The lawyer was clearly not a believer in the power of true love over rank and differences of fortune, even if he liked to tell an improbable tale. Alaric tried to block his ears to the man’s chatter and assess the place as a possible home for himself and his family. Juno would like living anywhere that was not Stratford Park, its Dower House or Stratford House in London. And if only he could persuade her to marry him, would Marianne like this poor old place? She might relish the challenge of renewing and restoring an even more tumbledown house than her brother’s equally ancient manor house was before she started. And yet... There was a forlorn air of old glories and future possibilities he felt guilty about turning his back on. If he ever managed to persuade the stubborn, challenging, extraordinary woman to let them both be happy, he would bring her here and let her make her own mind about it.
‘Are there smugglers this far from the coast?’ he asked as part of that story about ghosts walking rang true. Moonless nights would not betray signs the so-called Gentlemen were at work to the authorities, but they were a long way from the sea in this wild corner of Herefordshire nearly into the ancient mysteries of the Forest of Dean.
‘The River Severn is tidal as far as Gloucester,’ the man admitted cautiously so Alaric concluded he was right and the tale had been put about to keep the curious in bed on the darkest nights of the year.
‘So an old tale of mayhem and haunting would be very useful to anyone with nefarious business in the dark,’ he said, wondering if the house itself might be of use for storing cargoes since it was so forlorn and empty he doubted anyone had been employed to watch over it for a very long time. Smugglers to scout as well as spiders and vermin this time then, but if he could persuade Marianne to let them both be happy they could rid the poor old house of all its unwanted visitors and make it a perfect home for a hardworking country gentleman and his energetic lady.
‘Indeed,’ the lawyer said gloomily.
At least the man had fallen silent while Alaric worked through that reason for the old tale being embroidered and kept alive for such a purpose and they both brooded on the broken windows and tumbled slates of Prospect House as it sank into ruin. ‘No,’ Alaric said at last. ‘I require a house and estate that needs hard work and dedication to get it all up to scratch and working well again, but this place has gone too far.’
It would not do to let the lawyer know he already felt angry the near-derelict old house had been allowed to get in such a state it was nearly too late to save it. He hoped to persuade Marianne to feel the same way about it as long as she would take him with it, of course. He could not live under the same roof as her one day longer and not let her and his niece and the rest of the world know he was in love with the woman. He had endured quite enough of being the honourable man and trying not to seduce his niece’s companion was more than he could manage now he had spent three whole weeks riding about his native land pretending she was no more to him than any other ladylike companion for his niece might be and that he was not tortured by unsated need and yearning for her beside him in every bed he had slept in since the day he met her. She could either marry him or find another fool to drive to distraction with her stubborn temper and coolly challenging blue eyes.
He had borne weeks of it before he was wound up to such a pitch of wanting and needing her he knew he would break if he stayed with her and Juno on the road one day longer. For once it had been useful to be a lord with too many matters of business to neglect for much longer when he found an excuse to leave Juno with her and ride away. And at last that month was nearly up so she had best get ready to be thoroughly seduced by her former employer the moment he could bring that foolish contract to an end, if only she would finally admit they felt more for one another than a polite lord and Juno’s companion should if they were to remain polite and companionly much longer.
‘I will write to colleagues in nearby towns and see if they know of anything in the area,’ the lawyer said with a last mournful look at the poor old house and a shrug as if he had done his best for it and it had been worth a try.
Luckily Alaric was looking for comfort and a house you could not lose half a regiment in without feeling crowded and this place could do very well. He was done with echoing glory and lonely staterooms; Stratford Park was far too uncomfortable and barn-like to live in day by day and he wanted far more from life than gilding and consequence and a marriage of convenience. This place was close enough to Owlet Manor to visit in a day and far enough away for them not
