Chapter 5
ALEX FROWNED AT the question Tulip had just posed.
He had not considered his proposing to her to be a mistake at all.
In fact, he felt quite comfortable with the inevitability that she would become his wife.
He wasn’t certain of the reasons why he felt this way, only that his every instinct told him that she was the right one for him.
“Why are you worried we are making a mistake?”
“I cannot get over the feeling we are a mismatch.”
She had mentioned this before, her belief that he was perfect and she found it not only daunting but quite irritating.
“Ah, yes. That.” He laughed softly, for she would soon find out he was not the paragon she imagined.
“You’ll see that our roles will be reversed once we reach Somerset.
I know London like the back of my hand. I understand the poetry of it and the musicality of its rhythms, the beauty and the blight.
I know its seedy back streets and alleyways, and I am all too familiar with the scent of the Thames and the choking smoke of hearth fires in winter.
I know the dockside taverns where the lowest scoundrels sit in wait for an easy mark and also know the elite ballrooms where the privileged amuse themselves in splendor. ”
She looked up at him as he spoke, her lovely eyes glistening like pale blue crystals beneath her long, dark lashes.
“You will adapt fairly quickly to Somerset, Your Grace. We work at a slower pace than London, but we are not completely provincial. Your estate is not far from Bath which is quite popular in the summers with Londoners. You’ll feel quite at home there.
There’s also Taunton that may not be as elegant as Bath, but it is a financial and business center, as well as the center of our local government. ”
“Yes, I am aware. Those are not the things that concern me.”
“Then what does?”
“I am a crack investigator. What do I know about running a farm or a mill? There are several farms within the Davenport demesne. I understand there is also a cider press on the property and an abandoned cheese works. How am I to fix them up when I do not even know how to milk a cow, till soil, or use a butter churn?”
She laughed. “And you think I do?”
He raised his eyebrows and cast her a knowing smile. “Don’t you?”
“Yes, but only because my uncle and his wife kept a vegetable garden and raised a few cows and chickens on their property. Some of the Hester relatives happen to be farmers, too. I’ve been to their grain mill once or twice.
But you have an estate manager to oversee the farms and dairy, and any other Davenport operations.
Your Mr. Carver is solid and reliable. I have known him forever.
I’m sure he will instruct you in all you need to know. ”
His smile broadened. “Perhaps, but he won’t be as pretty as you.”
She laughed again. “I should hope not. Mr. Carver is a sturdy, barrel-chested fellow, and one of the most capable men you will ever meet.”
“See, you knew this and I did not. How do you know him?”
“He grew up in Burnham and went to school with my mother and her brother, William Hester. Uncle William and Mr. Carver stayed quite friendly over the years. He’s a good soul. You only need ask him a question and he will answer truthfully.”
“That eases my mind greatly. See, you are already proving yourself to be invaluable to me.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Mr. Carver is the one to be appreciated. You could not ask for a better man. I think this is one of the first things you ought to do, have him walk you around the properties and inspect what is going on. He will be happy to do it. And if you wish to sit on a milking stool and milk a cow, or take a basket into the chicken coop and collect eggs, he won’t stop you,” she teased.
“But I do want to learn these things,” Alex said in earnest.
“And I would love to watch you make your first attempts,” she said with a soft trill of laughter. “Well, that is up to you. But if you were to ask me, I think you should concentrate on reviving the Davenport cheese works first.”
“Why that?”
The sidewalks were heating up as the day grew warmer, but Tulip did not seem to mind walking beside him.
In truth, she seemed to be enjoying their walk immensely.
Perhaps it was that they were finally having an extensive conversation, something she had avoided doing with him for months.
It felt nice to have a pleasant chat with her and not experience the disappointment of watching her run away from him as though he were an ogre.
The Davenport ogre.
“Have you never heard of the Davenport cheeses?” she asked.
“No.” He had made it a point to stay away from his family and not stick his nose in anything remotely connected to them.
“Your estate was once known for its excellent cheddars. That cheese-making process originated in the nearby town of Cheddar itself. The Davenport dukes had extensive holdings there, too. So, you also adopted the name of the town for your cheeses.”
He grunted in surprise.
“But the Davenports stopped making their cheeses about twenty years ago. I was but a newborn at the time, so I do not know what happened. I’ve only been told that they abruptly stopped production.
Mr. Carver will know, for certain. I heard it was a profitable operation at one time.
Your great grandfather was the Davenport duke just before your grandfather inherited and it is said he had some business acumen.
Unfortunately, he also happened to be a big gambler. ”
“So was my grandfather.”
She nodded. “Yes, your grandfather was certainly an eccentric character. Mr. Carver claims he was also a very smart man, but something happened around that time and it changed him.”
“What was it?”
“Mr. Carver didn’t know. All he ever said was that your grandfather began to live life heedlessly and spent whatever came in rather than amassing his fortune or protecting it for future generations.”
“There’s a surprise,” Alex muttered sarcastically.
Tulip grimaced and continued. “The dukes that followed were no better. Your grandfather, despite his dissolute ways, tried to keep the farms and dairy going. But there was never enough money to properly maintain them, or so Mr. Carver would complain to us. Many of those assets are still going, but I don’t know for how long.
The cheese production has stopped completely, as I mentioned.
It was the first to go under. Other businesses run by the Davenports have had to close down since then.
Not that any of the subsequent dukes cared.
I think one of the first things you must do is take a close look at each asset and determine what is needed to revive it. ”
“Tulip, do you realize that your eyes shine when you speak of Somerset and the Davenport estate?”
“No, I hadn’t. But I do love Somerset and I have missed it.” She looked up at him again. “I cannot believe I will be returning there as your duchess. My friends will have quite the laugh. Are you going to demand they refer to me as Your Grace?”
Alex shook his head. “No, let them call you whatever you wish. You carry yourself with the grace of a duchess. They’ll know you are one whether you toss the title at them or not. You look very pretty, by the way.”
She blushed and glanced down at her gown.
“The color of this muslin is incredibly beautiful, isn’t it?
The dye is Venetian blue and comes from the indigo plant.
The intensity of the color is enhanced by mixing the indigo with other sources of blue, such as minerals like lapis lazuli, and did you know that snails also emit a blue dye? ”
He laughed. “Seriously?”
“Yes. The ancient Egyptians cultivated this snail. The Romans also had snails, but theirs exuded a purple dye, one that was quite rare and expensive. Which is how the European monarchs chose purple as the color for their royal robes. It became a symbol of wealth and power. Commoners could be killed for wearing that color. Even wearing a small square of it could be viewed as a treasonous threat to a ruling monarchy.”
“Fascinating,” he said and actually meant it.
She smiled. “Isn’t it? I love to hear my uncles speak about the science and history of their fabrics.
I think this is why their Farthingale cloths stand apart from the rest and are so popular.
They seek out the unusual, the best weaves and the rarest dyes.
They will not accept just anything. Uncle Rupert picked up these vibrant muslins along with some exquisite silks and velvets on his last trip to Italy. ”
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard a little about those silks, in particular. They do not actually come from Italy, do they?”
Tulip nodded. “Some do, but most are brought along the Silk Road from China and make their way to the Continent. Several centuries ago, the European traders discovered the secret of making silk and smuggled silkworms out of China in the hope of creating the fabric here. But there must have been more to the process because the Europeans still have not figured out how to create the same luminous shine to the fabric.”
Alex grinned. “I’m surprised your uncles do not take you on their buying trips. You seem to know as much as they do about their merchandise.”
“Oh, I’ve only learned this recently. It is one thing London has to offer that is unmatched anywhere else in England.
The wealth of scholarly information available just about any day of the week and only a short carriage ride away.
I attended so many interesting lectures at the Royal Society, the British Museum, and the Huntsford Academy.
I particularly loved the Huntsford lectures and their exhibit hall, especially the Hall of Dragons.
I got a special after-hours tour because I was friendly with Adela, Syd, and Gory,” she said, referring to the wives of the Thorne brothers.