The Unknown Heir

by Anne Herries

  Hester glanced up as he stood on the threshold. She was immediately aware of his rage and rose to her feet. ‘Is something wrong, cousin?’

  ‘You’re damned right there is!’ he said. At that moment he looked and sounded more like his grandfather than he had any idea of. ‘Did you know—did you know about those cottages? The conditions those people have to live in…have you seen the way Mrs Blinch has to bring up her child in that ruin of a place? It’s no wonder the babe is never free of colds.’

  ‘You have been to Mr Blinch’s cottage?’ Hester was taken aback by his attack.

  ‘And to a few more, though that was the worst. I am surprised at you, Hester. I would have thought you would do something about it.’

  ‘You are accusing me of neglect?’ Hester was startled and then offended. She had not called on the Blinch family since her return from London, but it was her habit to take gifts of food and clothing to many of the poor in the village. ‘We do not actually own their cottage. Mr Blinch works for us, it is true, but the cottage is his own—Grandfather sold some of the cottages to the tenants years ago. Mr Blinch wanted to own his cottage and Grandfather agreed.’

  ‘From what I understand, the cottages you do own aren’t much better—and as the main landlord in the district you could have done something for the family, even if it was only to move them into something better.’

  ‘We do what we can, but money is tight. We repair the cottages in turn—and it is really Mr Blinch’s responsibility to repair his own roof.’

  ‘You sold them the damned place, and he works for your family. Mrs Blinch said they offered the property back to your grandfather in return for repairs that would make it habitable.’

  ‘I did not know of this,’ Hester said. ‘I am not sure Grandfather does either. But we do try our best. It just isn’t possible to do all the work necessary. You visited the village, but there are other cottages on the estate where repairs have been made.’

  Jared’s eyes narrowed. ‘You knew about these things and yet you were only concerned about restoring the fire damage here—and you are preparing to give a ball for friends. Don’t tell me that doesn’t cost money.’

  ‘We have accounts for wine and foodstuffs.’ Hester flushed beneath his scornful gaze. ‘They will be paid in time.’

  ‘They certainly will. Roberts will bring them to my attention, I dare say.’

  ‘If you are here,’ Hester said with a flare of defiance.

  ‘Oh, I shall be around long enough for that,’ Jared told her. ‘I might have ignored what was going on if I hadn’t seen it, but this place is sinking into the mire. If someone doesn’t do something, you will all go under.’

  ‘I know the situation leaves much to be desired…’ Hester had never seen him like this and it made feel uncomfortable. It was as if he were blaming her for all the ills that had befallen the estate and the people that worked for the family. She had done her best with what little resources she had, and she felt hurt and humiliated that he should speak to her in such a fashion.

  ‘Too damned right it does! I wouldn’t keep my horse in a ruin like that cottage,’ Jared said. ‘I’ve given orders for it to be pulled down and rebuilt.’

  ‘You’ve done what?’ Hester was taken aback. ‘What are the family supposed to do in the meantime?’

  ‘I’ve arranged for them to move into the dower house until the new cottage is prepared for them, and I’ve instructed Roberts to have the doctor call on them by tomorrow morning at the latest. His bill will be sent to me here.’

  ‘I am not sure that Grandfather would approve of your acting in such a high-handed way, sir.’

  ‘If he wants my money for this house, he will swallow it,’ Jared said grimly. ‘If you will excuse me, I am not fit for a lady’s sitting room. I have things to do. I shall see you this evening.’ He turned and pushed his way past Mr Grant, who was staring into the room in stunned silence, and disappeared from view.

  ‘Well, really,’ Mr Grant said, walking into the room as Hester sat down again. ‘I must apologise to you for such a show of bad manners, Hester. I think he must have lost his mind, speaking to you in such a way.’

  ‘He was angry,’ Hester said, her hand trembling slightly as she poured the tea. Tears were stinging behind her eyes, but she was too proud to give way in front of Mr Grant. ‘I know the cottage is terrible, and some of the others are not much better, but there simply wasn’t any money to spare. We had to attend to our tenants as and when we could manage it.’

  ‘The blame cannot fall on you,’ Mr Grant said. ‘To subject the ears of a delicate lady to a tirade of that nature is not the behaviour of a gentleman.’

  ‘I have the responsibility for what goes on here. When my father died, Grandfather became ill and could see no one other than my mother and me for months. I have done what I could, but…’ She shook her head, refusing to let the viscount’s accusations upset her. ‘Tea, Mr Grant?’

  ‘Thank you, milk but no sugar,’ he said, giving her a look of such sympathy that it made her cross, which helped to restore her natural balance. ‘It is unfair that you should have carried such burdens. No lady should have to concern herself with business matters.’

  ‘I assure you that I do not consider it a burden,’ Hester said, smothering a sigh. ‘It has disturbed me that we could not do more repairs, but…’ She shook her head. Had it been selfish of her to care more for Shelbourne House than the villagers’ cottages? She was not immune to their distress, but the house was very dear to her heart.

  ‘Miss Sheldon—my very dear Hester…’ Mr Grant had got to his feet and then, as she stared at him in bewilderment, he rather awkwardly went down on one knee. ‘You must know that it would give me great pleasure to take you away from all this…to make you my wife. I am not a rich man, but I have sufficient for our needs and you would want for nothing that a delicate lady requires. You would never again have to bother your pretty head over money or estate matters.’

  ‘Sir! Mr Grant, I beg you will please get up,’ Hester said. She stared at him in dismay. If it was not enough that she had just endured a lecture from Jared, now she was being forced to deal with something she would rather not. ‘Mother…’ She gave a sigh of relief as Lady Sheldon walked in. ‘How is Grandfather?’

  ‘Oh, the same as ever,’ Lady Sheldon said, looking at her daughter and then the rather flustered-looking Mr Grant. ‘Do forgive me if I have interrupted something?’

  ‘Oh, no,’ Hester said and glanced at her embarrassed suitor. ‘We shall speak again another time, sir. Forgive me, but I am a little upset for the moment.’

  ‘Oh…yes, of course,’ he said. ‘Excuse me.’ He went hurriedly from the room, leaving mother and daughter together.

  ‘Oh, dear,’ Lady Sheldon said, looking rueful. ‘I did interrupt something, didn’t I?’

  ‘Yes, thankfully,’ Hester told her wryly. ‘He tried to gain my attention earlier and again just now. It is very awkward, Mama, for I do not wish to receive a proposal of marriage from him.’

  ‘I should think not,’ her mother said. ‘Your grandfather could not stand him living here and we cannot do without you, Hester.’

  ‘I think you will find the situation is changing,’ Hester replied, looking thoughtful. ‘The viscount just harangued me for not doing something about Blinch’s cottage. He has ordered it pulled down and intends to rebuild—and he has had the family moved to the dower house until their new cottage is ready.’

  ‘Yes, so Mr Roberts told me. He was very pleased about things. He says that the viscount is a revelation…whatever that means.’

  ‘I am sure he is doing the right thing—but he blames me for neglecting the Blinch family and not having their house repaired.’

  ‘It was not truly your business to do so, my dear. I know they live in terrible conditions, but Blinch might have taken a hammer and nails to the roof himself.’

  ‘It was in bad condition when they bought it, and I dare say Mr Blinch has enough to do. He w
orks for us and he keeps pigs on that piece of land he owns. I suppose he did not realise that cottages need repairing often when he asked to purchase it.’

  ‘Yes, I dare say. I suppose he imagined it would be advantageous to own his home, but ownership brings responsibility.’

  ‘That is what Cousin Jared was implying,’ Hester said. ‘He thinks we are bad landlords and intends to show us how things should be done.’

  ‘I have observed that he is a determined gentleman,’ Lady Sheldon said and smiled at her daughter. ‘Be content that he is prepared to do something for the estate, Hester. If he lifts the weight from your shoulders, it cannot be a bad thing. You have enough to do with the house and servants, I imagine.’

  ‘It is only a matter of time before he starts to tell me what I am doing wrong here!’

  ‘No, I do not think it,’ her mother said. She gave Hester a knowing look. ‘Surely, this is what you hoped for, my dear? You could not have expected that things would remain the same. Indeed, they could not. I had visions of the house being sold over our heads. I shall sleep very much better now that the viscount is in charge here.’

  ‘Yes, well, of course, it is his place to handle the estate matters,’ Hester agreed with a frown. ‘But he was angry with me, Mama. I have not seen him that angry before.’

  ‘I do not think it was truly you that aroused his anger,’ Lady Sheldon told her. ‘And I am certain that once he has calmed down, he will realise that none of this was your fault. You did not gamble the family fortune away, and you have done your best to hold us together this long.’

  ‘I do not think he sees it that way,’ Hester said and shook her head. ‘I shall not think about it, Mama. I am far more distressed by the knowledge that I have yet to allow Mr Grant to speak. I shall refuse, of course, but I do not think anything will stop him from asking.’

  The truth was that she was far less upset by the knowledge that she would have to bear with Mr Grant’s proposal than the attack on her by the viscount. She had thought they were becoming friends. How could he think so badly of her?

  Jared had already begun to calm down and to realise that he had been unfair to Hester. His disgust at the way a family like this had squandered their wealth and allowed their land and property to fall into neglect had made him so angry that he had poured it all into her ears. She had been struggling to keep the family above water for months, and she had done what she could for a few tenants. He frowned as he changed out of his riding breeches and stripped down so that he could wash the stink of the stables from his body. Anyone seeing him now would be aware of the strength of the man, his muscles toned and hardened, his skin slightly tanned by the sun. He looked powerful and confident, a man in his prime.

  Jared’s fury eased as he dressed. It wasn’t Hester’s fault things had come to this pass. It had taken years of careless management and reckless gambling to bring a once-proud family to this. He knew that he had been wrong to blame her as she had undoubtedly done what she could and it was not she who had brought the Shelbourne family to this precarious state.

  He had intended to walk away once he’d set work in hand at the house, to cut and run before he was sucked in, held by tenuous bonds that were growing tighter with every hour he spent here. He groaned as he began to pull on clean linen and the clothes one of the servants had set out for the evening. A young footman was waiting on him, and he was pleased by the man’s choice. Frederick would make an excellent gentleman’s gentleman, and he would need one if he decided to make his home here in England. At home he had often dressed carelessly, enjoying the freedom to work with his hands or ride out where he pleased without bothering about what he wore. It would be different if he stayed here, became the man this family needed.

  Was he really considering it? Jared frowned at himself in the shield-shaped mahogany dressing-mirror. The furnishings in his apartment were adequate, but he would want to make changes. He could send for his furniture from his home in New Orleans, instruct Red to sell everything there, because he doubted that he would live there again—though he would keep some of his property in France.

  Was he mad? Jared stopped in the act of brushing his hair. Why should he contemplate spending a fortune on this house? Why should he sink thousands of dollars into the estate of the man who had not even bothered to find out anything about his American grandson until he had no other choice?

  Because his mother would have wanted him to rescue her family from the pit they had worked themselves into! The answer came to him like a blinding flash. It was the reason he had been drawn here against his will. He had fought it, but the serious eyes of a young woman had made him accompany her down here, and the feeling that this house, this life, was his future had been growing on him ever since.

  Jared swore softly. It seemed that he was caught whether he liked it or not, and it might be as well to tell his relatives that their worries were over. He could afford to turn this estate around without even noticing it, and he would—but he could still leave when it was done, still go back to his old life.

  What did he really have waiting for him in New Orleans? Friends, his cousin, property…but he could have most of those things here. He might have something more if he hadn’t blown his chances with Hester earlier.

  Would she forgive him? Jared pondered his future. He would need a helpmate in this place, a woman who could put up with him as he was, because he wasn’t likely to change. Jared had a temper. He was used to having his own way in most things. The woman he married would have to accept that, if she could. He had asked Hester to find him a bride; at the time he had been jesting, but now he saw that the right wife would be necessary if he were to make a life here. He would just have to see if things worked out as he hoped.

  Hester changed into a pale grey evening gown. Most of her gowns were grey, because she had been in mourning, and she had only a few in colours. This gown was not one of her best. She asked her maid to dress her hair in the old severe style and she wore no jewellery when she went downstairs that evening. She was determined to show the viscount that she was not prepared to flatter him by making an effort with her appearance. He had taken the estate affairs into his own hands and she could only be grateful for that, but she would draw back a little. It would not do to become vulnerable where he was concerned. If she allowed herself to like him too much, she might be hurt.

  Jared was already in the drawing room when Hester entered. Lady Sheldon was there also, and they seemed to be talking together. Mr Grant had withdrawn from them and was staring out of the window, clearly preferring his own company. Lady Sheldon looked at Hester and smiled.

  ‘Cousin Jared has something to say to you, dearest. He tells me that he owes you an apology.’

  ‘I was rude to you when I came back this afternoon,’ Jared said, looking at her seriously. ‘Forgive me. I should not have blamed you for the condition of those cottages. Lady Sheldon has told me that you have always done what you could for the villagers.’

  ‘You are forgiven,’ Hester replied. She lifted her head proudly and gave him a regal stare, aloof, reserved but polite. ‘I understood that you were angry, and I am relieved that you have done something to help.’

  ‘I was just telling Lady Sheldon that I think we should tear down all the cottages one by one and rebuild. Spending good money on repairs is a waste of time when we can build modern cottages with some indoor sanitation and walls that do not run with water.’

  ‘It would cost a great deal of money,’ Hester said, wrinkling her brow. ‘Are you prepared to invest so much here?’

  ‘Yes, I believe I have no choice,’ Jared said. ‘If I am to live here as the heir—and, in time, the duke—I must be satisfied that things are as I should want them.’

  Hester stared. His announcement was all that she had prayed for, but somehow she was not prepared for it. It would make her life so different, so much easier in some ways—and so difficult in others.

  ‘Yes, of course,’ she managed. ‘I am…delighted that
you have decided to make this house your home.’

  ‘As to that, I dare say I shall spend some of my time in London,’ he said, ‘Though when I am there I shall make sure that things go on smoothly here.’

  ‘I see…’ Hester breathed more easily. If he were not always here, she might be able to bear it when he was in residence, at least for a while. ‘Have you told Grandfather yet?’

  ‘No, but I intend to do so this evening, after dinner,’ Jared said. He frowned at the reserve in her that had not been there before. ‘I trust that my plans for the village meet with your approval?’

  ‘Of course—but it is your decision, sir.’

  ‘Are you angry with me, Hester?’

  ‘No—why should I be? You have apologised and that is enough.’

  ‘I think she ought to be angry if she is not,’ Mr Grant said, coming out of his lurk at the far side of the room. ‘You were abominably rude to her earlier, sir.’

  ‘Yes, I was,’ Jared admitted. He would have said more, but felt it inappropriate at that moment. ‘Hester has been kind enough to accept my apology.’

  ‘It is fortunate for you that she is good-natured,’ Mr Grant said and glared at him. ‘If someone spoke to my wife in that way, he would answer to me.’

  ‘Please, Mr Grant, say no more,’ Hester begged. ‘It is forgotten.’

  ‘You must be aware of my regard for you, Hester. I have never been more shocked in my life—to hear this…person speak to a lady in that way…and the lady I admire above all others!’

  ‘Really, it does not matter,’ Hester replied. ‘Viscount Sheldon had his reasons to be angry and I do not dispute them. Besides, if he is to put money into the estate, he has a right to do as he pleases.’

  ‘Put money into the estate?’ Mr Grant scoffed. ‘I doubt that he has any to speak of.’

  ‘In that you are mistaken, sir,’ Jared replied easily. ‘I was intending to tell you privately, Lady Sheldon, but let me assure you that your financial worries are over. I have decided that I shall spend what is necessary to turn this estate around. When I first came here I was not certain that I wished to use my money for that purpose, but I have made my decision. The new cottages are but a part of it. Tomorrow I shall speak to a builder recommended to me by Mr Roberts, and we shall set all the work that needs doing here in hand. Though, of course, we may need to employ more than one master builder and I dare say the work will be ongoing for some time—though I hope to repair the fire damage in time for the ball.’