that could be directed toward improvements.
"The estate accounts show a net positive balance for the first time in three years," Mr. Thornton said, a note of something almost like satisfaction in his dry voice. "If current income levels hold, the Fordshire estate should be entirely self-sustaining within the year."
"That's wonderful news," Harriet said, her voice slightly unsteady. "I hadn't dared to hope…"
"There's more." Mr. Thornton permitted himself a small smile, remarkable, given his usual demeanour. "The matter of the mining rights."
Sebastian straightened in his chair. He had nearly forgotten about the mining rights in the tumult of everything else.
"Lord Vane's initial survey proved most promising," Mr. Thornton continued, producing yet another document.
"The coal deposits are substantial…more substantial, in fact, than the preliminary assessment suggested.
I have received inquiries from three separate mining concerns interested in pursuing extraction agreements. "
"Already?" Lady Fordshire leaned forward, her eyes bright. "That was faster than I anticipated."
"Word travels quickly in certain circles.
The survey results were quite favourable, and coal is in high demand.
" Mr. Thornton spread several papers on the desk.
"I have taken the liberty of preparing a comparison of the offers received.
The Blackwood Mining Company has proposed the most advantageous terms, a substantial upfront payment, followed by quarterly royalties based on extraction volume.
Their reputation for fair dealing is well established, and they have a history of maintaining good relations with the landowners on whose property they operate. "
Sebastian studied the figures Mr. Thornton had compiled.
The potential income was significant enough to transform Fordshire Park from a struggling estate to a genuinely prosperous one.
Enough to give Lady Fordshire security for the rest of her life.
Enough to ensure that Harriet's childhood home would remain in the family for generations.
"This is remarkable," he said. "How did we miss this for so long?"
"The original survey was conducted in 1762," Mr. Thornton replied. "Extraction methods at the time made the deposits impractical to access. The agreement was filed and, unfortunately, forgotten. It was only Lord Vane's thorough review of the estate documents that brought it to light."
"Sebastian found it," Harriet said, her voice warm with something Sebastian wasn't sure he deserved. "He spent hours going through dusty old papers looking for anything that might help."
"I was merely being thorough."
"You were being extraordinary." Harriet's hand found his again under the table. "You always are."
Mr. Thornton, perhaps sensing that the conversation had veered into territory outside his expertise, cleared his throat again.
"If it would be acceptable, I would recommend pursuing negotiations with Blackwood Mining Company.
Their initial offer is strong, and I believe we can improve the terms further with some careful discussion. "
"Please proceed," Lady Fordshire said. "And Mr. Thornton…thank you. For all of this. For everything you've done to help my family through these difficult years."
Mr. Thornton's ears turned slightly pink. "I am merely doing my job, Lady Fordshire."
"You've done considerably more than that, and we all know it." Harriet's smile was warm. "The Fordshire family is in your debt."
"Hopefully not literally," Sebastian murmured, and was rewarded with a sharp elbow to his ribs.
"I believe that concludes the financial review," Mr. Thornton said, beginning to gather his papers with evident relief. "Unless there are any questions?"
"Just one," Lady Fordshire said. "The mining agreement…if we proceed, how long before we might see income from it?"
"The initial payment would be received upon signing, I would estimate within two months, assuming negotiations proceed smoothly.
Thereafter, quarterly disbursements based on extraction volume, with the first such payment likely within six months.
" Mr. Thornton paused, his expression becoming more formal.
"It would be, I should note, income belonging to the Fordshire estate specifically.
The rights predate Lady Vane's matrimony, and as such, the proceeds would not be subsumed into Lord Vane's holdings. "
"I wouldn't expect otherwise," Sebastian said. "The rights belong to this family. I merely helped locate them."
Lady Fordshire's expression softened. "You've done rather more than that, Lord Vane. But I appreciate the sentiment."
Mr. Thornton departed shortly afterward, leaving Sebastian alone with Harriet and her mother. The study felt different now, lighter, somehow, as though a weight had been lifted from the very walls.
"It's really over," Harriet said quietly, almost to herself. "The debt, the uncertainty, the fear of losing everything. It's actually over."
"It is." Lady Fordshire reached out and took her daughter's hand. "Thanks to you. Both of you."
"I didn't do anything," Harriet protested. "Sebastian…"
"Sebastian provided the means. But you provided the courage." Lady Fordshire's gaze was knowing. "Don't think I've forgotten how close you came to accepting Davies's offer. You refused him, Harriet. You chose principle over convenience, even when it seemed impossible. That took strength."
"It took stubbornness."
"Same thing, in my experience." Lady Fordshire rose, smoothing her skirts. "I should see Mr. Thornton out properly and discuss some of the finer points of the mining negotiations. You two should enjoy the afternoon. The weather is fine, and you haven't seen the east gardens yet."
She departed, leaving Sebastian and Harriet alone in the study.
"The east gardens?" Sebastian asked.
"They're where Mama grows her prize roses." Harriet's expression was complicated. "Papa designed them for her, years ago. She's never let anyone change them."
"Would you like to show me?"
"I would, actually. But first…" Harriet turned to face him fully. "I need to say something."
"You've been saying quite a lot of things today. I'm beginning to wonder if you've been replaced by a more communicative version of yourself."
"Don't be insufferable." But she was smiling. "I just wanted to tell you... hearing all of that, seeing the numbers, understanding what you've done... I knew, intellectually, that you'd paid off the debts. But I hadn't really grasped the scope of it. The completeness."
"It's just money, Harriet."
"It's not just money. It's my mother's health.
It's this house. It's Richard's legacy." Her voice wavered slightly.
"It's everything my family has been fighting to preserve for three years, and your intervention was as immediate as it was masterful. To see a difficulty of such greatness dissolved with such apparent ease is truly a marvel.”
“I did what my heart desired.”
Harriet shook her head slowly. "You're a peculiar and wonderful man, Sebastian Vane."
"I'm a man who loves you. That makes many things simple that might otherwise be complicated."
She kissed him then quick and fierce, with a passion that caught him unawares.
"Come on," she said, pulling back. "I want to show you the gardens. And then the attic. And then whatever else you want to see."
"Whatever else?"
"Within reason."
"I suppose I can work within reason."
"I'm glad to hear it."
They left the study hand in hand, and Sebastian thought that he had never been happier in his life and that the happiness was still growing, still expanding, still finding new rooms to fill.
It was terrifying. It was wonderful. It was everything.