Page 36 of Embracing the Earl (The St. Clairs 3)

She didn’t have the funds to live as grandly as her father had, though. Too much was tied up in her new venture. For now, she would limit the rooms she used. A bedchamber. A small parlor for seeing others and possibly dining in. The kitchen. That would be all she required. From the state of the foyer, she imagined many of the other rooms had already been stripped of their contents and those items sold. This way, she wouldn’t have to refurnish them but instead live frugally.

Caroline didn’t need a lady’s maid. She hadn’t had one since she’d left London. Bathing and dressing herself and arranging her hair were simple tasks. She would need a single maid to clean and wash. A cook to feed them. Both of those servants could live elsewhere. If she only used a handful of rooms, it would be possible. She wouldn’t do any entertaining. If she watched things carefully, she could manage to pay her very small staff.

The time might come where she would consider selling the house. Whatever profit she made could then be used to find rooms to live in. The rest could be poured back into Evie’s. That would be much more practical. She would have to take that into serious consideration.

Caroline decided to clear her head and walk to the stables to check on Davy. Brimley, the head groom, gave her a ready smile.

“Come to see young Davy again, my lady?”

“Yes, if that’s possible.”

“He’s grooming a horse in the next to last stall on the left,” the groom said helpfully.

She walked down the long row of stalls and smiled when she heard Davy whistling. Glancing over the closed half-door, she spied him as he combed the black beauty inside.

“Hello, Davy,” she said.

The boy stopped whistling and grinned up at her. “Hello, my lady. How have you been?”

“I’m doing well. I came to see how you are getting along.”

His eyes lit up. “As much as I hated the sea, I love horses. They’re ever so good and calm. Mr. Brimley says I’m the best lad who’s ever worked under him.”

“You’ve always been a hard worker, Davy, no matter what the task.”

“I’m practicing my reading every night, Lady Caroline. There’s another boy who likes to read. We do it together.”

“I’d enjoy if we had another lesson together soon,” she told him. “How about tomorrow? I’ll speak to Mr. Brimley about it.”

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with my work in the stables, my lady,” Davy said seriously. “I can’t let Mr. Brimley down.” He paused. “I should get back to work now.”

“Very well. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Caroline found the groom and arranged a time for Davy to meet with her.

“The boy’s right bright, my lady,” Brimley told her. “He’s lucky to have you in his corner.”

“Davy thinks quite a bit of you, too, Mr. Brimley,” she told the groom.

Returning to the house, Caroline drew up a list of the types of books she wished to carry and the furniture she would use to create the small reading circles for patrons to use. She then wrote a new list of meetings that must occur. With solicitors to firm up the sale of the building. With Mr. Bellows to draw up contracts for not only ordering books from his publishing house but to exclusively sell Catherine’s newest book for a short time. With Madame Toufours to narrow down what merchandise would be carried at Evie’s. There was so much to do. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, though, Caroline felt invigorated.

A maid knocked and entered, informing her that Stinch had arrived. Eagerly, she went downstairs and greeted the butler.

“Have a seat,” she told him. “I haven’t written your reference yet and I want to tell you why.”

He looked perplexed but sat, waiting for her to speak.

“I’m going to open a bookstore, Stinch. I helped run my aunt’s bookstore in Boston and took over management of it upon her death.”

“That’s quite impressive, Lady Caroline,” the butler said, still looking confused as to why she was sharing this information with him.

“My bookstore is going to be quite large. It will also have a tearoom next door. I fear it will be too much for me to handle all of the day-to-day things. While I wish to be in charge of the accounts and ordering, I will need someone I trust to oversee the employees at both establishments. To draw up their schedules. To supervise them on the job.”

She smiled. “I can think of no better person than you, Stinch, to take on this position. You are the most organized person of my acquaintance and I have known you from the cradle. Would you be interested in changing professions? It wouldn’t be quite what you’ve done in the past but it would require a great deal of responsibility and managing capabilities.”

Stinch fairly glowed hearing her praise. “My lady, I can think of nothing I’d like to do more.”

She asked how much he’d been paid, remembering that he’d mentioned their servants not receiving any wages during the last several months of her father’s life. He told her and she offered him a substantial increase, which he found more than acceptable. They spoke of some of his acquaintances that could possibly serve as book clerks and he suggested two of their former maids who hadn’t yet found work who would be excellent as servers in the tearoom.

Kent arrived with a letter on a silver tray and Caroline opened it, hoping it was the news she expected. She read through the note and looked to Stinch.

“My offer for the Mayfair property has been accepted. I will be signing the papers tomorrow morning,” she informed him. “I’ll give you the address. Speak to those you have in mind to employ and we can meet the day after tomorrow at nine o’clock so I may interview them.”

Caroline waited until the door closed behind Stinch and collapsed into the nearest chair. Her vision would become a reality. She’d returned to London and found death and despair. Only days later, thanks to the new friends she’d made and the investors supporting her, she’d bought a large property and would open her own bookstore in the most fashionable part of town. Moreover, her childhood home had miraculously been restored to her by some unnamed angel.

She should be ecstatic.

“I am happy,” she stubbornly told herself.

But Caroline knew she would be overjoyed—if the Earl of Mayfield kissed her again.

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