Pacing beside her and looking around eagerly, Rory appeared even larger than he had last night.
Impulse prompted. Gregory got to his feet and set out in pursuit.
He caught up with the pair as they were approaching the carriage works. He nodded to Rory and smiled at Caitlin. “I thought I’d join you.”
Amused, she arched a brow, then they passed through the open doorway of the workshop and halted.
Jenkins saw them, downed his tools, and came to greet them.
After introducing Rory, Caitlin and Jenkins embarked on their usual review of orders and progress.
Plainly curious, Rory looked deeper into the workshop, studying the activity in the nearest bay, where several of Jenkins’s lads were working on the baseboard of a light carriage.
Gregory explained, “Jenkins was and still is the head stableman here, and there was always a good complement of grooms and stable hands, but over the years, there were fewer and fewer horses and, consequently, less for them to do, so they used their time developing their interest in carriage making. These days, the workshop makes new carriages to order, supplying many of those around about, as well as repairing all types of conveyances.”
Rory tipped his head toward where the lads had fixed the baseboard in place. “That’s impressive.” He glanced at Gregory. “I imagine this lot keep all the estate carts and carriages running smoothly.”
Gregory nodded. “They do.”
“Were you behind setting this up?”
“The carriage works? No.” Gregory added, “I’ve only recently taken the reins here. All that you’ll see was already in place when I came.”
Sensing Rory’s understandable curiosity, Gregory explained how ownership of the Hall had fallen to him. “I arrived only a few weeks ago, and all the businesses on the estate have been established for several years—indeed, from before Caitlin arrived. I’m still finding my way around and learning as I go.”
Rory asked several pertinent and intelligent questions, confirming for Gregory that Caitlin’s lumbering cousin wasn’t the country bumpkin he might encourage people to think him.
“It sounds a bit like the clan system.” Rory tugged at his earlobe, then glanced at his cousin, still engaged with Jenkins. “And Caitlin? What’s her role?”
“She more or less runs the place.” Gregory felt a degree of pride as he watched her finalize something with Jenkins. “In English terms, she’s the chatelaine-cum-steward of Bellamy Hall, but using your Scottish analogy, I suspect she’s operating like a clan leader.”
His gaze on Caitlin, Rory nodded. “Aye. We do have female lairds. And no matter what she thinks, clan leadership runs in her blood.” Glancing sidelong, he met Gregory’s eyes. “Seems she might have found her own clan to lead here.”
His lips curving, Gregory inclined his head. “I wouldn’t disagree.”
Caitlin and Jenkins concluded their discussion, and with a nod and a salute to Rory and Gregory, Jenkins went back to his men and their work.
Gregory and Rory returned to Caitlin. She was scribbling on a piece of paper. They halted before her, and she finished her writing, stuffed paper and pencil into her pocket, then waved them on. “The forge is next.”
Henry Kirk was pleased to see Caitlin and immediately claimed her attention with a request for some specific sort of iron. Gregory introduced Rory to Blackie and watched in amusement as the two rough-hewn men enthused over the delicacy of one of Madge’s creations.
When, eventually, they moved on to the glassblowing studio, it was Gregory whom Vernon wanted a word with; Gregory had given the glassblower sketches of the Cynster coat of arms, and Vernon wanted more details of the stag. While Gregory and Vernon sketched, Caitlin showed Rory about the workshop.
After that, the three of them headed to the livestock pens. Joshua was delighted to welcome them and, as always, was even more delighted to show off his animals. It transpired that an acquaintance with goats was something all three men possessed, and the minutes inspecting the pens were filled with tales of various instances in which goats had run amok. Gregory took the palm with his description of the lengths to which the wily beasts went to invade his family’s hop fields. “Only when the hops are just ripe and perfect for picking, of course. At any other time, they evince no interest whatsoever in those fields.”
“Aye, well,” Rory said. “Goats are finicky like that. They’ll eat just about anything, except what they won’t.”
The others laughed, and they parted from Joshua and walked back and around to the carpentry workshop.
The instant they walked into the large barn, Rory came alive. Surprised by his flaring interest, Gregory looked around, but could see nothing to account for it. Yet even before Percy reached them, Rory had walked to the nearest bench. While Percy and Caitlin conferred, Gregory watched as the big Scotsman ran a palm almost lovingly over a curved piece of wood that was to be part of a wooden chair. He nodded to Joe, who was shaping a chair seat on the next bench, and ambled across to chat.
The exchange grew quite animated on both sides, then Rory moved on to see what Paul was doing.
Eventually, as Percy and Caitlin reached agreement on several implements to be ordered in, Rory approached the very last bench—the one beyond where Percy had been working on a sideboard. A curiously curved, rather thick piece of smoothed wood stood upright on the bench. Rory gazed at it and, almost reverently, ran a hand over the odd curve.
Percy saw what Rory was doing and left Caitlin to stride down the workshop.
Gregory shared a glance with Caitlin, then they followed the master carpenter.
