Game of Dukes Page 8

  ‘The problem with being placed in a trusted position without proper supervision is that it can sometimes go to a person’s head. I shall be in a better position to know once I have met the man and taken his measure.’

  ‘I see.’ Celeste bit her lip. ‘I hope that your meeting will throw some light on the situation, but I don’t hold out much hope. The duke might have been losing his mind but I think it most unlikely that Mr Frazer would have taken advantage of him and embezzled the funds he had been charged with protecting.’

  ‘Unless someone knew something to his detriment and used it to force his hand.’

  ‘Who would do such a thing?’ Celeste permitted her concern to show in her expression. ‘I do not have a very high opinion of Emma, and especially not of her husband, or Alice either for that matter, but they have everything to lose and absolutely nothing to gain that I can think of by draining the duchy’s coffers. Alice never tires of complaining because she had to give up her maid.’

  ‘Does Darwin gamble?’

  ‘Toby?’ She shrugged. ‘What gentleman does not?’

  ‘I do not.’

  A brief smile troubled the corners of her mouth. ‘No, I suppose you are the exception to the rule. Somehow that does not surprise me.’

  ‘But disappoints you?’

  ‘It is not for me to approve or disapprove of your activities, your grace,’ she replied primly.

  The duke chuckled. ‘Such formality does not suit your character, my sweet. Call me Phin. Whenever anyone addressed me as “your grace” I find myself looking over my shoulder to see who they are talking to.’

  ‘I dare say you will become accustomed to it.’

  Phin sighed and stretched his arms above his head. Celeste watched the taut muscles at work beneath the thin fabric of his shirt and felt oddly unsettled by the sight. She tried very hard to look away, really she did, but seemed unable to avert her gaze. ‘I have little choice in the matter.’

  ‘Oh, do stop sounding so sorry for yourself,’ she said, more acerbically than had been her intention. ‘It seems to me that you had ample opportunity to play with horses in America and make money from them. Once the Abbey is restored you can do the same thing here and discharge your duties as a duke without too much additional effort. You have absolutely no reason to complain.’

  He laughed aloud. ‘You are very good for me,’ he said, reaching across the space that separated them and touching her hand. ‘I like people who are not afraid to speak their minds, which you clearly are not. Well, of course you are not. You have had to deal with Alice and Darwin for over a year now and have not permitted them to bully you. One of the drawbacks for me with my newfound status is that under normal circumstances no one would dare to reprimand me when I feel sorry for myself. Instead I shall have to endure sycophants, flummery and obsequiousness, except when I am with you. I have changed my mind about allowing you to leave after three months. I cannot do without you to give me a trimming when it is deserved and so you will just have to remain indefinitely.’

  Celeste smiled and shook her head. ‘I have plans of my own which I have delayed for too long.’ She paused. ‘However, if I might be permitted to say so, when feeling sorry for yourself you have forgotten to take into account the endless procession of females you will have to endure who will be anxious to make a good impression.’

  She sent him a smile of mock sympathy, ignoring the worm of jealousy that worked its way through her system when she thought of the nameless and oh-so-suitable young women who would parade themselves in front of the duke. Leave him alone. He’s mine. Celeste jerked upright, astounded by the unbidden thought that she chased from her mind before it could take root. Despite the duke’s earlier jest about her remaining, she was determined to leave. In three months’ time she would be gone from the Abbey and Phin could dally with a dozen women at a time for all she cared. It was absolutely no concern of hers.

  ‘I’m sure it will be very tiresome for you,’ she teased.

  ‘Witch!’

  ‘We have strayed from the subject under discussion. You asked me if Toby gambles.’

  ‘So we have.’ He offered her a sinful smile that curdled her insides. Damn it, he was toying with her, probably well aware of the mayhem he so easily caused to her senses! Well, she wasn’t about to put up with it and would ignore the disturbing jolts and wild sensations that his sensual expressions sent spiralling through her. American ladies might fall victim to such questionable charm, but she was made of sterner stuff. ‘Although you were the one who took me to task, so only have yourself to blame.’

  ‘Ha!’ Celeste tossed her head, but her attempt to appear affronted only succeeded in making him chuckle. ‘Toby enjoys a game of cards,’ she said in a brisk tone, refusing to react to his provocation. ‘He frequents the taverns in the local villages and gets up to I know not what. Nor do I wish to know. He has recently taken to dragging Alvin into his nefarious exploits and they ordinarily come back rolling drunk, reeking of ale and cheap perfume.’

  ‘I will not permit him to corrupt the boy,’ Phin said softly. ‘I know you are fond of him.’

  ‘If Toby has incurred gaming debts, or debts of any nature, then I have heard no mention of them. He simply lives here, expecting the Abbey to provide a home for him as though exercising some sort of divine right, and makes no contribution towards his upkeep. Not that he has any money of his own, but that doesn’t prevent him from strutting about the place as though he owns it.’ She twitched her nose. ‘I declare him to be the laziest person on God’s earth and I would like very much for him to be behind the embezzlement, if any embezzlement has taken place. However, he is nobody’s fool and hardly likely to deliberately disrupt the comfortable position he has carved out for himself here, especially since Matthew’s death meant that the title passed to you, not someone whom he can manipulate.’

  ‘I take your point.’ Phin stood and took her hand as she rose to her feet. ‘I shall know more once I have seen Frazer. However, I dare say John is back by now with Goddard and I’d best go and find them. Is the estate office still at the end of the west wing?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied, acutely conscious of his long, capable fingers still curled around her palm. He had no business holding her hand for so long, or holding it at all for that matter, but, pathetic creature that she was, she couldn’t find the strength to snatch it away from him. ‘But you will have to approach it from the courtyard. It isn’t safe to go through the house. The floorboards are not sound in the west wing.’

  ‘Very well. I shall see you later at dinner.’ He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, causing her to gasp involuntarily. ‘I would appreciate it if you’d keep Frazer’s impending visit to yourself. I have deliberately asked him to come immediately so that he won’t have an opportunity to alert his partner in deception, always supposing he has one.’

  ‘You may depend upon my discretion.’

  ‘I know,’ he said softly, finally releasing her hand. ‘Until later, my dear.’

  He waved over his shoulder and disappeared through the door.

  Chapter Five

  Phin strode through the weed-strewn courtyard, adjuring himself not to depend too heavily upon Celeste to help him resolve the mess he’d been landed with at Webster Abbey. He had learned the hard way never to depend upon anyone other than himself—not even John, who had proved his loyalty many times over. He trusted his instincts—had lived by them for years, and they were partly responsible for his success in America, where every other person seemed intent upon making an easy buck at the expense of the vulnerable. His instincts since first setting foot on the estate again had told him that Celeste was precisely what she appeared to be—conscientious, principled and devoted to his uncle’s memory—even if she had challenged him at gun point. Or perhaps because of it.

  What did Phin actually know about her mother’s relationship with his uncle? He hadn’t even been aware of her existence until the previous day, and only had Celeste’s word for the nature of the relationship in question. It was clear to him that his aunt neither liked nor approved of Celeste, even if she wasn’t above taking advantage of her, so he couldn’t apply to her for an unbiased opinion. What kept Celeste here? Had promises been made to her that were not fulfilled when the will was read? Did she plan to exact revenge against him for his uncle’s broken word?

  Phin laughed aloud at the turn his thoughts had taken. He had yet to encounter a less selfish creature. She must have the patience of a saint to have put up with his aunt and Darwin all this time. Even so, he would try to find out more about her mother. Mrs Gibson might be able to enlighten him. He recalled his uncle as being very conscious of his status, and he found it difficult to believe that he had ended his days intimately and publicly involved with a glorified housekeeper. The friendship must have been public, since Celeste had mentioned that she discouraged visitors who were keen to become his duchess. Perhaps advancing years and illness had mellowed him. Phin had no way of knowing. There again, if the housekeeper in question had been half as attractive as her daughter, the changes in his uncle’s behaviour were not so very hard to understand. On the rare occasions when his father had referred to his brother, he never had anything complimentary to say but always referred to his eye for a pretty woman.

  Phin admired Celeste’s strength of character, her sense of purpose and her willingness to work her fingers to the bone without expectation of recompense. Mrs Gibson, he was sure, was not the only person not to have been paid since her uncle’s death. Perdition, he admired every damned thing about Celeste and it was a delicious and distracting sort of torture to be anywhere near her. It was a very long time since any woman had crept beneath his defences and wormed her way into his affections in such a way. He gave a derisive little snort, reminding himself that this one had done so without any intention that he could detect of making a favourable impression upon him. Simply by being her unconventional self, she was assured of his interest.

  Her determination to remain at the Abbey and keep the place functioning until his return ought to be the only facet of her character that interested him, but then he would have had to have been a sworn celibate or a saint not to appreciate her physical attributions. Phin was no hypocrite, and wouldn’t attempt to lay claim to such virtues. Her efforts here at the Abbey were barely acknowledged, much less appreciated, by his relations and he imagined that she must have been tempted on many occasions to walk away and leave the ingrates to fend for themselves.

  Perhaps she’d had no choice but to stay in a familiar place where at least she had a roof over her head and enough to eat. He was unfamiliar with her personal circumstances but imagined that she didn’t have much money of her own. Certainly not enough to set up her own establishment. Besides, it would be difficult for an unmarried chit in her position to live alone without raising eyebrows. She was not a lady in the recognised sense in the word, but most definitely not of the working classes either. She could take a position as a governess, he supposed. She was certainly well enough educated to qualify, but that would leave her exposed to the unwanted attentions of any men in the household that took her in.

  Phin scowled at the prospect. She was not his responsibility. God alone knew, he had more than enough concerns of his own to occupy him. Even so, he was keen to the see the terms of his uncle’s will and discover if provision of some sort, if only permission to remain indefinitely at the Abbey, had been made for her. Regardless of his uncle’s wishes, Phin would ensure that she was adequately recompensed for her efforts—but only after she had remained for the three months she had agreed to. He wasn’t ready to let her go quite yet.

  He wondered if he ever would be but chased the question from his mind. One step at a time. He had won Alvin over, Celeste was already on his side and Emma represented no threat to his authority. The only remaining thorns in his side, at least within the Abbey, were his Aunt Alice and Toby Darwin, but he would find a way to whip them both into line in the fullness of time. He held all the aces and they both knew it.

  His cogitations brought him to the edge of the courtyard where the estate office was situated. As he gazed at the outside of the deserted and neglected west wing his mind flooded with happy memories. He could hear Matthew’s laughter as they chased one another through the cloisters, his mother’s remonstrations falling on deaf ears.

  His family had occupied the west wing, until his mother had died and his father hastily moved them to America shortly thereafter. He wondered if it had been occupied at all during the ensuing sixteen years, but from its outward state of advanced neglect he doubted it. Despite Celeste’s warning that the floors were unsafe, he would make time to explore, no doubt unearthing a torrent of buried memories in the process. It was a building, he reminded himself, and he was too old to be affected by the ghosts from his past. There was something, an odd yet vital recollection floating on the edge of his memory that had to do with the west wing. Perhaps exploring to the rooms occupied during his youth would help him to recall it.

  He remembered raised voices. A raging argument he was not supposed to overhear. He had remained concealed in the narrow space behind the long clock, scared by the animosity, the accusations that raged back and forth. He dreamt of that moment frequently but was unable to recall who had been angry with whom, or why. He had blocked it out with the resilience of a child, but it had never completely left him. Perhaps returning to the west wing would bring it all back. It was beyond time that he, a grown man afraid of nothing, laid his childhood demons to rest, restored the west wing and brought it back to life.

  The sound of voices emanating from the estate office recalled his wandering attention. He shook off his pensive mood and strode towards the two men who awaited him. John looked up when he entered a room covered with dust, grimy windows blocking out most of the daylight. All of the estate’s ledgers appeared to be on the shelves but it was obvious from the dust covering them that they had not been touched since Goddard had been relieved of his duties following the old duke’s death. Phin gave his attention to the middle-aged man with neatly trimmed whiskers and keen grey eyes who stood to greet him deferentially. John introduced him as Goddard.

  ‘Glad you were able to come immediately.’

  ‘I never wanted to leave, your grace. I offered to remain and continue to manage the estate without concern for my stipend, but Lord Toby said it would be pointless.’

  Phin raised a brow as he ushered Goddard back to the chair he had just vacated and took one opposite, mindless of the dust that decorated its seat and would likely transfer itself to his backside. ‘Did he indeed. Did he say why?’

  ‘May I speak plain?’

  ‘I wish you would.’

  ‘We had a bad outbreak of bovine disease that wiped out most of the herd. There was no money to replace the cattle. What few horses we kept for breeding were sold off on Lord Toby’s orders and despite my protests, the crops were disappointing…’ He spread his hands. ‘I am sure you begin to understand, your grace. We had insufficient people with enough knowledge to put matters right, and no funds to entice those that had into the duchy’s employ.’

  ‘Which is why you are surprised I asked to see you, I would imagine. You were blamed for the problems, but they were not of your making.’

  ‘No, your grace, they were not, but with a clean sheet and sufficient funds at my disposal, I guarantee that I can make amends. I know this estate better than any man alive.’ His eyes came alight as he pleaded his case. ‘I will not expect a stipend until I have proved myself.’

  ‘I do not expect you to work for nothing, Goddard, but I do expect results.’

  ‘It will take money to—’

  ‘Money is not a problem. How many men will you require to repair the fences, plough and fertilise pasture and clear out the barns?’

  ‘Six should suffice, your grace, and I would be pleased to make the selections. There are a lot of local men in need of work, but I know the ones who are the most dependable. We will also need a couple of gamekeepers to ward off the poachers who have run riot over the estate since the old duke’s passing. Oh, and some work horses.’

  ‘Then I will leave those arrangements to you. I take it you once occupied a cottage in the grounds.’ Goddard inclined his head. ‘God alone knows what state of repair it’s now in. Have your men put it to rights and you can take it up again.’

  Goddard smiled, his relief palpable. ‘I remember you, your grace, when you were a boy, causing mayhem with the young master as you fell off ponies and out of trees. I once rescued the pair of you when you got yourselves stuck in the middle of a swollen stream.’

  Phin laughed. ‘That was Matthew’s fault. He dared me.’

  Goddard chuckled. ‘That would be it. You two were always daring one another, and it was never either of your faults when things went wrong.’

  ‘Well, what can I tell you, Goddard? I still take the occasional tumble from a horse, but you will be relieved to know that I have outgrown climbing trees.’ Both men laughed. ‘Anyway, once the paddocks are restored, I have a mind to purchase some brood mares.’

  Goddard raised a brow. ‘Horses, not cattle?’

  ‘Horses are what I know. Besides, if your cattle caught a disease, there’s no saying if its cause has been eradicated. What we do know is that whatever caused it did not affect the horses you had at the time.’ Goddard nodded his agreement. ‘Right then, we’ll run some sheep on the rougher pasture, but concentrate upon horses.’

  ‘As your grace wishes. Your father, I recall, took responsibility for the horses here before you left for America. No doubt he passed his passion on to you.’

  ‘Something of that nature. I am going to put work in hand to restore the building and would be glad if you’d select a crew of men capable of carrying it out. John here will help you.’

  ‘It would be my pleasure.’

  ‘Good man.’ Phin turned towards John. ‘Give that new gelding of yours some exercise,’ he said. ‘Ride into Newmarket and have a word with the breeder that I purchase Malachite from.’ Phin reeled off his name. ‘I noticed he had a sprightly little Arabian mare for sale. I have her in mind for Miss Sterling.’