Sarah Mallory – The Illegitimate Montague (страница 10)
‘No, no, have I not said I shall stay a little while?’
‘How long?’ she pressed him. ‘More than a couple of weeks, I hope.’
Adam hesitated. To remain in Castonbury, where he was clearly thought of as the illegitimate Montague, would not be easy, but he did not wish to leave his mother again so soon. Before he could reply William Everett, the estate manager, cleared his throat.
‘And where might you be thinking of staying?’
‘I am sure the Rothermere Arms will have a room… .’
‘There is the old keeper’s lodge, by the south gate.’
Joe Coyle snorted at Mr Everett’s suggestion.
‘No one’s lived there for many a day.’
‘True, but the building’s sound,’ said William. ‘I’ve been in the village this morning, and I think it might be a good thing to have someone living near the south gate again.’
One of the housemaids gasped, her bright eyes lighting up at the hint of gossip.
‘Oh, why’s that, Mr Everett? Has there been some trouble?’
‘It may be nothing, Daisy,’ he said cautiously, ‘but I heard that Mrs Hall was accosted on her way to Castonbury yesterday. Damaged some of the stock she was bringing back with her.’
‘Dear me, never say she was travelling alone?’ said Hannah. ‘Why did she not use a carrier?’
‘No one’ll work for her,’ replied Joe Coyle, pouring himself another glass of small beer. ‘The last carrier she used was set upon. Had his nose broken. She can’t keep any staff either.’ He wiped his lips and leaned forward, warming to his theme. ‘Bad things happen to ‘em. They get warned off.’
‘Oooh, who by?’ breathed Daisy, hands clasped to her breast.
Coyle shook his head.
‘Nobody really knows, but I think it’s the clothier over at Hatherton. Stands to reason, she’s competition.’
‘But surely she should go to the magistrate,’ said Adam, keeping his tone impartial.
‘No proof,’ replied Coyle shortly. ‘No one will say anything, but I had it from Mrs Crutchley, the butcher’s wife, that the new man’s been trying to drum up business in Castonbury. She says his prices are very good.’
‘Well, I don’t care how good he is,’ retorted Hannah stoutly. ‘We have always used Ripley and Hall to supply our needs and we will continue to do so.’
Adam was heartened his mother’s response, but the conversation worried him. He had been inclined to dismiss Amber’s assertions about her competitor, but if Parwich really did mean her harm, Adam did not think the boy or the old man he had seen at the warehouse would be much help to her. If he stayed at the lodge he could be near his mother and perhaps keep an eye on Amber as well.
William Everett pushed back his chair and rose from the table, saying as he did so, ‘Well, the offer is there if you want it. ‘Twould do the place good to have a few fires lit and I’d be glad to have it known that there is someone living there, especially while we have the lady on her own at the Dower House—’
Coyle snorted contemptuously.
‘The lady!’
William Everett frowned.
‘You’ll watch your tone, young man. If the lady’s case is proved, she’ll be your new mistress!’
‘Lord Jamie’s widow,’ explained Hannah, observing Adam’s raised brows. ‘She and her child have been installed at the Dower House, which is within sight of the old lodge. I confess I am a little worried for her, living there with only a few servants.’
Adam rubbed his chin. He could afford to pay for the best rooms at the inn, but the lodge was conveniently close to the great house.
‘Very well, Mr Everett, I will take up your kind offer and move into the keeper’s lodge for a while.’
‘Very good. The place was adequately furnished, the last time I went in, but of course there is no mattress.’
‘I will send one over directly,’ put in Hannah quickly. ‘I will look out some spare bedlinen too. Daisy will come over and clean the rooms for you. Perhaps Cook will allow Becca to help her. The place will be inches thick in dust.’
‘That is very good of you, Mrs Stratton,’ said Mr Everett. He turned to Adam. ‘I am going that way now if you would care to come and look?’
‘I will,’ said Adam. He drained his tankard and set it back on the table.
‘P’raps Mr Everett can find you some work on the estate.’ Coyle grinned. ‘By the looks of you, a few extra pennies wouldn’t go amiss.’
Adam smiled. If only they knew!
‘Don’t worry,’ he said mildly, ‘I’ll manage.’
Hannah’s chair scraped back. She said brusquely, ‘It
is time we were all back at work. Daisy, clear away, will you?’
Thus dismissed, the servants quickly went about their business.
Hannah put her hand on her son’s arm.
‘Will you come back later, for dinner?’
‘Of course. First I am going to see my temporary quarters.’ He grinned. ‘And then I think I will ride into Castonbury and find myself a new coat!’
‘And there’s another two customers have closed their accounts.’
Frederick’s tone was as dismal as the gloom at the back of the shop. Amber rubbed a hand across her eyes.
‘They live near Hatherton, Fred. I am not surprised that they prefer to buy their cloth from Matthew Parwich.’
‘And what about Mrs Finch, when you tell her the block-printed cotton she ordered is ruined?’
Amber drew a breath, fighting back her anger.
‘It is
It would wipe out any profit she had hoped to make, but if her customer was satisfied, then that was all she could hope for.
‘And then there’s the cloth for Castonbury Park—’
‘Most of that was undamaged.’ Her hold on her temper was slipping and she waved her hand at her clerk. ‘I will finish going through the order book, Fred. Please go and fetch a taper to light the lamps, or our customers will not be able to find their way in.’
She waited until he had left the room, then dropped her head in her hands.
Poor Fred, he was worried about the business, but he had a propensity to gloom and it would do no good to let him see her own anxiety. The attack yesterday must have shaken her more than she thought, for she was not usually so low. The tinkle of the shop doorbell brought her to her feet in an instant, the order book laid aside. Two young men entered. Their clothing was rough, and there was a certain swagger about them that immediately made her wary, especially with the daylight fading. She greeted them as she would any other potential customer, but remained behind the counter.
‘We wants some ribbons,’ said the taller one, looking about him with an insolence that made her want to order him from the premises.
‘Aye,’ sniggered the second, a spotty youth with ginger hair, ‘for our lady-loves.’
‘They are all there, by the window.’ She pointed to the display, the colours glowing in the last rays of the setting sun.
The young men walked across to the window.
‘Just these?’ The ginger-haired youth sniffed. ‘We came all the way from Hatherton and this is all you got? That ain’t good enough.’
‘Then I suggest you go back to Hatherton and buy your ribbons there,’ she retorted. She wished Fred would hurry up and return.
The taller of the two approached her.
‘Now that ain’t very good business talk, is it? What about this piece here?’ He picked up a length of scarlet ribbon from the counter and held it up. He pointed behind her. ‘And we’ll take a look in those drawers back there—’
He broke off as the bell tinkled again and Amber looked past him. She could not prevent the smile of relief at the sight of Adam Stratton in the doorway.
His quick gaze summed up the situation instantly and he stepped up, eyeing the two youths as he drew off his gloves.
‘Good day, Mrs Hall. You have customers, I see. Pray do not fret over me. I shall amuse myself while you deal with them.’