Page 12 of Captivating the Countess
Teddy had deigned to join them for dinner, apparently so he could publicly mope. He wasn’t any more successful at finding a bride than Rain, but he was younger and still had time to look, although the portrait ploy didn’t appear to be the way to attract the best candidates.
Rain did his best not to pay attention to the countess, which would only encourage his family’s matchmaking antics. Lady Craigmore had dressed sedately in a rusty brown dinner gown he vaguely recognized. She spoke only when spoken to, which seemed strange given her predilection for saying what she thought.
“How does a countess become a steward?” Teddy asked, demanding her attention.
The lady picked delicately at her fish, obviously choosing her words. “By running an estate, I assume. Craigmore never had the luxury of hiring people to do what we could do ourselves.”
“You lost the estate?” Lord Delahey asked sympathetically.
Rain watched a slight smile cross the lady’s pixie features. Give her fairy wings and set her in a woodland...
“No, I’msavingit. My tenants are more capable than I am at farming and sheepherding. By living here, I am saving the expense of my upkeep. And my foreman and his family can live in the manor, thus saving the expense of repairing a cottage for their use. The manor is far too large for one person. And if he wants servants, he pays for them, not the estate. Any income I earn will go to paying off my stepfather’s debts. The village desperately needs and deserves reimbursement for their losses.”
“We should have a dinner to introduce Lady Craigmore and invite the neighbors,” Alicia announced. “We’ll invite eligible bachelors. Then you might attract a husband and have a home of your own.”
There was much laughter and jesting about Alicia doing the same. Rain watched the countess. She merely finished her fish and sipped from her watered wine.
“Yatesville is too far a distance for most people. Weather this time of year is too inclement for reliable travel.” Estelle gestured with her fork to encompass the table. “We all ought to be making arrangements to return home before we’re snowed in.”
“You’re welcome to stay.” Rain indicated to a footman that he was ready for the next course. “I enjoy the company.”
Not precisely a lie. He wasn’t a hermit. He liked company. His sisters, on the other hand, were a meddling handful. Together, they could wreak a path of destruction wider than a hurricane. He simply didn’t wish to be left alone with his dying father.
They argued over whether it was best to travel with children now or later, and who had what business to attend and when. The toddlers in the nursery were better behaved than the adults in Rain’s opinion, but then, he never went up there.
Lady Craigmore appeared intrigued to learn there was a nursery, but she had nothing to contribute to the discussion.
When the ladies departed to leave the gentlemen with their port, Salina’s husband, Lombard, passed around cigars. “We’re expecting another come summer. Sal was hoping she might have it here again. The countess’s companion is a midwife, ain’t she?”
“As I understand it, Mrs. Malcolm is on her way to visit her ill son, but we have Malcolm midwives and healers not far away. All of you are always welcome.” And Rain was on hand for medical emergencies, he didn’t say. Helping his sister with her lying-in wasn’t high on his wish list.
“There is nothing any of the healers can do for the duke?” Lord Delahey asked, setting aside his cigar in favor of port.
“We brought Father here in hopes one of the local healers might, but so far, his condition is unchanged.” Rain took little consolation in knowing even the experienced ladies with their herbals couldn’t improve upon his medical knowledge. “His body is simply wearing out faster than it should. It’s good for him to have family around.”
“You should be in London when the session opens. We’ll need the duke’s proxy vote.” Garland, Estelle’s husband, blew a smoke ring. “Will you have the staff to open up the town house?”
They wanted free lodging, of course. Rain didn’t mind. “I suppose it depends on circumstances. I’ll remain here if his condition worsens. I might spare a second tier of servants if you need the house and the caretakers aren’t sufficient.”
His gut clenched at what he wasn’t saying. His father wasn’t terribly political. If the duke died, there wouldn’t be any gaping hole in the Lords, just in their lives—and pockets. If Rain didn’t keep control of the trust, they couldn’t rely on Teddy allowing expenditures for the London house and servants.
The loss of control was one more reason to grit his molars to nubbins.
After finishing their port and returning to the ladies, Rain discovered the countess and Alicia had already departed. He supposed he could introduce the lady to the estate books and discuss terms in the morning. It had been a long day, after all.
“Alicia decided not to entertain us this evening?” He was rather relieved at that.
“She took the countess upstairs to meet Father.” Victoria complacently knitted at a baby cap.
Rain had a really bad feeling about that. Excusing himself, he clenched his teeth and strolled up the stairs.
“Good evening, your grace.”Bell curtsied for the lean man sitting up against the pillows. He appeared almost skeletal against the vivid maroon of his dressing gown, but she could see where Rainford had inherited his aristocratic cheekbones and regal bearing. “I hope we are not disturbing you.”
“Not at all.” He gestured with his long, slender fingers. “Please, have a seat so I do not feel guilty for not standing up. Alicia, where is your brother?”
“Rain is entertaining the husbands, of course.” Alicia plopped into a chair and propped her feet in an unladylike fashion on the bottom of the bed. “We have had a very exciting day.”
Back straight, hands crossed in her lap, Bell settled in a chair near the head of the bed. “I fear I have been unintentionally the cause of much of it.”
