“Only back half an hour. And we need to talk.”
He could tell from her tone that it was going to be serious.
“Very well, shall we chat in my study?”
“If you like, although the room tends to be a bit too drafty for my constitution.”
Thomas laughed. “I am sorry, I did not realize. Then shall we sit in the trophy room? I believe it should keep you cozy.”
She nodded, and they went to the room where the old Duke had hung his hunting trophies. Thomas found it a gloomy room and he seldom used it. It smelled stale and musty, but he figured there were no drafts to disturb his Grandmamma.
After settling into the leather chair, he crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap, and asked, “Now then, my dear, how was your trip? Did you have a successful outcome to your investigation?”
Augusta sat very erect opposite Thomas and fussed with her handkerchief.
“Aside from a little shopping and visiting briefly with a few friends, I had a very disappointing meeting with your uncle.”
“I am not going to like this, am I?”
Augusta shook her head. “Not likely.” She then proceeded to narrate the details of the meeting. She added, “So, you see, there is almost no likelihood that he can restore our funds to us, and I can see no way to legally pursue him without creating a huge scandal, as you said previously. And, even if we won a suit against him, he has absolutely no liquid assets. There would be nothing to collect after all his creditors were paid.”
“And the fact that he stole the money from us does not make us legally a creditor?” Thomas asked.
“I think it means he could be sent to prison and there would be no way he could repay us anything from there.”
“You mentioned he had a plan to recover. Did he tell you what it was?”
“I am afraid not. He was most mysterious about it. And knowing him now as I do, I am suspicious it might not be totally above board. I urged him to find work, but he was horrified at the idea—as a gentleman, he said.”
Thomas considered that and said, “And quite frankly, Grandmamma, I have no idea what kind of work he would be qualified for. He has no education in anything practical like law or medicine or even business. He would be lucky to find employment as a dustman.”
“Then it seems we need to find our own solutions,” she said after a moment of reflection.
“And I have been working on exactly that,” he said with a smile and told her of his new venture with George.
“And how exactly do you propose to finance this new operation in your present situation? Have you thought about selling any land?” she asked quite sensibly.
“I am reluctant to sell any of the estate. I feel it would be betraying the family. To answer your question, I am looking to find a few investors.”
“But this sounds to me like a long-time venture. It is not something that is going to bring in immediate money, is it?”
Thomas smiled as he realized what a sharp businesswoman his grandmother was. “Not immediately. But in the long run, it can be very profitable.”
“And what is the estate to run on in the meantime?”
“You must remember, not all of my investments are gone. The estate still makes enough to maintain itself—and us—if we live modestly.”
Grandmother gave Thomas herlook. He had grown up with it, and he knew she was about to pounce.
“Thomas, Wilcox was right about one thing—we need to find you a wife. A suitable lady with a handsome living. All this talk of horses and racing and breeding sounds all very well, but you have a responsibility to the dukedom… to yourself… and to me. You need stability, and it seems to me the only way to recover from our terrible losses is to find you a wife. We cannot count on Wilcox to make us whole and, despite your elegant solution to the problem with the horses, I feel it is too uncertain.
“I want us to give a ball here at Pemberton. I want to invite the most perfectly eligible young ladies of class and distinction and I want you to find and choose a wife with money as soon as possible. That is what I think. Now, when can we schedule such an event, and I shall get started organizing it?”
“And how are we to pay for this extravaganza?”
“My bank account may be nearly depleted, but I still have my jewelry. I have a diamond bracelet I find to be a bit gauche, and it will more than cover the cost of the ball.”
“But Grandmamma, I cannot have you selling your jewelry for my benefit.”
