Chapter 11
After the awkwardness at dinner on the first night, Alaina resolved to make the best of her time at Ashford, not necessarily avoiding Christopher, but avoiding one-on-one conversation.
She wanted to get to know Graham and ultimately her heart.
In this, Alaina’s conversation with her father was never far from her mind.
Unfortunately, the next two days passed with little time spent with Graham, who seemed to be spending more and more time dealing with tenant issues.
It almost seemed that every time Graham and Alaina were engaged in private or semi-private conversations, Graham’s steward would appear with some sort of pressing matter.
Graham had not yet confided exactly what was happening, but from what she could gather, some serious mischief was being levied on the tenants, possibly even thefts and violence, and they had yet to find the perpetrator.
Alaina thought it may have been a conflict between tenants, and had offered such a suggestion, but Graham’s reaction had firmly put that option out of her mind.
On certain occasions, Graham even sought out Christopher to accompany him in his investigations.
On these such occasions, Alaina could breathe easily, knowing she could easily engage with the group activity without having to be aware of the marquess’s presence.
It was the times where the duke did not seek his friend’s council that set Alaina’s nerves on edge.
She was both angry at Christopher and angry at herself.
She was angry at Christopher for saying some nonsense about ‘what is right,’ but leaving her to wonder about his feelings for her.
It would be easy enough for any person close in proximity to get the wrong idea, ruining her chances of determining if she and the duke were a match at all.
She was also angry at herself for her heightened reactions, both to his statements, and to his mere presence.
The marquess had made it quite clear he was not interested in her, or really marriage as a general concept, but Alaina found it difficult to categorize his actions as uninterested.
She had always been one to take a person’s words at face value, and she was questioning her own instincts.
On the third full day of the garden party, the group enjoyed a luncheon toward the back of the manse in a room that buttressed the courtyard.
It was situated between the wings of the house that stretched far to either side of the entrance, perfectly symmetrical.
Since it was toward the back of the house, the room was quite large, which could cause loud echoes in conversation, making it seem filled with more people than it truly was.
The windows in the room were floor to ceiling, flooding the space with light even in the winter months.
The table, extremely long, was set lengthwise along the windows, with the guests situated more to one side, to allow for more intimate conversation.
The guests were now enjoying the second course, conversation filling the cavernous space, from time to time with peals of laughter.
It was the rare occasion that Alaina was seated next to the duke at the head of the table, and they both were engaged in easy conversation about the afternoon activities.
“So, I know you do not prefer to ride, but it would be an excellent way to show you the grounds. I have not had the opportunity to do so yet, and would be honored if you would allow me to act as your guide,” Graham proposed.
Alaina considered for a moment his earnest and hopeful expression and thought the idea would be delightful, even if her lack of riding skills required a slower pace.
“I would be delighted to accompany you,” was her easy response, joined by a smile.
“Well then, we shall plan to leave immediately following lunch,” Graham stated, as if relieved to finally have some time to show Alaina his estate.
Just then, the door at the fore end of the room opened, and Graham’s steward, Francis Locke, walked in and quickly made his way to where Graham sat at the head of the table.
The same scene of the past two days played out yet again, with a quick whisper in Graham’s ear, a furrowed brow from Graham, and a hurried apology to Alaina.
“Alaina, you must forgive me yet again. It seems I must attend to some business.” Graham sighed and gave Alaina a longing look before quickly standing from the table and offering a brief apology to the group.
On his way out of the room he tapped Christopher on the shoulder and made a quick motion for him to follow.
As both men exited the room, Alaina heaved a sigh, upset once again to have her plans for the afternoon fouled.
At this rate she would neither spend quality time with the duke nor see the grounds of his estate.
She was at least relieved Christopher had been called to duty by his friend, saving Alaina from an afternoon of angst about their interactions.
Georgiana had been seated across the table, but only a few chairs down from the couple, and had heard their conversation. Seeing her friend’s disappointed expression, Georgiana offered to salvage the afternoon.
“Perhaps I can show you the grounds after lunch?” Georgiana queried.
Alaina responded with a half-smile, “That would be lovely, Georgiana. Thank you.”
“Good, we will bring your sister along with us; I know she has been wishing for a ride. She may leave us in her dust, though.”
Alaina giggled, “Evelina certainly has a way of leading the charge, at least on a horse.” Maybe it would be a pleasant afternoon after all, Alaina thought, attempting to buoy her own spirits.
Graham and Christopher quickly walked through a few back hallways, usually reserved for the servants, making only one stop in the estate’s armory for their pistols.
They found their way out to the stables through a side door on the west wing of the manse.
With only one barn hand currently in the stables, as the others were taking a quick lunch, it was easier for the two friends to quickly saddle their own horses.
It was only after this was accomplished, and they were on their way to see to the trouble, that Christopher inquired about the issue.
“What is it this time?”
“One of the barns used by a group of tenants for storage and livestock is burning,” Graham answered quickly, his mind fast at work.
“It seems to have escalated then?” Christopher asked, already knowing the answer.
Until this point the disturbances had been modest in comparison; a few stolen chickens or pigs, vandalized and broken farm equipment, but nothing more dangerous.
Each time the culprit or culprits had eluded getting caught.
After riding some time in silence, Graham postulated, “It is possible the fire is an accident, but I am doubtful, given the course of the last week and a half.”
Needing no further explanation, the two men continued on horseback until they could see a thin thread of smoke behind a copse of trees.
As they approached, they could smell the acrid smoke and a faint smell of pitch.
Passing under a large oak tree and onto a well-worn trail, used for carts and small foot traffic, both men could see the barn just ahead.
Neither Graham nor Christopher could see the flames, just billowing smoke.
A few people could be seen throwing buckets of water on what they assumed was the last of the flames or burning embers.
Christopher and Graham brought their horses to a halt right in front of the barn, quickly tethering them to a nearby fence that seemed untouched by the fire.
One of the men, who had been putting out the fire, came out of the barn’s large bay doors and mopped his brow with a soiled handkerchief, catching sight of the approaching gentlemen.
The man was short in stature and wore what looked to be well-tended clothes, including a white shirt loose around the neck, and brown trousers held up by suspenders.
The man looked a bit beleaguered and sooty from the fire, but his face lit up when he approached Graham and Christopher.
“Ho there, your grace! We appreciate the help, but I think we have the fire well in hand,” came the man’s quick greeting and explanation, all with a happy tone, considering the circumstances.
“Tobias, that is good to hear. I am thankful that the fire was caught early,” Graham proclaimed, as he clasped the man’s hand in friendship. “May I present my friend, the Marquess of Rochester.”
“An honor, sir,” Tobias acknowledged Christopher, and each man bowed his head in respect and greeting.
Graham took a moment to survey the scene, allowing Tobias to lead him through the barn to get a full picture of the damage.
Nothing was as extensive as Graham had expected, given the report from Mr. Locke.
He had thought to find the barn in tatters, but from what he could see, minimal damage had been done to the boards on the outer wall, with no structural damage.
The animals had been evacuated easily into the attached run-out, and the equipment was thankfully stored on the far side of the barn.
“From what my steward said, the barn was burning to the ground.” Graham addressed Tobias, who was also looking over the damage, mentally taking note of the repairs that would be required.
“No, we caught the fire early and were able to take advantage of the nearby water pump to put out the flames quickly. To be honest, I am not completely sure how you heard of it so quickly. I was so distracted by the fire that I had forgotten to send a messenger until just now.” Tobias scrunched his brow.
Graham was about to inquire further when one of the men who had been helping Tobias ran around one of the stalls. “Father! You have to come and see this,” exclaimed the young man.