Page 53 of Sinfully Wed
Patchahoo glanced once more at the portrait of Jordan’s smiling parents before pulling out a packet from his coat pocket. “When I was put in charge of Bentley’s affairs, I did an extensive review of all the files pertaining to him and the previous Lord Emerson, your father, to familiarize myself. I don’t know how this was missed by my predecessor, but—after reading the contents, I thought it best not to sell Dunnings. I did not inform your brother because—”
“You knew about me and my siblings by then, didn’t you? Saw Bentley bleeding the estate. Knew he’d gotten himself involved with Whitehall. And you didn’t like Bentley.”
Patchahoo looked down into his glass of brandy. “I took liberties, my lord. Wrongfully. I am prepared to accept the blame and resign my position.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Patchahoo,” Jordan said. “The client was Bentley. Selling Dunnings would have made me homeless.” Jordan went to the sideboard and poured out another glassful of brandy, unsurprised to see his hand tremble slightly at what the mere thought of having Dunnings sold out from beneath Jordan and his family would have meant. “I’m sure you had good reason.”
“Your father had the land Dunnings sits on surveyed,” Patchahoo stated without preamble. “As I said, he was offered an outrageous sum for the estate by a fellow from Scotland. So, Lord Emerson decided to do his own research. He hired a survey company, one who dealt in finding mineral deposits. Your father was meant to review the results of that survey when he, unfortunately, died.” He nodded to the packet. “I’m afraid, my lord, that I may have made additional decisions without your express approval.”
“I’m not firing you as my solicitor, Patchahoo. I’ve no doubt that whatever you’ve done has been in the best interests of my family.”
“I believe so, my lord. I met at length with the gentleman who conducted the initial survey of the land around and beneath Dunnings over ten years ago. Mr. Epps is his name. Studied geology at Cambridge. Highly respected. At the time, he was in the employ of a mining company but now provides independent appraisals, unbiased, so to speak. I asked him to once more survey and test the land at Dunnings. Epps recalled the previous survey and stood by the results, though he has agreed to perform another.”
“What exactly did Epps find the first time and what is he looking for at present?” A strange sort of excitement filled Jordan. His father hadn’t said a word to him, but at the time, Jordan was busy brawling and being thrown out of Harrow for insubordination. He would have been too young to have understood. And Father didn’t trust Bentley.
“Coal, my lord. A great deal of it. At least, that is what Epps believes.”
“And you agree.” Jordan regarded Patchahoo. “Don’t you?”
“I am not a miner, nor a geologist, my lord. But yes, I think Epps to be correct. Your father visited Dunnings in secret with Epps. He wanted to be sure, I suppose, before making any sort of announcement. At any rate, Epps found it strange, given Lord Emerson’s interest, that your father didn’t arrive for their meeting.”
“Because my father died,” Jordan replied.
“When Epps read in the papers that Lord Emerson had unexpectedly passed away, he came here, only to be turned away by Lady Longwood. Epps could do nothing further, so he handed off his findings to your father’s previous solicitor, Hooks, who promptly filed it away. Everyone’s assumption was that Dunnings wasn’t good for anything. The land poor and worthless for farming. The estate falling apart. The day Bentley walked into our offices and demanded to know from Hooks which was the furthest, least profitable, most forgotten estate of the Earl of Emerson, he was told Dunnings. No one tried to dissuade him when he dictated that the belongings of his siblings and Lady Emerson were to be packed up from River Crest and sent to Dunnings. Certainly, Hooks didn’t try to persuade Bentley to do otherwise.” Patchahoo’s mouth tightened. “Reprehensible.”
“Lucky,” Jordan murmured. “Because Bentley sold every other piece of property not entailed over the next ten years, but not Dunnings. He thought it worthless, which is why we were banished there. Until he became desperate. Epps will do another survey?”
“I convinced him to do so.” Patchahoo looked relieved, as if the burden of carrying around the secret of Dunnings had weighed on him. “If the findings are positive, it will take time to excavate fully. I’ve taken the liberty of arranging funding to put a mining operation in place.”
“Thank you.” Jordan could only stare at Patchahoo, his mind already working around what coal at Dunnings would mean for the Sinclairs.
“If this survey is in agreement with the first commissioned by your father…” Patchahoo hesitated. “Your worth will exceed the original value of the estate Bentley ruined. And the fortune your father held.Combined.You would have more than enough to restore River Crest, maintain this household lavishly,andrepay the debt to Whitehall. Three times over, my lord. Possibly more.”
Jordan sat back in his chair. “Patchahoo, if you don’t mind, there’s a bottle of whiskey beside the brandy. Would you bring it here and join me? I think whiskey much more appropriate for this conversation.” He was going to be wealthy. Ridiculously wealthy. “If it weren’t inappropriate, I believe I’d kiss you, Patchahoo.”
“I would settle for being one of your investors.” The solicitor gave Jordan a rare smile and obediently brought over the whiskey. “And there is one other matter.”
“I don’t think my heart can take much more, Patchahoo.”
“Whitehall should fire his solicitor.” Patchahoo cleared his throat. “The wording of the marriage contract states that the debt to Whitehall is to be erased upon marriage to Miss Whitehall orother means if available. Whitehall’s man glanced over that part, or possibly, didn’t think it important given you have ‘no other means’ at present with which to repay the debt. Whitehall foolishly tied your agreement to marry Odessa to the debt to ensure your compliance. It was simply a matter of rephrasing a few sentences.”
Jordan would need to give Patchahoo a raise. “You added it because you knew about Dunnings.”
“My lord, you asked me to find you a loophole, which I did. I cannot take responsibility for the fault of Whitehall’s solicitor to review the contract as thoroughly as I.”
“Devious, Patchahoo. I like you all the more for it.” Jordan poured whiskey out for him and Patchahoo. Coal at Dunnings. He was nearly giddy with the knowledge.
“If Epps and his survey prove correct, my lord, the debt to Whitehall can be repaid without wedding his daughter.”
“Whitehall never assumes that anyone can outsmart him. A great weakness, I think.” Jordan’s thoughts went to Odessa and her own cleverness. She had outmaneuvered her father on several fronts. He had a great deal of admiration for her efforts, but as it turned out, they may well have been wasted. At least on him.
Such an odd, curiously desirable creature.
Jordan wasn’t at all sure what he meant to do about her now.
Chapter Twenty
Odessa didn’t botherto look in the mirror before making her way to the drawing room to greet Lord Emerson. There was no onion to eat. Or wool to be wrapped in. No tar.
