Page 1 of The Duke of Lies
Chapter 1
Blackburn, England, April 1818
As Verity Beaumont, Duchess of Blackburn, watched her six-year-old son cuddle the baby goat, she wondered if they would soon be adding to their menagerie. She’d come here to hopefully gain a steward, not another animal. Yet, if Beau asked her, she’d be hard-pressed to say no. He was her entire world, and she was unashamed to admit it.
“He seems to have made a friend.”
Verity turned to the former steward of Beaumont Tower, Percival Entwhistle, who went by the far less formal name of Whist, and gave him a plaintive stare. “Please do not offer a new pet. I can’t support one more animal with the dogs, cats, rabbits, and most recently a squirrel we already have.”
Whist laughed and held up his hand. “I give my word, Your Grace.” He tilted his head toward the stable yard, where his grandson was dismounting from his horse. “Ah, here’s Thomas now.”
Straightening, Verity patted the back of her head. She knew Thomas well as Whist’s grandson, but saw him less often since he’d gone to work as steward at a neighboring estate. Since then, she’d seen him on a few occasions, including at last week’s assembly, and was impressed with the knowledge he’d gleaned from his grandfather and the experience of being steward the last four years. If she were honest, she was also charmed by his pleasant demeanor and his dancing ability. But since she’d been alone these past six and a half years, perhaps she was easy to charm.
After tending his horse, Thomas strode toward them, his mouth tipping into a warm smile. He swept his hat from his dark head and bowed to Verity, his lean frame bending easily. “Your Grace, it’s a pleasure to see you.”
“And you, Mr. Entwhistle.”
“Should we go inside to conduct our business?” Whist asked, gesturing toward his small cottage, which sat on the Beaumont Tower estate. Verity had provided him the home upon his retirement nearly seven years ago.
She glanced toward Beau’s nurse, who stood nearby. The nurse nodded and returned her complete focus to her charge. Verity turned to Whist and Thomas. “Yes, let’s.”
Whist motioned for her to precede him and followed her into the cottage. She took a seat in a chair that allowed her to see her son through the window. Whist and Thomas also sat, and watched her expectantly.
“I do appreciate you meeting with me today,” Verity said, feeling suddenly nervous. Though she’d been the duchess for nearly seven years, she hadn’t fully inhabited the role. The steward, Cuddy, managed the estate almost entirely without her input, and while she oversaw the household, the staff was so efficient as to make her practically unnecessary. She rarely entertained visitors, and for the most part they only supported Verity and her son. It was, overall, a simple existence and one for which Verity was grateful because it allowed her to be relatively independent. Only relatively because her father still tried to exert his influence from time to time.
He’d done a fair job of controlling things after Verity’s husband Rufus had disappeared, and Verity had endured his meddling for quite some time before asking him—firmly—to stop. She suspected, however, he still kept a hand in things because of Cuddy. Her father had referred him to Rufus when Whist had retired, and it seemed that Cuddy was still her father’s man. She could be wrong about that, but she wasn’t wrong about one thing—Cuddy wasn’therman.
Verity straightened her spine as she glanced out at Beau chasing a rabbit in front of the cottage. Suppressing a smile, she focused on the business at hand. “I asked to meet with you both because I’d like to make a change at Beaumont Tower.”
Whist inclined his head. “And what would that be?”
“I believe it’s past time I hired my own steward—someone I’ve selected and whom I can trust to manage things as I see fit.”
“As you see…” Whist’s voice trailed off, and he coughed. “Am I to understand you wish to participate in the management of the estate?”
“I am the duchess,” she said. “And in the absence of the duke, it is my responsibility to do so. In just a handful of months, my husband will likely be legally declared dead and my son will inherit the title. I owe it to him to ensure the estate is running smoothly.”
Thomas’s brow creased with concern. “Do you have reason to believe it’s not?”
“I’m not sure. When I ask Cuddy to review the accounts with me or to inform me how the tenants are faring, he promises to do so at some indeterminate time in the future. Only, that time never comes to pass. And when I visit the tenants on my own, it’s clear Cuddy isn’t spending much time with them.”
The furrows in Thomas’s forehead deepened as he exchanged a look with his grandfather. “Have you insisted he show you the account books?”
Now she felt mildly embarrassed. “I haven’tinsisted, no.”
Thomas blinked, his dark lashes sweeping briefly over his bright blue eyes. “I didn’t mean to imply you should have. I beg your pardon. I was only trying to ascertain the tone of your communications with him. He should’ve showed them to you the first time you asked.” He pressed his lips into a firm line.
Whist scoffed. “He should’ve shown them to you without your asking.” He looked at Verity with kindness and understanding. “What do you wish to do?”
“I’d like to replace him.” She gave her sole attention to the younger man across from her. “With you, Thomas.”
Whist’s mouth split into a wide grin. “That’s my boy. You’ve made an excellent decision, Your Grace.”
A bit of color bloomed in Thomas’s cheeks. “I’m… I don’t know quite what to say. Thank you for your confidence, Your Grace.”
“I know your grandfather trained you well, and while I hate to take you away from Bleven House, I need you more than they do.” She had no idea if that were true, but shedidneed him. Most desperately. It was past time she took control of things.
Whist angled himself toward his grandson. “You’ve done an excellent job there, but this is an incredible opportunity. Entwhistles have been stewards at Beaumont Tower for over a hundred years.”
