Chapter 6 #2
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Bell nodded with glee. “She might be something of a hermit, but she manages her household well, and she's never given anyone living under her a reason to complain.”
“But the rumors—”
“There will always be rumors,” Mr. Bell laughed. “Any leader could have any amount of rumors said about them. What does it matter when at the end of the day she helps us get bread on the table and ale in our bellies.”
“I suppose so…” Roderick agreed. “So, she has been good for the village?”
“Very good I would argue. Better than the late duke, anyway. And between you and me…” Mr. Bell leaned in closely. “Half the men in the county are terrified of her, and the other half?” He grinned mischievously. “They are secretly fascinated by her.”
“I see,” Roderick nodded slowly. “And which camp do you fall under?”
“Neither,” Mr. Bell laughed. “Do I look like a man who would be secretly anything? Or a man afraid of a woman?”
“You act like a man who either admired her or is hiding his fear,” Roderick chuckled.
Mr. Bell laughed and nodded. He opened his mouth to speak again but a shadow fell across the table. A tall, well-dressed man stood at the end of the table, smiling, even though the smile did not reach his eyes. Mr. Bell’s laugh died in his mouth.
“Greetings,” the stranger said. “I could not help but overhear you both speaking about the duchess.”
“Well, yes,” Roderick confirmed. “Mr. Bell was answering some questions for me as I am new to the area.”
“I see,” the man said stiffly. His eyes sharpened as he looked down at Roderick. “Mr. Bell is a helpful man…”
“He is,” Roderick agreed. He turned to look at Mr. Bell who was shifting uncomfortably.
“This is Lord Casterleigh,” Mr. Bell said, introducing them. “He has recently returned from town where he has had some business.”
“What kind of business?” Roderick asked, turning to the lord.
“Oh, nothing you need to worry about,” the lord said, brushing it off. Roderick frowned.
“So, you do not wish to speak about your business to others?” Roderick asked.
“Well, I would not expect someone such as yourself to understand the complexities of what I do,” he said, looking Roderick up and down, making him bristle slightly.
“And how would you know what I can and cannot understand about business?” Roderick asked.
“It is just that I find many do not understand what I do,” Lord Casterleigh scoffed.
“It so happens I am also a businessman,” Roderick said and immediately winced. He realized he had been goaded into speaking more about himself than he had wished to. He could see the edge of the lord’s mouth twitching.
“Oh really?” he asked smugly. “And what is it you do?”
“I work with horses,” Roderick explained. He tried not to give away too much information. “I may also be investigating a land purchase at the moment.”
“A land purchase?” the lord asked, wide eyed. “I was not aware that any such sale was happening at the moment.”
“Well, perhaps you are not as informed as you believe you are,” Roderick said brightly. He watched the lord’s eye twitch as he tried to remain calm.
“This is not why I approached. I wanted to ask you what you knew of the duchess,” Lord Casterleigh said.
“Why are you asking?” Roderick replied. “I see no reason for you to be concerned with what I know about a widowed duchess.”
“Ah,” Lord Casterleigh said, straightening his cravat. “I knew her some years ago. Courted her before her marriage.”
“Courted her?” Roderick asked slowly, his hand gripping his tankard a little harder.
“Indeed,” Lord Casterleigh nodded. “Tis a shame about the scandal,” he sighed sympathetically. “Women without protection often find themselves in… difficult situations.”
“Such as?” Roderick asked, leaning back into his chair.
“I am sure you can imagine,” Lord Casterleigh said with practiced sympathy.
“I do hope that you were not coming here to cause her any more distress. She has had more than enough strife in this lifetime, wouldn’t you say?
”. Roderick could not help but compare the man to a toad.
Repugnant. “I will leave you both to your ale,” the lord added before turning, waving a hand as he walked away.
For a few moments, the pair was left sitting in the awkward silence Lord Casterleigh had left behind.
“Well,” Roderick sighed. “There are certainly some interesting characters in this little village.”
“That there are,” Mr. Bell said with an awkward laugh. “Please do not pay his attitude any mind. Lord Casterleigh is certainly stuck in his ways, and he is much more used to working with those in town.”
“I am sure I shall be able to pay him entirely no mind,” Roderick said with a chuckle. “Have you worked with him before?”
“Something like that,” Mr. Bell said, shrugging slightly. “But I have been less inclined to since some unsavory stories have come out about him.”
“So, you are asking me to ignore the rumors about the duchess, but not the ones about Lord Casterleigh?” Roderick asked with a teasing edge.
“Well, Her Grace has never given me a reason to believe the rumors surrounding her,” Mr. Bell said pointedly.
Roderick nodded slowly. “I see,” he said carefully.
“I should not take up any more of your night,” Mr. Bell said, standing up and finishing his tankard. “It was wonderful to meet you, Mr. Vale.”
“And you,” Roderick said. He watched Mr. Bell go, leaning back in his seat a little more. He rubbed his chin as he thought of what had transpired.
The jovial Mr. Bell.
The seedy Lord Casterleigh.
Mr. Pike will be interested to hear of what has transpired here.