Page 24 of He's the One

“Yes. Darnley was saying the work on the East Wing is almost done.”

Dastardly gave a quiet huff.

“Has anyone been up to see what they’ve been doing?” Theo asked, thinking of his father sending Dickhead up to look.

“Are you volunteering, Lord Theo? That’s a great idea.”

Oh God.Theo wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing him freak out, but his stomach did a forward roll. “Did we pay the stonemason the additional money?”

Dastardly shot him a sharp look. “Why do you ask, Lord Theo?”

You don’t need to keep using my name, you sanctimonious prick.“I recall hearing father say that Nyman wanted additional stonemasons because of some issue with the roof, yet Nyman let a man go a few days ago because there wasn’t enough work.” It was a weak argument. Maybe a few months ago, Nyman had brought in more masons, Col included, and now didn’t need them. Dastardly didn’t even give himself away by smirking.

“They’re coming in on time, aren’t they?” his father asked.

“Yes, your lordship. Just about.”

Theo could feel his chance slipping away, but he could hardly accuse Dastardly of taking a bribe, or of getting Col sacked. Not without evidence.

Theo’s mother came into the room and everyone stood.

“Good morning, your ladyship,” Dastardly gave a little bow.

“Morning, Mother,” Theo said.

“Don’t let me interrupt.” She motioned to Elliot, the butler, and a moment later, he had her tea poured and breakfast in front of her. She always had the same thing. A poached egg on lightly buttered brown toast.

“Are we hanging on to a couple of percent until the renovation is actually finished?” Theo asked.

“They’ve received their last payment,” Dastardly said. “They’ve done a good job. We can trust them.”

Really? I don’t. Nor do I trust you.“How do you get them to come back and fix what’s not right if they’ve been fully paid?”

“Nyman won’t want his reputation tarnished,” Dickhead snapped. “This is a listed building, as you well know.” He modified his tone. “He’s not going to be difficult. You don’t need to worry, Lord Theo. The local conservation officer and the local authority planning department have approved the work.”

“It was a good point, Theo,” his father said, and Theo’s head shot up.

Before Theo had a chance to bask in the unexpected praise, Dastardly had moved on to talk about the tenant farmers and the money owed by one in particular. Kaleb Mason was behind in his rent and even though his wife had recently walked out, leaving him to look after ten-year old twin boys, that didn’t appear to be an excuse that Theo’s mother or Dastardly found acceptable.Mean bastards.

“Do we need to give him a deadline?” she asked.

“How about giving him a reprieve?” Theo said. “Hold off on demanding last month’s rent and let him repay it gradually.”

“He’ll never be able to afford to repay it,” Dastardly said. “This is his second warning. We have people waiting for a farm. We should consider eviction.”

“Whoa!” Theo said. “That’s a bit extreme and wouldn’t we have to offer him alternative accommodation?”See! I know the law.

“Or the council could,” Dastardly retorted.

“He needs help.” Theo glanced at his father.

“Speak to him, Darnley. Don’t threaten eviction,” his father said.

Theo had done as much as he could. He made a mental note to call and ask Kaleb if there was anything he could do to help. Not that he’d be saying that to anyone here. They’d see it as a sign of weakness. Theo probably couldn’t do anything about the money Kaleb owed but he could look after the boys for a few hours to give him a break. They could make a den in the woods or try and dam the stream, or he could take them metal detecting. Probably not meet Isla though. The fox was too flighty for kids.

“That’s settled then.” His father tossed his napkin onto the table and stood up.

Theo paused with a piece of toast halfway to his mouth. What was settled?What did I miss?Dastardly had stood too, but sat again when his father left the room.

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