“I’ve never seen her out in Society without the veil, and then I’ve only seen her a handful of times.”
“She no doubt stays away from the gaming hells.”
“Touché, Mama.”
The duchess sipped her tea. “I believe her father insisted she wear the veil. He was embarrassed by her birthmark. I don’t believe she was ever given a Season or presented at court. Even here, where we are quite remote, she’s only recently taken to going out without the covering.”
“She wasn’t wearing it when she took me to task. Accused me of neglecting the tenants.”
“Did she?” His mother smiled. “So the gel has some backbone after all.”
Henry bristled. He’d thought at least his mother would be offended for him. “You won’t even defend me?”
“Do you ever read my letters, Henry? I constantly tell you to see to your tenants. The best thing for them is when you sell their land to a landowner who will actually care for it.”
“And what about my steward? Gillett writes me weekly with updates.”
“As I told you in the letters I sent, Gillett is a drunk. He does even less than you, if that is possible. And now Shrewsbury has hired him, and everything will probably fall to complete and utter ruin. But I imagine that’s exactly what the marquess wants.”
“What do you mean?”
His mother set her teacup down. “Henry, did you ever take a moment to wonderwhyShrewsbury targeted you?”
“I wouldn’t say he…” But Henry paused. Come to think of it, until recently, Shrewsbury was not a regular at the gaming tables at White’s. He tended to watch more than participate. “Do you think he targeted me?”
“Even if he didn’t, what sort of man takes the estate of another, a duke, no less? A man only does that if he wants to ruin the other.”
“But why would Shrewsbury want to ruin me?”
“I don’t know. I suggest you begin your quest to make everything right by discovering Shrewsbury’s motives. You must have wronged him in some way. If you can make it right, perhaps he’ll give you the land back. You might prevail upon his sense of honor. As a gentleman. Not that I think he has much, mind you. Look what he did to his daughter.”
“I imagine she knows why he hates me. I’ll start by speaking with her.”
“Good idea. Finally, you are talking sense.”
“And then I need to find a local conjure woman and see about having this curse reversed.”
His mother sighed. “And we are back to nonsense. There are no conjure women in this area, Henry. I strenuously advise you against telling anyone else about this curse unless you’d like to be known as the Mad Duke.”
But Henry wasn’t listening. He walked to the window and studied the view of Carlisle Hall from here. He needed to get inside and see Lady Katherine.
Chapter Five
Katie returned homefrom taking bread and jam to the Brown family, another of her tenants, and shook out her wet cloak. Drizzle had fallen all morning, and she was damp and cold. Fitch, her father’s man who had come to the estate to act as butler, took her cloak and umbrella. “His Grace came to call again,” Fitch said.
Katie gave the man a quick glance. He might look neutral, but she knew he did not approve. She suspected her father had ordered Fitch to keep an eye on Katie and ensure she stayed where the marquess had put her. Her father had probably not anticipated the Duke of Carlisle, his arch-nemesis, would come to the dower house at Carlisle Hall, and he would definitely not want his daughter associating with the duke. That was fine with Katie. She didn’twantto associate with the duke.
“Did he say what he wanted?” she asked, feigning disinterest.
“No, my lady. He asked if you were in, and I told him no.”
“Next time he comes, tell him to stop wasting his time. I will never be at home when that rogue comes to call.” She removed her hat. “What about Gillett, Fitch? I’ve sent for him twice. Has he answered?”
“Not yet, my lady.”
Katie blew out an annoyed breath. Ever since the day she had gone to the Fallows’ farm, she had wanted to speak to the land steward. First, she’d had to ascertain who that was. Fitchhad pretended not to know, and her letters to her father on the subject went unanswered. Finally, one of the maids had told her, and Katie had asked Fitch to tell the man she wished to speak to him. She would have thought that a summons from the lady of Carlisle Hall would have sent Gillett running, but thus far, he had not deigned to call. She couldn’t fathom what he might be doing that was keeping him. She had yet to see him on the tenant farms or out on the estate, and she’d walked much of it and visited almost every farm now. Whatever the man was doing, he was not stewarding the land.
Katie squinted at Fitch, who was an inch or two taller than her. He was about forty and almost bald, and he had a look about him that made her think of a hungry dog. He would probably do anything her father asked. Was it possible he hadn’t notified Gillett she wanted to speak to him?
