“Yes,” Priscilla said. “We can have a cake at the inn.”
Jamie looked utterly delighted by that. He wondered if his son would find the food as bland as Oliver often did when he ate away from home.
“Jamie, I am going to try to meet with a business associate while I am there, so perhaps when that happens, you and Miss Ainsley could have a quick bite of cake.”
“Yes, Father. Thank you.”
“Jamie, I also think you might like to see the bookstore. We didn’t get to see it the last time we were here.”
“Oh, yes, Miss Ainsley!”
Oliver glanced out the window and noticed they were almost there. “Jamie, I want you to be on your best behavior. People in town are going to be naturally curious about us today. They have not yet seen Miss Ainsley and I together, and when they do, they will know that we intend to marry. Having you with us will further cement that in their minds. I want you to keep in mind that some people might whisper or talk behind our backs. I want you to be polite and nice to them, even if they say something curt.”
Jamie nodded and then said, “Miss Slade said that people would see us as a family.”
“That is the idea, Son.”
The carriage began to slow, and then it stopped. Oliver looked at Priscilla, raised his eyebrows, smiled, and then stepped out of the carriage. The world would know, today, that he was devoting himself to her.
* * *
Priscilla, Jamie, and the footman who was accompanying them walked into the inn. Oliver had continued walking down the street as he was going to call upon an old business colleague of his.
“Welcome, welcome,” an old woman said, as she ushered them in. “Please, have a seat. We have mutton and pigeon pie today. The soup is a lovely onion soup made from a French recipe, and for dessert we have a delightful sponge cake with a layer of elderberry jam.”
Jamie and Priscilla sat at the table, and she turned to the woman and said, “Two pieces of cake, please.”
“Please just give me but a moment,” the woman said. Priscilla turned to Jamie.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Oh, yes Miss Ainsley. The bookstore was amazing. I thought we had a lot of books at home, but the bookstore had so much more. I want to read them all!”
Priscilla chuckled. “I am always amazed at the bookstore myself, Jamie. Are you excited to read your new book?”
“Yes, I want to get started with it right away.”
“I may have to read it after you are done. It looks interesting.”
“I also liked the sweetshop, of course.”
Priscilla laughed. “Yes, that’s always my favorite, too.”
“I did notice that some people were staring and pointing at us, though.”
“Yes, I did, too, Jamie. But I also noticed how many people were greeting you and your father, and so graciously, too. You can tell that they really respect him and like him.”
“People were nice to you, too.”
“Yes, some of them were.”
The old woman returned with the cake and placed the plates in front of them. “Enjoy your cake. It’s our special recipe.”
“Thank you,” Priscilla said, as Jamie was already lifting the fork up to his mouth.
She smiled at him. “Is it good?”
He just nodded with a big grin on his face. She looked down at the little round cake on her plate and took the opportunity to start explaining fractions to Jamie. After all, even though they were in town, that was no excuse not to have a little math lesson.
* * *
“Welcome, Your Grace. Lord Bennett will be with you shortly. May I offer you a glass of claret?”
“No, thank you. I will only be here a moment.”
“Very well, Your Grace.”
Oliver watched as the butler left the room. He was sitting in his old colleague’s sitting room, which was much smaller than his own. The drought a few years back had a devastating effect on Bennett’s crops. To try to salvage his losses, he entered into some business deals that had quickly turned sour, and Bennett had been struggling ever since. He even had to move back to town and start taking on private accounting clients. He was extraordinarily good with numbers and finances.
“Ah, Dowding,” Bennett said, as he walked into the sitting room. Oliver extended his hand to him. “It’s a pleasure to see you, Bennett. I do hope that it’s acceptable for me to pop in.”
“Always, my friend. Did no one offer you wine?”
“Oh, yes. I was offered wine. I declined as I am only to be here for a moment. Since I was in town, I wanted to ask your opinion on something.”
“Anything, Dowding. Please, sit.”
The two gentlemen sat across from each other with a table between them, where Bennett placed his wine.
“What may I help you with?”
“I’m looking for some help with a little issue I have. My distillery is doing remarkably well, and I was hoping to expand my distribution. I wanted to see if you were interested in managing the financial part of it. I don’t need someone running the operations, but I would like to open up a warehouse or even some offices here in town, which would get our products closer to the people who use them. There is, surprisingly, a lot of cost to transport our bottles and barrels from the distillery to town. I would like to cut down on that.”
“I see. Well, I would certainly like to help you out with that. I would have to get more details, of course, but that would come in time.”
“Wonderful. If that’s the case, I would love to have you to the house next week. We can talk about plans and…you can meet the woman I plan on marrying.”
“What? Oliver, that is wonderful!”
“Yes, thank you. It is pretty amazing. We want to get married soon, but I also want to get this started as I want to take her on a wedding tour following the marriage. I need someone trustworthy to watch things while I am gone, and I don’t know anyone better with numbers and money than you.”
“It would really be my pleasure.”
“Wonderful, then it’s set. What day works best for you next week? Come in the late afternoon and you can stay for dinner. The only plan I have, as of now, is to meet Lord Kenley.”
“Lord Kenley? You are meeting with him?”
“Yes. He sold me a lift for the barrels in the distillery. That’s why business is booming.”
“Dowding, whatever you do, be careful with him.”
“Oh, I know. He can be a bit of a sleazy businessman.”
“He can be more than sleazy. He is a downright cheat. I don’t think I ever told you this, but Lord Kenley is the reason I lost everything. He lured me into a business deal that he had no intentions of seeing through. He did it to a lot of people, in fact. I would never trust him.”
Oliver nodded. “I appreciate you telling me this, Bennett. I will certainly keep it in mind.”
“Do more than that, my friend. Don’t do business with Lord Kenley.”
Chapter 25
Jamie had a stomachache. After eating the sweets and the cake, and then drinking a small beer before they left, he wasn’t feeling great. The jostling of the carriage wasn’t helping, either.
“You aren’t very talkative, Jamie,” his father said. “Did you not enjoy your visit to town?”
“Oh, yes, Father. I did.” He then placed his hand over his stomach. “I think I just ate too much.”
Both his father and Miss Ainsley laughed. “It seems like your math lesson at the inn wasn’t your only lesson learned today.”
Jamie’s father laughed loudly at Miss Ainsley’s little joke. Jamie, however, didn’t quite see the humor in it.
“When we get home, you can see Miss Slade. I’m sure she will be able to fix you up before dinner.”
“Father, I don’t think I ever want to eat again.”
Again, his father and Miss Ainsley laughed. Jamie did think they made a good couple. He hadn’t seen his father this happy in his entire life.
“I d
aresay you will eat again, but if you want to miss dinner tonight, I will give you permission. However, you must rest. I don’t want you running around or playing in the garden today if you are not feeling well.”
“Yes, Father.”
This was a fine arrangement for Jamie. Now he could get started reading his new book. “Would you mind if I sat in the library and read?”
“Not at all. I would say that is a good, restful activity.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Jamie, I might join you,” Miss Ainsley said. “I have a new book I would like to get started on, too.”
“And I will not join either of you,” his father said with a smile. “I have a distillery to run.”
All three of them laughed this time, like one happy family.
* * *
When they arrived back to the house, Priscilla was met with a footman holding a letter.
“Miss Ainsley, this arrived when you were gone.”
She took the letter and tucked it into her reticule. She didn’t want to read it in front of Oliver and Jamie.
“Thank you.”
“Miss Ainsley, I’m going to go tell Miss Slade we are home, and then I am going to read in the library.”
“That sounds great, Jamie. I will meet you in a bit.”
Jamie walked away, and then Priscilla turned to Oliver. “I had a wonderful time with you this afternoon, and most importantly, short of the stomachache, I think Jamie did, too.”
“As did I, Dear. Soon, we can have moments like this all of the time.” He reached out and gently touched her arm, which sent a spark through her body.
“Soon we can have other moments, too,” she said with a flirty smile.
“Indeed, and I can’t wait for that.”
Oliver smiled and then he, too, walked away, leaving Priscilla alone. She made her way up to her quarters, put her things away and then took a deep breath before opening the letter. As expected, it wasn’t good news:
I gave you two weeks. That time has passed. Now I have to take serious measures.
Priscilla crumpled the paper up in her hands, and then ripped it for good measure. She was trembling now, as she didn’t know what was implied by the words on the page, but she knew that it wouldn’t be good.
* * *
“Wright, how are preparations for Lord Kenley’s visit coming along?”
“Very well, Your Grace. We have a delightful menu planned with Mrs. Johnson’s famous ices for dessert. I believe you and your guest will be very pleased with what we have chosen.”
“Fantastic, Wright. Please make sure we have one of our five-and-twenty year whisky bottles available, too. I have been drinking the ten-year, so we might have to bring one up from the distillery.”
“Indeed. That is a special thing to share with Lord Kenley.”
“Well, I look at it this way, Wright. He is a gentleman who can be a good ally for my business, and we should certainly celebrate the positive effect that the lift has brought. With that whisky, I can impress him, I believe.”
“It certainly is impressive, Your Grace.”
Oliver chuckled. “When you are preparing it in the decanter, feel free to have a sip. It is truly delightful.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. That is very kind of you, and it would be my pleasure to do so.”
“Of course, Wright. I am proud of what we create at the distillery and I am always happy to share it. Now, did you need anything else?”
“No, Your Grace. I have it all under control for Lord Kenley’s visit tomorrow.”
“Brilliant. Thank you, Wright.”
Wright then left the office, and Oliver went back to work. It had been several days since they had returned from town, and Oliver was still trying to catch up. Though, he certainly didn’t regret going. He relished any opportunity to spend time with Jamie these days, and with Priscilla, of course.
Since they had been back, however, Priscilla had been a bit distant, and Oliver wasn’t sure why. He had approached her to tell her that he had sent his sister a letter about their upcoming marriage, which he thought was very good news that she would accept with a high degree of excitement. Instead, she smiled and nodded without much emotion.
He hoped, of course, that it was simply nerves. She had a lot going on in her life right now. They were planning on getting married and she would be spending time with Margaret next week. Oliver had wanted to talk to her about the marriage ceremony, too, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her even more than she already was. Perhaps he would tonight.
* * *
Priscilla was waiting in the library for Oliver. She knew that she hadn’t been herself the past couple of days, but she was so worried about the letter she had received that she was having a hard time focusing on everything else. She hoped that he hadn’t noticed.
The door opened and Oliver came in. He was given a glass of whisky almost immediately, and as he sat down, he was already speaking.
“I am so happy to relax for a bit. I feel like all I have been doing is working since we came back from town. Have I been ignoring you, Dear?”
“Oh, no. Not at all, Oliver. I have been distracted, myself, and I feel as if I am ignoring you.”
“I admit that I noticed you have been a bit distant, Priscilla. Is it because you are nervous about the marriage and spending all of the time with Margaret?”
“Yes, exactly,” Priscilla said quickly.
“It is all right, Darling. I think feeling that way is perfectly normal. Speaking of the marriage, we need to talk about the ceremony. I think it is best for both of us if we don’t make too much out of it. I am happy with us, Jamie, the vicar, Darnerton, and Margaret. They can serve as witnesses unless you have someone else in mind?”
“I would like to have my friend Joan. She lives in town.”
“Wonderful. Get in contact with her, then. Also, ask her if she would accompany you to choose your wedding gown? I will have Wright send an announcement for the newspaper. I was also thinking of having just a few friends around for dinner following the ceremony…if you are agreeable to that, of course. I will send word to my sister, too, but I don’t know if she will make the trip.”
“Yes, all of that sounds quite amazing, Oliver.”
“Good, then it’s settled. When do you think we will be ready for this? I can also have Wright schedule the vicar.”
“I think at least a month. It will take time to get the gown, but I will send a letter to Joan to see if she can meet me in town.”
“Wonderful. I will have Wright set it up. He has a lot going on thanks to my dinner guest tomorrow.”
“Who is your guest? Lord Darnerton?”
“No. A local gentleman. Lord Kenley.”
* * *
Oliver glanced at the clock. Lord Kenley would be here at any time, and he had asked Wright to bring him directly to the office. Now that he and Priscilla had spoken about the marriage ceremony and plans for her gown, he could relax and focus on this meeting.
She was still quite anxious and quiet last night, but he was sure it was just nerves and Priscilla was feeling overwhelmed by everything that was going on.
Oliver heard a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
“Your Grace, Lord Kenley has arrived.”
“Thank you, Wright. Please bring him in.”
Oliver stood and walked over to the table to wait for his guest. Lord Kenley walked into the office, and Oliver extended his hand.
“Lord Kenley. Thank you so much for coming. It is a pleasure to see you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace. I am happy to be here. I can’t wait to hear how you like the lift.”
“Please sit. Would you care for some wine? I also have whisky, of course, and quite a special whisky for after dinner.”
“Wine would be fine, Your Grace. Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Say nothing of it, Lord Kenley.” Oliver sat down across from his guest and took a glass of wine from his footman. “Wa
s your journey easy?”
“Oh yes. Not one problem along the way.”
“Excellent. Now, the lift. It has been such a blessing in the distillery. In fact, it has greatly boosted profits. I can’t believe that this level of industry is available to us now. Isn’t machinery wonderful?”
The Devious Seduction 0f A Wayward Duke (Steamy Historical Romance) Page 23