Page 96 of The Moonstone Hero
He summoned the head staff and his father’s secretary to the study. Once they were all gathered, he chose to address them while standing in front of the massive mahogany desk rather than usurp his grandfather’s position by sitting behind it. “Swindon,” he said, turning to the head butler, “my belongings are to be brought here. I’ll have Mr. Talbott write instructions for the club steward. Have one of your footmen deliver it. He is to take the Seaton carriage. I don’t have much other than clothes at the club, and it can all fit easily in there.”
“Would a wagon not suit better, my lord?”
“No.” He wanted everyone to know—as if they didn’t already—that he was the duke’s heir. It could not hurt to reinforce this.
He next turned to his grandfather’s personal secretary. “Mr. Talbott, I shall dictate notes to be sent to various persons. Plain sheets. I will not use His Grace’s stationery.”
“Very good, my lord.” The gangly young man immediately hopped to a small desk in the corner and took out quill pen, inkpot, and writing paper.
With a satisfied nod, Caden turned to Mrs. Nance. “Please have my old bedchamber prepared. I shall settle in there.”
“At once, my lord.” She bustled out, seeming quite pleased.
He had called in his grandfather’s valet as well. “Cranford, I have not been home in a while, but I do have an entire wardrobe moldering in the armoire that must be badly in need of attention by now. In addition, I have my uniforms that will soon be brought over from my club. Sort through all of it and decide on what is to be kept, what is to be cleaned and mended, and what cannot be brought up to fashion. Those articles of attire can be donated to any charity His Grace sponsors.”
Cranford cleared his throat. “Um, I do not believe His Grace personally sponsors any.”
Caden suppressed a sigh of exasperation. He should have known his grandfather was all about acquiring things, never about giving things away, even if they no longer served a useful purpose. “Obviously, my uniforms are to be cleaned and mended. Those are not to be discarded for any reason. I am still serving in the Royal Marines. Also, my medals are to be handled with utmost care and stored in a velvet-lined box in the top drawer of my bureau.”
He turned back to Talbott and dictated more notes, the first for the head steward at his club, since he wanted to get himself moved in here as soon as possible. The next notes were for his grandfather’s financial advisors. The last, and probably most important, was for his grandfather’s estate manager. There were several estate managers employed by the old man, since the Seaton holdings were vast, but only one held seniority and oversaw the other managers. “I believe Mr. Randall is in Town now. Have him come here at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning.”
Talbott nodded. “Very good, my lord.”
If he was offended by Caden’s apparent move to take over, he did not show it. Caden supposed this was becausehis grandfather merely regarded his staff as useful but easily replaceable. He had done little to win their devotion or loyalty over the years.
Not that it mattered here and now. In truth, this distance between servant and master his grandfather had always maintained served Caden well at the moment. He met with no resistance to his edicts. In fact, they seemed relieved that he, and not Abbott, had taken charge.
Once all messages were properly sent off, he looked in on his grandfather again. Seeing he was resting comfortably, Caden rode off to call on Ella.
She was anxiously awaiting him, and rushed to the front door as soon as she heard Merrick greet him. “Come into the parlor,” she said, pulling him toward it before he’d had the chance to remove his cloak.
Merrick managed to catch it, along with his gloves and hat, as Caden quickly took them off and tossed them to the butler, who had scampered after them.
“Lady Ella, shall I bring in tea and refreshments?”
“An excellent idea. Thank you, Merrick.” She turned to Caden. “Would you like something stronger than tea?”
“No, I’ll save the stiff drinks for later.”
When Ella settled on the settee, he sat beside her and quickly brought her up to date on his grandfather’s condition, including all that had been arranged for his care.
“Yes, his care is most important,” she replied. “The ladies must keep him clean and shift his position from time to time, or he will develop bedsores.”
“How do you know this? Oh, from your time at the hospital in Moonstone Landing.”
She nodded. “Imogen and I were never permitted to do this sort of work, but it did not stop us from watching others and learning.”
“There is much I have to learn, as well. Not only medical, but about running a dukedom. My grandfather was so vibrant that I thought I still had years to address this. Now, I will have to cram quite a bit of study over the next few days. I intend to meet with my grandfather’s estate manager and financial men next, assure them I will be handling Seaton affairs while my grandfather cannot. In this, I fear I am going to be as tough as him.”
“Not everything he did was wrong,” Ella pointed out.
“I suppose not. He did beat quite a bit of business sense into me.”
“You were always strong, smart, and sensible. I do not think he needed to beat anything into you. But Caden…the way he used his fist on you,” she said haltingly and with sudden distress, “you would not beat our children, would you?”
The question surprised him, although it should not have, considering the combative relations between him and his grandfather. “No, Ella. Not even an occasional trip to the woodshed if they severely misbehave. Being beaten never worked on me. It only made me more willful and defiant.”
“I am not surprised. I don’t think anyone could ever beat you into submission.”
