“Then you shall find yourself, Sir, in rather a minority. I do believe that most people enjoy having the same conversation over and over again.”
“Well, I shall state most firmly that I enjoy your conversation, false teeth and all.” Hugh laughed. “But I must admit, you really have rather put me off trying anything at all on this glorious table.”
“Oh, I do apologise,” Serena said and laughed. “But I rather see myself in the role of saving you in this instance. You have glorious teeth, Sir, and I should not like to see them blacken before my very eyes.”
“It is an attitude which does you credit, My Lady.” Hugh bowed elaborately. “And I thank you for it.”
“You are most welcome,” Serena said and seemed to fix his eyes with her own. “And you are also most welcome to join me in the drawing room of Lady Belton on any Wednesday afternoon you care to play bridge. I attend most weeks, Sir, and I have a standing invitation. I daresay if you need to find an invite of your own, dear Charles Lockhart will come in most useful.”
Chapter Five
As the sugar banquet began to draw to its conclusion, Hugh decided he might make his way outside and take a little air. He had not, in the end, attempted any of the sugary delights but did, however, feel really rather hungry.
Serena Edison and her family had left Lady Seaton not half an hour beforehand, and Hugh found himself whiling away a little time alone since Charles was heavily engaged in a conversation in which Hugh did not have any inclination to partake of.
Rather Hugh had wanted to dwell in his imagination for a while, thinking of nothing but the beautiful golden hair, pale skin, and blue eyes of Miss Serena Edison.
Hugh set off through one of the side doors of the great hall which led along rather a wide sort of a corridor. If he had his bearings right, as Hugh thought he did, he must shortly come upon a backdoor that would lead to the outside world, perhaps even a small terrace of some sort. Surely five or ten minutes in the fresh air would be enough time to return and find his friend ready to leave.
In no time at all, Hugh found just such a door positioned just prior to a full turn in the corridor. He hurried towards it but drew up short a few feet away.
Feeling sure he heard voices, he remained silent for a moment. Hugh felt certain he had heard the word copper, and something about it had agitated his own instincts. Hardly breathing, Hugh strained to hear.
“We need to get the searches done as soon as possible, and as discreetly as possible. My father and my brother are keen to know in what direction the seam runs.”
“I am sure they do, Lord Cunningham, but I must caution you not to become too excited on account of it. You might have found nothing more than a simple pocket of copper. There is nothing to say that there lies a rich seam beyond it.”
Hugh’s eyes widened; he felt certain that the voice of the second man was undoubtedly that of Nigel Pettigrew. So, perhaps the man did know a little about metal mining after all?
Hugh wondered just how close to the turn in the corridor the two men were and wondered further if he might risk silently creeping up to the corner in the hope he might see just which Lord Cunningham was in company with Nigel Pettigrew. After all, there had been no sign of any of the Cunningham family all night in the great hall, and Hugh thought it rather safe to assume that they had not been particularly invited.
Clearly, this was nothing other than a clandestine meeting made in such a place as the two men might think they would not be observed together.
Of course, it could only be one of two Lord Cunninghams. It was either Richard or Oscar.
Hugh very quickly weighed up the benefits or lack thereof in risking gaining a sighting of the men. Whilst the words alone ought to be enough, he had no doubt that Gabriel would be keen to know which of the Cunningham family Nigel Pettigrew had been in conference with. Judging it easier to try to gain that information than explain why he did not have it, Hugh silently made his way further along the corridor.
As he reached the corner, he flattened himself face forward against the wall and slowly, so slowly, inclined his head so that he might see.
Fortuitously, the two men were some distance along the corridor and were facing each other, both being sideways on to Hugh Farrington’s vantage point. The very moment that Hugh had seen everything he needed to, he slowly retracted his head out of view. He did not need to see any more. He knew with certainty that the two men in conference were indeed Nigel Pettigrew and Oscar Cunningham.
Knowing that he had not been seen, all that remained was for Hugh to listen and gain as much as he could from the conversation. Of course, he knew he must remain sensitive to the sound of any movement, and rather thought that, should he hear footsteps, he would hurriedly tiptoe back along the corridor and dart out the side door into the darkness.
“I think we ought to be a little more optimistic than that, Pettigrew,” Oscar said rather waspishly.
Hugh could not help smirking; Oscar Cunningham was such an arrogant young fool. At around one and twenty years, Oscar was the youngest son of Cornelius Cunningham, the Duke of Horndean, and he was not a young man who was very much liked.
In truth, to a person who did not know him, Oscar Cunningham looked wealthy and respectable enough. However, he had a reputation for great arrogance and a sense of self-entitlement that extended to more than simply money and belongings. It was known widely that one of the things that Oscar Cunningham thought was his right, irrefutably his right, was any young lady who happened upon his path. More particularly, Hugh had heard more than one tale of Oscar Cunningham’s cruel treatment of female servants and maids. Not only in his own home but often in that of those he visited. It made him a most unwelcome figure in society, although his father’s influence as one of the more powerful men in the North of England ensured that Oscar Cunningham’s lack of popularity served as no handicap to the boy.
“Indeed, Lord Cunningham. You might well find a rich seam of copper on the edge of your lands. The problem is, you very much need to discover the direction, do you not?” Nigel Pettigrew said, significantly.
Hugh chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. No doubt their concern over the direction of this alleged seam of copper was largely due to the fact that it was on the edge of their land. And Hugh rather thought that the edge of the Cunningham land would undoubtedly herald the start of another man’s land. Perhaps even the land of the Duchy of Calgarth. After all, for a great stretch of several miles, the Duchies of Calgarth and Horndean were butted up against one another.
“There is one other thing for you to consider, Lord Cunningham,” Nigel Pettigrew went on. “There is a great need for discretion in this matter. There are those who would wish to discover further details of your mining interests.”
“But we have no current mining interests as yet. We are not traditionally connected with mining in any way,” Oscar said, and Hugh felt suddenly a little uncomfortable.
“Something has been discovered at some point, Lord Cunningham. I have lately been approached by someone who was keen to discover firstly if I had any mining interests and, secondly if I knew of any that the Cunningham family might have.”
“And who, Sir, was so specific in his questioning?” Oscar Cunningham said in his most demanding tone.
“It was Lord Hugh Farrington. He was lately at a garden party held by Lord Edison at Rosedale Manor. In truth, I rather formed the suspicion that his sole reason for being there was to seek me out and question me upon the matter. At any rate, he was hardly discreet.”
“How the hell have the Farringtons found out about our interests? Who else have you spoken to?” Oscar, unable to control his childish outburst, rather shouted.
“I have spoken to none, Sir. I did not particularly speak to Lord Hugh Farrington either. I cut him short and told him that I knew nothing of any mining interests in the County.” Nigel Pettigrew sounded justifiably annoyed and insulted. “But if you find you have your suspicions about me, Sir, then I can only suggest y
ou speak to your father about them.”
Despite realising how badly he himself had blundered at the garden party, Hugh could not help some slight amusement at Pettigrew’s manner. No doubt he knew well that the Duke of Horndean trusted Pettigrew implicitly and that Oscar the upstart would find himself squashed by his father for raising such concerns. What a very clever man Nigel Pettigrew was. Of course, notwithstanding the fact that the man was very clearly nailing his flag to the front door of Horndean Hall.
“Oh, do not stand so high on your dignity, Pettigrew. It was a simple question,” Oscar said gracelessly.
“Well, first things first,” Pettigrew went on, not taking the bait. “I shall have mining surveys arranged immediately.”
“And be discreet, man,” Oscar said, his arrogance still riding high. “Have a care that nobody sees any activity around that new pit entrance. Whilst it is well hidden, the sight of any man dropping down into it will raise curiosity.”
“Indeed,” Pettigrew said, shortly. “Well, I believe that concludes our business this evening. If you will excuse me, I shall return to the sugar banquet. I do not want to excite comment or suspicion by my absence. I trust you can illicitly make your way out via the way you came in, Sir?”
Hugh realised immediately that that was his cue to depart. Racing on tiptoe, he reached the door and silently left through it, hoping all the while that it was not the same entrance that Oscar Cunningham intended to use.
As he plunged out into the darkness, Hugh rather thought that the gardens around the back of the mansion would have benefited greatly from some ornate hedging, perhaps even fashioned into the shape of a peacock. After all, as far as he could see, there was nowhere for him to hide.
Fortunately, there was no need for Hugh to hide at all. Whichever entrance Oscar Cunningham had used, it was not the one that Hugh himself had dashed out through into the night.
Chapter Six
“Well, whatever it was you said to Nigel Pettigrew cannot have been particularly discreet, can it? It is clear, Hugh, that Pettigrew had you uncovered almost immediately.” Gabriel almost spat the words.
“What is clear, Gabriel is that Nigel Pettigrew has long since been working alongside the Cunninghams and, as such, would have found my very appearance at Rosedale Manor unusual. The very fact that I was at a garden party with a family I had never before been introduced to would have raised his suspicions before I even spoke,” Hugh said. He was utterly furious with the Duke.
“Yes, yes,” Gabriel said, but he continued to pace the floor of the drawing room and shake his head. “I daresay that much is true.”
“And I note there is little mention from you of the information I have been able to discern. Information that I most certainly would not have gleaned from speaking to Nigel Pettigrew in person, whatever side he might have chosen to be on.”
“Indeed, that is true, brother. Please forgive my manner,” Gabriel said in a tone which Hugh thought was far from contrite.
“In fact, I fail to see how that plan of yours would have gathered such information as I have found this last day,” he went on.
“Forgive me,” Gabriel said and finally stopped pacing and took a seat opposite his brother by the fire. “And yes, it is true that you have been able to discover something that my weaker plots would not have done.”
“I daresay that does not matter now,” Hugh said as he calmed considerably. “For in the end, it is the information that is important, is it not? The method of gathering and the identity of the gatherer are very much secondary.”
“I thank you, Hugh,” Gabriel said sighed. “And indeed, this information is truly important.” Gabriel leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling. “So, there is a pit entrance somewhere on the Horndean borderlands, you say?”
“That is as I understand it. And I am sure that I must have heard it correctly for Oscar Cunningham is most keen that men should not be seen to go in and out of the pit entrance. I understand that it is somehow hidden.”
“Very clever,” Gabriel said and nodded in a way that seemed almost appreciative of the Horndean cunning. “And I can only think that it must border with an estate important enough or powerful enough to fight for their own rights in the thing. After all, I very much doubt that the copper, if there is any, will run in a manner and direction as dictated by the Cunninghams. There is a very good chance, as they have probably quite rightly already ascertained, that this seam of copper they have discovered will run below the ground on somebody else’s land. If not entirely, then at least in part.”
“How much of our land borders their land, Gabriel?” Hugh said. He found himself suddenly surprisingly interested in the whole thing.
“At least twenty miles, brother,” Gabriel said and winked. “I realise that is but a tiny proportion of their perimeter, but what other family in the County would pose such a threat to them as ours?”
“You really think that this pit entrance could be at the border of the Cunningham and Farrington lands?” Hugh said, sitting up a little straighter in his seat.
“It is merely a feeling, Hugh,” Gabriel said and smiled at his brother. “And I think it can do us no harm whatsoever to try to locate this pit entrance. Even if it is not on our own lands, we can at least frustrate their plans by informing and standing by whichever landowner is affected.”
“Surely they cannot simply run roughshod over another’s land without recompense?” Hugh was squinting in thought.
“Not over it, no. But under it, maybe.” Gabriel rubbed his hands over his chin, and Hugh could hear the faint rasp of stubble. The Duke needed to shave. “And that is the thing with mining, you see. I am fairly certain that it is rather a finders-keepers set of rules. I shall, of course, speak to our attorney about it all. But I have an idea that once a mine is sunk, the person who sinks it is the owner, and anyone who comes along after-the-fact is the loser. It all very much relies on knowledge. Not just knowledge, but timely knowledge. If we can locate this pit entrance and perform a survey of our own, then we might well be able to halt any proceedings by claiming an interest in it before a mine is sunk. Or, if it is not adjacent to our land, then we can help the landowner, whomever it might be, to claim their interest.”
“But if that landowner is not a wealthy one, brother, then is there not a chance that the Duchy of Calgarth will find itself paying for any subsequent court proceedings and attorney’s fees?” Hugh said, spreading his hands wide.
“It is very likely, Hugh. However, it is a price I am prepared to pay.”
“Just to stop the Cunninghams profiting from a new copper mine?”
“Precisely that, Hugh,” Gabriel said almost defiantly.
Hugh could not deny that his little bit of clandestine eavesdropping had rather gained his interest. Prior to that, his brother’s assertions that the idea of the Cunninghams sinking a mine was somehow either interesting or important had been entirely lost on Hugh.
Hugh had always disliked the Cunninghams, but he really rather thought it to be a simple case of loyalty. He disliked them because his father had disliked them. He disliked them because, as the twists and turns of childhood development took hold, he came to view them all as somehow responsible for the death of Aunt Verity. The aunt neither he nor any of his brothers had ever seen.
However, as he had grown into a man, Hugh had rather found there was much more of interest in life than the continuance of a decades-old feud. In truth, from the very moment he had reached manhood, Aunt Verity and the Farrington-Cunningham feud had very much taken a lower position on his list of priorities. Secretly, the somewhat more interesting world of parties and young ladies had usurped the feud’s importance to Hugh.
And yet, something about overhearing Oscar Cunningham and Nigel Pettigrew in the corridors of Lady Seaton’s home had somehow made the whole thing of much more interest to Hugh. Perhaps it was simply that it was Hugh himself who had made the greatest discovery of all so far with respect to the mining situation. Perhap
s Hugh had somehow decided to own the thing, finally feeling himself a true part of it rather than simply being a flag waver for either his father or his older brother. Hugh was in this thing, and it was Hugh who had brought them so much further on in the matter.
“So, you intend to discover the pit entrance, Gabriel?” he went on.
“I most certainly do,” Gabriel said and nodded.
“And who will you employ to undertake such a thing? After all, can even servants of the Duchy be trusted? Might they not let something slip? After all, the Cunninghams thought they were being discreet, and yet we ourselves quickly learned of their interest in mining.”
“You make a very good point, Hugh,” Gabriel accepted and went back to rubbing his grizzled chin. “I start to think that we must undertake the search for ourselves.”
“You and I?” Hugh said, suddenly wondering if he truly was interested after all. Did he really want to find himself wandering the borders of the Cunningham lands looking for a hole in the ground?
“No, not just the two of us. We still have Lucas, Spencer, and Philip. Between the five of us brothers, we ought to be able to manage the thing.”
“Then might I suggest we start with the boundary of our own land? That will simply be four miles apiece, and we will not stand out too greatly whilst we are standing on our own lands.”
“Indeed, Hugh,” Gabriel said thoughtfully. “But even then, we shall need to exercise absolute secrecy. We might even need to make such searches in the hours of darkness. After all, if this pit entrance does indeed border our own lands, then there is every chance that Cornelius Cunningham has some sort of a watch on it. Especially now that Nigel Pettigrew has indicated our interest in the matter.”
“That sounds very sensible, Gabriel,” Hugh said with a sinking heart as he imagined himself wandering about in the dark on the edge of the Duchy lands.
Regency Romance Collection: Regency Fire: The Historical Regency Romance Complete Series (Books 1-5) Page 10