The Indebted Earl by Erica Vetsch (best new books to read .TXT) 📗

have no idea of the cost of provisions. I left all that to my quartermaster and victualing officer, and the navy paid for it all.”

“Don’t you wish me to hand this over to Mr. Grayson to keep an accounting?” She stared at the coins as if she’d never seen so much money in one place before.

“No. I trust you to see that it’s well spent.”

“Would you also do me a favor, Mrs. Chapman?” Lady Sophia withdrew an envelope from her pocket. “Would you take this letter to the village and post it for me? I promised to write home regularly. If the duke doesn’t hear from me soon, he’ll be down here to investigate.”

“Of course, milady. I’ll do it first thing.”

Charles felt a bit like a herding dog, getting everyone outside. Mrs. Chapman set off with Grayson in a trap pulled by a shaggy gray horse with feet the size of portholes. The housekeeper wore a proud, determined look as she clutched Lady Sophia’s letter in one hand and her reticule in the other. Grayson seemed a bit down at the mouth being forced to run errands in the village rather than accompany them about the estate.

After being cooped up inside all morning, Charles wanted to strike out briskly across the open grass, but with the women along, particularly Lady Richardson and Betsy, he was forced to shorten his steps and reduce his speed. He’d elected to go bareheaded because the only hat he possessed was his naval bicorn complete with cockade, which would look ridiculous with his civilian garb. If he were forced to be on land for very long, he’d have to consult a haberdasher.

Please, God, don’t make me stay on land. Perhaps even now a command was opening up and Admiral Barrington was drafting his orders. Might he be back aboard a ship within a fortnight? Or at the very least, in Portsmouth seeing to the preparations needed to get his ship seaworthy and provisioned?

A sense of urgency dogged his steps, and he organized his tasks in his mind.

First, he needed to get the estate on a solid footing with a reliable man in charge. It was not looking as if Grayson would be that man. Should he inquire in the village, or should he send farther afield? He cast his mind to officers he had served with who were now retired. Might one be suitable?

While searching for the right man, he also needed to sort out the situation with the Pembroke girls. Should he take on the duty as their guardian in his uncle’s stead? If so, he would be responsible for providing them with an education and a safe place to live. The well-being of three young ladies was a serious task for which he felt totally unequipped. Still, with the proper boarding school, they might well flourish.

Lady Sophia stopped to listen to something Betsy was saying, reminding him that he had another responsibility. He had promised to see Lady Sophia and Lady Richardson installed in a cottage by the sea. It was a debt he must pay as quickly as possible. They had already sacrificed enough for him. He felt as if a clock ticked in the back of his mind, held by Rich. Beyond a certain date, Charles would officially be considered lax in fulfilling his promise to look after Sophie.

Debts delayed were debts betrayed.

As helpful as it was to have Lady Sophia, Lady Richardson, and Mrs. Chapman here at Gateshead taking care of the house and the girls, he mustn’t presume upon them any longer than he had to. He must be careful, because the longer he spent with Lady Sophia, the more his heart was in danger.

God, what is it You require? Each time I think I cannot possibly bear up under yet another responsibility or change, one leaps at me like a fish from a net. I long for order and clarity, but both elude me. Why won’t You make Your demands plain to me?

Thea quartered like a ship tacking against the wind. She was as restless as the sea. Had he ever possessed that much energy? His sailing masters had probably thought so once upon a time. He felt ancient beside Thea’s youthful vitality.

Penny and Lady Richardson walked side by side, the older woman’s arm tucked through Penny’s elbow. Charles had never known his grandmothers, but if he could pick one, he would make her just like Lady Richardson. Kind. Wise. Gentle.

Young Penny made him uneasy. If Thea could be believed, this girl on the cusp of womanhood was much enamored of the male gender. Returning her to an all-girls’ school took on a new urgency.

As they neared the cliff, he put his fingers to his lips and let out a piercing whistle. Thea skidded to a halt and looked over her shoulder.

He beckoned her.

She jogged back, eyes full of questions. Sunshine highlighted the freckles on her face, and wisps of red hair played about her temples and cheeks.

“Until I’ve had an opportunity to investigate the stability of that cliff and the staircase leading to the beach, I want you to stay away from the edge.”

“But we are going down there, aren’t we?” She turned so the breeze would blow into her face. “Sophie promised we could go down to the ocean.”

“That is my intention, but not until I am certain it is safe.” He put his finger under her chin until she was looking right at him. “You will stay here until I give you leave to move, understood?”

She lifted her chin from his touch and snapped a cheeky salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

Someone really should curb her insubordination. When it came time to choose a school, perhaps he should inquire into their discipline regimen. She needed to be taken in hand.

He approached the cliff, wary but unafraid. The ground seemed stable enough here, with a worn path cutting toward the edge. Some sort of daisy-like flower danced on the breeze in the tall grass, and he was reminded