“And would there be similar opportunities like this in the future?”
“I would like to think so—if you are still interested, of course.”
Arnold rubbed his chin. “This would be strictly confidential—just between us?”
“Of course. We both have a reputation to maintain,” Mr. Campbell replied.
“Hmm. Then count me in.”
* * *
Percy was feeling desperate. He sent a note to Maria right after his talk with the Duke, inviting her to the picnic—which she would need to organize. He would pick her up in his horse cart, but she would need to have the picnic basket prepared. He knew it was asking a lot, but he needed to have a serious talk with her. He did not want to have to go to London to shop for a bride. He had a great fondness for Maria—if not quite a burning love.
She had agreed, and he pulled the horse trap up to the entrance to Creassey Manor promptly at noon.
Maria was waiting for him. A footman loaded the picnic basket on to the back of the trap and they were soon off on their way.
It was another pleasant Wiltshire summer afternoon and Percy had decided to drive to a lake on his family property. One side was partially wooded and would provide shelter from the sun and a pleasant overview of the water.
“I am so happy you agreed to have lunch with me today, Maria. Have you brought us something pleasant for the picnic?”
“I believe so,” she said, taking Percy’s arm as he drove the trap back toward the Billingsford Estate.
“Have you recovered from the dance?” he asked her grinning from ear to ear.
“More or less. But I can see why we entertain so infrequently. It is a lot of work on top of my full household duties.”
“Perhaps you need more staff.”
“Harry likes to maintain a tight ship. While the estate is profitable, it also operates on a narrow margin, as Harry so often tells me. I have no idea what that means, but I know it means we must be careful of our expenses.”
They finally arrived at the lake and Percy helped Maria down and together they lifted the basket off the trap and took it to a pleasant grassy spot in partial sun by the lakeside.
Percy spread out a blanket for them to sit on, as Maria opened up the basket and prepared the lunch.
There were a number of swallows chasing each other over the lake—swooping and shooting back up into the heat-hazy sky. The two were entranced with the birds and conversed only mindlessly until the last of the wine was finished, and the two lay back on the blanket, their hands behind their head and closed their eyes to rest for a moment.
Then Percy hiked himself up on one arm and tentatively asked, “Maria, you know I care for you a great deal.”
“Yes, I know that, Percy. Why do you say this now?”
“We have talked around the idea of marriage, but we have never been very clear about our intentions.”
This caught Maria’s attention and she sat up to face Percy. “Well, dear friend, you never seemed to want to talk about marriage. It appears to me that you like your freedom and your carefree lifestyle and I never thought you were seriously interested in marriage.”
“That may have been true, but there comes a time in every man’s life when he needs to become responsible and begin to think about his future—our future.” Maria surprised Percy by laughing. “Maria… You mock me?”
“Oh, Percy, not at all. It is just that you are suddenly soserious. Has something come up that you want to discuss these matters now?”
Percy did not want to offend Maria by being too blunt, so he edged into the subject by saying, “I am afraid my father is not well.”
“Oh, Percy,” she said sitting up straighter and giving him her full attention. “What has he said?”
“I am not certain it is a physical illness. But he seems distracted and I fear he has not been attending to the business of the estate as he should.” He paused for effect and assumed an attitude of great sorrow. “Therefore, I feel that I must take on more of the responsibility for the family.”
Maria nodded as she added, “That sounds very sensible, Percy.”
It was now time to get to the heart of the matter. “And as a result, I have been taking stock of how I might help and my question for you is—should we marry, what sort of a living do you have to bring to the marriage?” He lowered his head and his eyes to show how painful it was to ask her this question. “Of course, that is not my main motive, but it is a way for me to formulate my future. I hope you understand.”