Calamity Claresta

by Irene Estep

  She almost confirmed Claresta’s suspicions by saying, "I only know what I’ve heard, or read, that is."

  Claresta clasped her hands tightly in her lap and strived for continued ennui in her tone. "The gentleman has been accepted by the dowager as the true heir, and I see no reason anyone should dispute her."

  The agent gave her a condescending smile. "I do admire Lady Norwood, but you must realize that women, especially those not of the world, are often fooled by charlatans."

  The spinster seemed to have a great deal of knowledge on this score, so Claresta decided to try a different tact. She wasn’t likely to fulfill her mission by antagonizing the woman. And being in Trade herself, she understood Miss Peerlace’s concerns. Many a businessperson had been left high and dry by titled gentlemen with pockets to let.

  "Perhaps, Miss Peerlace, you have heard of a company called Gilbert and Huntington?"

  "Why yes, I do believe it’s a very prosperous enterprise, one of the leading import company’s in the Metropolis--Oh my, and you--Miss Huntington. Oh my, well, I have certainly heard--well, that is . . ."

  Claresta waited for the lady to settle down and quit twitching about in her seat. "As I said, it’s amazing how news reaches even the more remote hamlets of England. But, I assure you, Miss Peerlace, that although the earl," Claresta emphasized the title, "is a little distressed for funds at the moment, it is only for a short while. As far as his identity, if you had ever met the gentleman, I’m sure any doubt would be swept from your mind."

  Claresta raised a hand when Miss Peerlace would have offered a rebuttal and added, "Of course, I realize that is neither here nor there as far as your concerns go. I believe your greatest anxiety is whether your clients will be assured recompense for services rendered to Norwood Manor. My family and I are imposing on the dowager’s and the earl’s generous hospitality for a short duration, and I feel it my responsibility to pay for any extra costs incurred to assure our comfort. If a letter of credit is needed--"

  "Nothing of the sort," Miss Peerlace piped. Her long back hunched over the desk in study of the record book for several minutes then she said, "You know, Miss Huntington, I just remembered there is a family of immigrants by the name of LeClair, who live near Holkam. Three teenage girls and an older boy whom, I might add, did wonders for the gardens at Haverton. They’ve had a most difficult time of it since Lady Chelsworth turned them out."

  "Lady Chelsworth?"

  "I do not mean to speak ill of other clients, Miss Huntington, but Lady Chelsworth can be rather difficult to deal with, especially if she believes one of her family has been maligned."

  Claresta had been the recipient of Lady Chelsworth’s bitter denunciations. Curious to learn of others the lady had disparaged, she asked, "Nothing serious, I suppose."

  "Hmm. It would be very impertinent of me to repeat the tattle of servants. From their perspective things can become quite slanted, you know."

  Claresta almost laughed, thinking it would take little urging on her part to get the woman to pass along any gossip she’d gleaned in the matter. "Miss Peerlace, if I’m to make an intelligent decision as to this family’s qualifications, I must know of the incident that caused them to be discharged from their previous employment."

  "You are right, of course. Lady Chelsworth’s tale is, er, well, somewhat unimaginable. You would have to know the lady to understand she is easily excitable and possibly she made an erroneous judgment in this instance. She made quite a big to-do out of the gardener, young LeClair’s ‘incompetence,’ as she put it, in spite of the fact his work speaks admirably for itself. The daughter, Lady Emmeline . . . well, I cannot certify it to be the gospel, but the other servants seemed to think the girl may have been spending too much time admiring young LeClair’s work, if you take my meaning."

  Claresta stood. "That quite decides it for me, Miss Peerlace. Notify the LeClairs we need them at Norwood Manor immediately."

  Claresta warmed to the agent when a look of approval crossed the woman’s face. As she started to leave, Dr. Adams stepped into the one room office with a look of purpose in his features.

  She realized Miss Peerlace was acquainted with the doctor, when the woman’s face turned ten shades of crimson, and she said in a brisk voice, "Dr. Adams, I do believe I asked that you make an appointment the next time you wished to see me."

  "‘Tis not you I’ve come to see, Levina, but Miss Huntington." He turned to Claresta. "I heard you were in town, my dear, and thought I’d come escort you back to the inn."

  Claresta glanced from the doctor to the agent. The familiarity with which the doctor had addressed Miss Peerlace had not escaped her. She could feel the tension crackling around the pair as they glared at one another. She hesitated before saying, "That is very kind of you, Dr. Adams, but--"

  "Nonsense, Miss Huntington. Kindness has nothing to do with it. It shall be a pleasure to place myself in such amiable company for a change."

  He looked pointedly at Miss Peerlace, then gazed down at Claresta with a gleam of adoration she decided must be purely for the other woman’s benefit, since the doctor had shown no such fondness previously. He finally drew a response from the agent when he added, "Perhaps we could have nuncheon together and resume the intimate discussion we embarked upon a few days ago."

  Miss Peerlace sputtered. "You-you, sir, possess not a speck of sensibility for one who spends so much time seeking enlightenment. Now if you will excuse me, Miss Huntington, I have a previous engagement." With that she lifted her sharp chin and slender shoulders and marched out, leaving her office unattended.

  "Oh my," Claresta said, jumping when the door slammed. "What did you do to make her so angry with you?"

  "With Miss Peerlace, one never knows."

  Claresta thought the doctor may have deliberately tried to incite the woman to jealousy by placing his attentions on her. She doubted he could have known of her visit to the agent’s office before he entered the room and saw her sitting there. "I do hope she won’t change her mind about sending out the servants I requested."

  "There is little fear of that happening, Miss Huntington," Dr. Adams said. "Miss Peerlace has never given up an opportunity to make a guinea, thus far."

  There was no mistaking the rueful tone in his voice or the spark of regret reflected in his eyes as he starred at the door the agent had recently exited.

  As it turned out the doctor found he had no time for a simple repast or the discussion he’d promised Claresta, and she felt a trifle relieved considering the sullen mood he’d fallen into as he walked her back to the Inn. She hoped the urgent business he professed to have included finding the smitten woman and making amends for whatever transgressions he’d committed.

  Claresta may never have experienced love, but she recognized it in others. She remembered well that same look of repressed passion when her mother and father were at odds with one another.

  * * *

  When Claresta and her party arrived back at Norwood Manor, Mrs. Williams seemed a bit discomposed. Aunt Ester and Reggie went immediately to their rooms to rest before changing for dinner, leaving Claresta to deal with the problem.

  "Now what is the matter, Mrs. Williams?"

  The woman wrung her hands and bobbed once again before answering, "Three more for dinner this evening, Miss. Reckon Coggins will fly into the boughs when I tell him."

  "I assume Lord Norwood to be one of them?" Claresta wondered about the other two, but she figured Mrs. Williams would get around to telling her eventually.

  "Yes, Miss. His lordship is quite recovered and eager to come below stairs. Would of been down earlier, excepting Mr. Rutherford came ‘round this morning--he used to be the bailiff, Miss, before the old earl passed on. Anyhow, Mr. Rutherford has been shut up with his lordship ever since. ‘Twould not surprise me none what the gentleman has a setback from all the computation and consultation what’s been going on in his rooms all the day long."

  "I’m quite certain Lord Norwood knows his limits, M
rs. Williams." She was even more certain that Shipley would have found some way to get rid of Mr. Rutherford, had Drake’s interview with the former bailiff become too stressful. "You said there would be two guests, Mrs. Williams."

  "A Mr. Thurmond," said the woman, shaking her head and twisting her hands together again. "Said he come all the way from London and would be staying with us a few days."

  Claresta was happy her solicitor had finally arrived with the papers she needed, but she could guess the cause for the housekeeper’s agitation. "A family named LeClair should arrive by morning, Mrs. Williams, to help you and Coggins with the chores. "Assign the women duties as you see fit, but the young Mr. LeClair should be given the position of gardener."

  "So kind of you, ma’am." The housekeeper bobbed, and the deep dimples once again appeared in her wide cheeks.

  "Nonsense. And as for this evening, you have free rein to instruct my footman, Douglas, to help out as you see fit. But, after the LeClair’s get here, I will need Douglas. My groomsman took ill shortly before our departure from London and could not accompany me. Therefore, I’ll want my footman to act in his stead. I’d like to see a bit of the countryside during my stay." With Lord Norwood, Claresta thought, as soon as he was up to it.

  Mrs. Williams informed her that Mr. Thurmond could be found in the library. "Not a speck of dust to be found there now, Miss," the housekeeper said proudly. She’d spent a good deal of time cleaning that particular room to the dowager’s satisfaction.

  Claresta, quite anxious to speak to her solicitor before dinner, hurried to the library.

  * * *

  "You look a bit haggard, my gel." Thurmond said after greeting her with a light peck on the cheek.

  "I am a little tired. We’ve just now returned from a trip into King’s Lynn."

  "Hah! By we, I presume you mean your aunt and Lord Westhaven. With them two accompanying you, ‘tis no wonder you are so done in. Heard from Edwin how his brother invited himself along."

  "You spoke to Edwin? How are things with him?"

  "I suppose you mean the business, what? Edwin is going on quite well without you, I’d say. Good lad, that one. Should think about putting him as trustee on the settlement. No, no, don’t give me the cocked eye on this one. Guess you’d been thinking of asking your grandfather’s old friend to do the duty, what? ‘Twould be better, I say, to have a young’un like Edwin. He’d be looking after you a good long while after I stick my spoon in the wall."

  "I’m sure that will be a long time off," Claresta said.

  Forgetting his manners, Thurmond sank down onto the chair fronting the desk with a heavy sigh. Claresta eased into the chair beside him. "It is kind of you to consider what’s for my best interest, sir."

  No doubt he’d expected her to object to his reasoning. Contraire to his thinking, she had not wished for Mr. Thurmond to act as her trustee for the business, knowing his capabilities had decreased and his attention grown lax over the last several years. The muck he’d made of things by overlooking Baines’ mismanagement had been ample proof of that.

  Although, when she asked him to include the Equity In Trust agreement in the marriage settlement, she expected him to offer his services, so she was rather pleased by his quick dismissal of the idea. Whether sincere or not, he could not retract his statement of good-sense now.

  The trust was the only way to keep the family business from being sold off or otherwise misused by an unknown entity. A woman and her personal items were chattel to her spouse to do with as he pleased, but under the Statute of Uses she could keep tangible property such as Huntington and Gilbert in trust for herself or her children. But she’d have to fill in the name of said trustee before the settlement was completed.

  Edwin was the one person she knew would not abuse his position. If only she had another few months until he reached his majority. There was no telling what sort of manipulations Lord Westhaven would try against his brother until then. Claresta wanted to give it more thought before making such a lasting decision. She folded the papers and excused herself to retire to her rooms and dress for dinner.

  * * *

  Rutherford, the former bailiff, emphasized some of the estate problems as he’d explained them to Drake earlier.

  "The old earl was closed minded to new ways, my lord. One third of the lands remain fallow under open-field farming. Without the major landowner’s consent for enclosure, there’s been nothing that could be done to correct this waste."

  "The new ways have their drawbacks as well," Drake said. "I’ve been studying the lands of the villages hereabouts that enact the enclosure process, and I have found the small farmers have suffered greatly."

  "Aye, that is so, my lord. Some of those using the common lands don’t hold formal title, anyway. But I can see no help for it, if you wish to make a boon of yer inheritance, that is."

  "Perhaps. But happy tenants and neighbors makes for greater profits in the long haul," Drake said, then quickly made his decision. "We’ll petition for enclosure. I can see the sense of it. But we’ll not do anything at the expense of the small farmer, titled landowner or not. I don’t want anyone forced out simply because they cannot afford enclosure."

  "Aye, sir, many have suffered just so since the old lord died." Mr. Rutherford scratched his head. He’d never known a titled gent to be so considerate of the lower classes. "Are you sure you want me to be reinstated as bailiff, my lord. Conyers won’t be too happy about that."

  "You let me worry about Conyers. I may not have any legitimate say as yet, but Lady Norwood has as much, nay, more right, than Denton to hire an overseer to the estates. She’s made it quite clear to me that she rued the day Denton discharged you. She has given me leave to do as I see fit and, after talking to the tenants, I don’t see that Conyers is doing much in the way of bettering things."

  "As you wish, sir. But I doubt you’ll get any of the other landowners around these parts to share the extra expense you’re bound to incur with these changes, my lord. Chelsworth is as bad as the late earl about clinging to the old ways."

  "Then I’ll just have to figure out a way to convince him, won’t I?" Drake slapped his bailiff’s back good-naturedly and added, "For now, my good fellow, let’s go down and see what treats await us at the dinner table."

  Drake knew he’d made another faux pas when the bailiff and Shipley exchanged a startled look.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  "I had hoped you could stay long enough for us to discuss the immediate needs of the tenants," Drake said. Now that he was recovered, he wanted to get started on any repairs and such that he could accomplish by his own labor.

  "Perhaps," Shipley intervened, "Mr. Rutherford would prefer taking his meal with the servants, my lord."

  "Nonsense," Drake said. He had no desire to seem more the bumpkin than he already had to Miss Huntington, but neither was he a man to cowardly back down once he’d extended his hospitality. His grandfather always said, "Steadfastness gains the respect of an employee and promotes a lifetime of loyalty. The respect of one’s peers can be earned moment by moment and lost in that same length of time."

  Drake cleared his throat. "I already informed the dowager you’d be joining our other guests. Only if you’re strongly adverse to the idea, will I not insist."

  Had Lady Norwood turned into such a teaser? Rutherford wondered. But then he’d heard she’d become a bit dotty in her old age. The bailiff had shared victuals many times with the old earl when they became engrossed in estate business. However, he’d never done so with guests present. The dowager either found it quite amusing when the American insisted on a man of the lower class share the dinner table with his guests, or she was no longer accountable for her actions.

  Either way, Rutherford thought it would be an entertaining anecdote to add to the grand news of his reinstatement as bailiff that he’d tell Mrs. Rutherford later. The dear woman had little enough entertainment of late, what with caring for seven children and making do with the barest of comforts her
husband had been able to provide. Rutherford knew Denton expected to have seen the last of him when the solicitor had discharged him as the estate’s bailiff. But with the small patch of freehold property adjoining Norwood land, which Rutherford inherited from his brother, he had remained in the area and become an eyewitness to the increasing waste of good farmland due to Conyer’s negligence. The man often was too foxed to carry out his duties. And even sober, he lacked the skills necessary to run a large estate. When the tenants complained, Conyers blamed Rutherford for inciting them.

  Last year, Denton had sent his man, Baines, to buy Rutherford out. When the former bailiff would have none of it, the florid fellow had called him a pastoral nitwit.

  It would be quite the rub should Denton and Baines get wind of the former bailiff’s preferential treatment by the new lord. "If you’re a’mind to have me, your lordship, I should regard it as an honor to accept."

  A few minutes later, they entered the drawing room where the others were waiting. Drake introduced the bailiff, and, as he’d feared, brows were raised.

  Several "Oh dears" were spoken by the stout lady sitting on the sofa with the dowager, and a "What, say what?" erupted from Mr. Thurmond.

  Drake overheard Claresta shush Lord Westhaven’s mumblings about the impertinence of those of today’s working class. But the dowager seemed unruffled by the entire affair.

  "Mr. Rutherford." Lady Norwood lifted her hand as the fellow made a reverent bow before her. "How good it is to see you again."

  "’Tis a great honor, your ladyship, to return to the manor house under such favorable circumstances."

  An approving gleam appeared in the dowager’s eyes as she turned to Drake. "I knew you’d be sensible, my boy. You reinstated him, did you not?"

  "I did.

  "Splendid. We shall talk of it later."

  "Mr. Rutherford," Claresta said and stepped forward to greet them. "Lord Norwood. You are looking very fine, sir." Her warm smile set to rest any misgivings Drake had about her distaste for his uncultured lapses.