Page 36 of The Moonstone Major
Lord Stockwell nodded, his expression careworn.
“I’m sorry, Lord Stockwell,” Fionn said. “I sincerely hope it turns out to be nothing and Lady Charlotte recovers quickly. As for your girls, I will take good care of Ella and Imogen tomorrow. You have my oath on it.”
The marquess now approached him and handed him a brandy. “You know our other guests.”
“Indeed, I do.” Fionn bowed over the hands of Lady Gemma and Lady Sarah, and nodded to their brother, Lord Hollingsworth, and their already drunk cousin, Lord Danson.
The women regarded him hungrily. The lords regarded him with disdain.
However, Lord Claymore was his usual genial self. “Good to see you, Brennan. Seems that hospital construction is moving along well.”
Fionn nodded. “We’ve had a run of good luck with the weather. I only hope it holds out a little while longer. I’ll breathe easier once the roof is in place.”
“There must be a lot to do.”
He nodded again. “Yes, but I have good men working under me, and they know what they are doing. The army’s corps of builders are experienced in the various trades.”
“And what of the regular infantry soldiers under your command?” Phoebe asked.
“They do not have these skills, but they have the muscle required for the more basic tasks. It is my hope some of them can be trained in the various trades through this construction project, training that might provide them with a source of income once they are discharged from military service.”
“I suppose it will keep them from begging on the streets,” Lord Danson grumbled. “Demmed nuisance it is. One can hardly make one’s way through Covent Garden without being accosted by all manner of beggars, thieves, and cutpurses.”
Chloe cleared her throat. “My lord, what are they supposed to do when they have no food or shelter and no means of support?”
“Then they ought to find a means of support,” Lady Gemma said with a shrug. “I saw an old woman begging outside my modiste’s shop on my last visit there. It was exceedingly uncomfortable. Fortunately, the constables chased her away.”
The Duke of Malvern was also there with his wife, Hen, and now jumped into the conversation. “It is a serious situation, one I hope we’ll address when Parliament is next in session. I know I will have the support of Burness, but what about you, Claymore? Where do you stand on the matter of caring for these old soldiers? Or the widows left with nothing.”
“Oh, gawd. Widows and orphans again.” Lady Sarah groaned. “Oh, do save this conversation for later when you men are having your port. Have you gentlemen not been going on about this problem for years now, and nothing ever seems to get resolved? Just put them somewhere and be done with it.”
“Ship them off to Scotland,” Lady Gemma said with a giggle. “Then they shall be Scotland’s problem.”
“Not quite, since Scotland and England have been united since King James of Scotland took over the English throne after Queen Elizabeth’s death,” Lord Claymore remarked. “For the most part, we are paying out of the same coffers.”
“We are?” Lady Gemma seemed utterly surprised. “When did this happen? Was it recent?”
Chloe shook her head. “A little over two hundred years ago.”
“Demmed nuisance,” Lord Danson remarked, holding out his glass for a refill.
“Indeed,” Lord Hollingsworth said, smoothing out his silk waistcoat.
Phoebe cleared her throat. “Isn’t it a lovely sunset?”
“Yes, quite,” Lord Claymore said. “This is the sort of view I hope to find. I’ve been shown several very pretty properties, but none as pretty as Westgate Hall. I’ve heard Moonstone Cottage is also quite lovely.”
“It isn’t for sale,” Chloe said immediately.
“I am quite aware,” Lord Claymore responded, casting her a wry grin. “No one shall gain that property unless they also gain you, Lady Chloe. I believe you and that cottage are quite inseparable.”
Melrose rang the dinner bell just then, sparing all of them from Chloe’s response.
Fionn lagged behind to allow Lord Claymore to escort Chloe into the dining hall. The Marquess of Burness hung back with him as well. “What do you think of Claymore?”
Fionn arched an eyebrow. “What does it matter what I think of him? Isn’t Chloe the one whose opinion matters?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I would also like to know what you think of him.”
