Chapter 18 #2
Max walked down to the scullery and paused at the door to watch his wife.
She had Cromwell in a tub and was carefully washing his paws while she talked nonsense to him.
Her hair had come down, and she wore the oldest of her gowns with an apron on top, which was doing little to stop her getting soaked.
He smiled at the sight of her, the love he felt leaving him suddenly breathless.
She looked up. “What’s wrong now?”
“My father’s here.”
Her expression of horror would have made him laugh if things hadn’t been so dire.
She straightened, and Cromwell immediately jumped out of the tub and shook himself.
Allegra shrieked and covered her face. Max grabbed a drying cloth and cleaned off the dog while Allegra tried to wipe off the worst from herself.
“Where is he?” Allegra asked as she took off her apron.
“In the study.”
“I have to change,” she said, gesturing at her sodden dress.
“Yes, meet me in the study when you’re ready. I’ll stall him with some tea.”
Max took the dogs into the kitchen, asked Mrs. Smith to make a pot of tea for three, and wondered where on earth he’d put his coat.
His father despised slovenliness, and the sight of Max in his shirtsleeves in public would have appalled him.
But there was no time for him to change, so his father would have to put up with it.
He suddenly remembered that he’d left his coat hanging on the bottom of the stairs and retrieved it before reentering the study.
“Allegra will be here in a moment, Father; she is just changing her dress,” Max said.
“I’m glad you’ve at least put your coat on,” his father said. “One has to keep up one’s standards in front of the staff.”
Max didn’t bother to argue about such a minor matter when he was sure there was much worse to come.
The duke took up position in front of the fire, his expression difficult to read.
He was immaculately turned out in clothes suitable for a country gentleman.
His boots gleamed, his cravat was perfectly pinned, and his coat was a masterpiece of exquisite tailoring.
“What exactly is going on here, Max?”
“Well, you’ve caught us at something of a disadvantage,” Max said.
“You’ve been here for over a month, and this place looks as if it’s been ransacked. And where is Mr. Cobbins? He hasn’t answered any of my secretary’s letters for weeks.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Cobbins have departed, but I can assure you that the authorities are pursuing them.”
“What in God’s name are you talking about?
” Behind the duke, the door opened to admit Allegra.
“I leave you with a competent land manager and you fire him? No wonder this place is in such a state.” The duke shook his head.
“I should’ve known this was too much responsibility for you.
Your brothers warned me, and everyone else told me not to do it, but I thought you were finally maturing and that your marriage would give you some stability. ”
Max felt a familiar sense of doom as his father berated him. He’d always refused to argue his case in such situations, because what was the point? In his father’s mind, Max was always guilty.
“Your bank manager came to see me because he was concerned that you were running through your money. Now I’m here, I can see why. I gave you a limited budget for a reason. I did not intend you to throw out all the furniture and start again!”
“That’s not what we’re doing, in fact, we’re trying to—”
“Do not make excuses, Max,” the duke interrupted him.
“You have let me down. I’ll have to rehire Mr. Cobbins and make sure you don’t have the authority to change anything in this house until I deem you old enough to do so.
And let me tell you, my boy, that change will not be happening any time soon! ”
Allegra came past the duke to stand by Max. “Good afternoon, your grace.” She curtsied.
The duke looked down his nose at her. “I had hoped, madam, that your good influence would help my son settle down, but it appears that my trust was mistaken. I suppose, with your family’s reputation, I was a fool to even think that.”
Max took Allegra’s hand, a strange coldness settling over him. “May I speak, now?”
“What is there to say? Your apologies and pleas that you will do better next time obviously mean nothing, and—”
“May. I. Speak?”
The duke made an impatient gesture with his hand and took a step toward the window, scowling at the view.
“When we arrived at the house,” Max began, “we found that most of the staff had been dismissed, the furniture had been removed along with all the art and the ornaments, and Mr. and Mrs. Cobbins were living like kings at your expense. Half an hour after our arrival, they fled the house with all the petty cash and probably various other items of worth, because they knew I would be expecting an accounting of their stewardship.”
The duke frowned. “That cannot be true. Mr. Cobbins has always provided me with excellent accounts of this estate.”
“Then he was lying to you,” Max said. “I’ve spent the last month going round the estate to meet the farmers and those who rent property in the village.
They’ve not seen any investment in the place since Mr. Cobbins took over.
In fact, the reverse. Rents have increased, half the village lost their jobs here at this house, and many were forced to leave their homes. ”
The duke didn’t appear convinced. “Still …”
“The fact that he ran off as soon as I appeared should tell you everything you need to know about Mr. Cobbins, your grace. We have spent the last month assessing what needs to be done, reemploying the staff necessary to reopen the house, and generally cleaning up the mess your land agent made. We discovered a lot of the furniture had been stored in the tithe barn, and today we’ve begun putting it back into the rooms that my wife has had cleaned and repaired.
That’s what you’re witnessing here today—the culmination of a month’s bloody hard work. ”
The duke looked at Allegra, and she nodded.
“Every word my husband has spoken is true,” she said.
“The only reason his bank account is lacking funds is because he’s been spending all his money on this estate.
” She turned to Max. “Why don’t you go and see if Mrs. Smith has that tea ready, my dear?
I’m sure the duke would appreciate some refreshment. ”
Allegra waited until Max closed the door before turning back to the duke. “I think you owe my husband an apology.”
The duke visibly stiffened. “I beg your pardon?”
“You made assumptions about his character that are patently untrue,” Allegra continued. “Contrary to your opinion, he has been doing everything in his power to set things right here.”
“He should have—”
“With respect, he did not employ Mr. Cobbins, your grace; you did. If there is any fault to be owned, surely it is yours for allowing yourself to be bamboozled by a thief and a liar?”
The duke opened and then closed his mouth as he stared at Allegra. “Mr. Cobbins was selected by my secretary.”
“Then perhaps you should speak to him, because he obviously chose badly.” Allegra paused. “My father always says that a landowner who doesn’t visit his own holdings regularly is asking for trouble.”
The door opened, and Max came in with the tea tray. “My apologies for the delay. They are extremely busy in the kitchen restoring the butler’s pantry for Brice.”
Allegra smiled at Max. “Thank you, my dear. I’ll pour.”
“Mrs. Smith says she has prepared a bedchamber for you, Father, if you wish to take your luggage up?” Max looked at the duke, who had sat down by the fireplace. “Sir?”
“I had no intention of staying the night. I only rode over this morning from Tarleton’s place to see how you were getting on.”
Allegra passed the duke a cup of tea. “You are most welcome to stay, but I quite understand that all this disruption isn’t conducive to a pleasant visit. Perhaps you might return when the house has been restored to its best.”
Max looked at her with wonder as the duke merely sipped his tea and said nothing.
He’d been expecting his father to launch into another tirade about how unworthy he was, but whatever Allegra had said when he was gone—and he knew her well enough to know she’d said something—had obviously had a powerful effect.
“Would you care to come to dinner tomorrow evening?” She smiled brightly at the duke. “We should have the dining room and the drawing room back to their best by then, and we’d be delighted to have your company.”
“I’ll speak to my host,” the duke said, as he finished his tea and set the cup back down on the saucer. “I assume you’ll include him in the invitation?”
“Of course,” Allegra said warmly.
The duke stood and said, “Thank you for your hospitality, my dear.”