Daniel fell into step beside Robbie as they strolled down the lane abutting the paddock. They passed through a gate and along a slate path leading to the limestone manor. The afternoon sun glinted off the mullioned bay windows, and ropes of ivy plastered the façade in a dark green web. The garden beds abutting the walkway and lining the perimeter of the house were wild and unkempt, similar to the Tanner brood.
“Of course, with six brothers biting at my heels, I do have to share some of the space. But no worries, I keep the good whiskey locked up tight, and I am the only one with the key.” He winked at Daniel and patted his jacket pocket. “Besides, the lot of them will be at the fair now. You chose a good time to return.”
“I thought you wrote that some of your brothers had married.” He followed Robbie inside and down the front hall. Kitchen odors of cinnamon and apples mingled with the smells of lemon polish and laundry soap. His stomach rumbled as he recalled rhubarb custard pie and mouthwatering apple tarts. He hoped Robbie might serve something of sustenance with that whiskey.
“Alas, a few were not as fleet of foot as I, and the fillies corralled them into matrimony. You’d be hard pressed to recognize the poor blokes with their moon-eyed looks and besotted grins. ’Tis a sorry sight, and you are fortunate to be spared the spectacle.”
“Good thing you have fast feet.” He dubiously eyed Robbie’s tree trunk thighs and thick calves, but recalling his dexterity with the fence, withheld comment.
“Too true.” Robbie agreed affably as he entered his office. “And yourself? Your letters contained a glaring paucity of kiss-and-tell, so I take it you are still in the bachelor state?”
“Most definitely,” Daniel responded quickly, even as his thoughts drifted to Lady Julia Chandler. Their kiss was another detail best kept to himself.
Robbie’s office appeared part business and part makeshift storage room. Bridles, reins, and sundry other equestrian detritus littered the room. The equipment competed with stacks of papers and ledgers shoved haphazardly onto shelves lining one wall. Two desks filled the space and Robbie cleared one of a stack of leather-bound ledgers. “Bit of clutter here, wasn’t expecting company. Just dig out a seat.”
Daniel removed a pair of stirrups from a chair and brushed it clean before lifting his jacket and daring to sit.
Circling his desk, Robbie leaned over and fiddled with the lock on a drawer. Rummaging inside, he withdrew a bottle of whiskey and two tumblers.
He quirked a brow as Robbie generously filled the glasses.
He handed Daniel his, raising his own in a toast. “To the return of a long lost friend. May he be forever found.”
Daniel paused in lifting his drink, staring at Robbie, who drained his glass in one fluid swallow.
Wiping his mouth with his hand, Robbie grunted. “Can’t understand why neither of my brothers allowed me to toast them at their wedding.”
“I haven’t the foggiest idea.” He commented dryly, struggling to keep his expression blank as he savored his whiskey at a slower pace.
“Now then,” Robbie said, dropping into his desk chair, leaning back, and studying him. “While I am delighted to be toasting your return, I have to ask, were you so busy running your company that you couldn’t let me know you were returning for a visit? You might think mills, timber, and transatlantic shipping routes make for edifying reading, but if you were planning a trip home, you might have saved my eyes from glazing over. You could have caught me up in person.”
His lips twitched at Robbie’s cavalier dismissal of his now-prosperous company, Curtis Shipping. He had launched the enterprise with an American friend, Brett Curtis, well over eight years ago. However, news of the company filled the London financial pages as the firm recently expanded its ports from London into Bristol and Liverpool. Brett had accompanied Daniel on this voyage to visit their London office and oversee the expansion. “My apologies that the last ten years of my life made for such dull reading. Next time I’ll add salacious details.”
“Now those letters I would have finished!” Robbie grinned, unrepentant.
He laughed. “Truth be told, I was a bit buried in work, so your reading material would have been slim to none.”
“My favorite kind. Listen to you. You sound like a tradesman or an American. Don’t know what your aristocratic peers will make of you now.”
Daniel stiffened. “I don’t give a damn for their opinions.”
“Now you’re sounding like yourself.” Robbie beamed, delighted. “So what brings you home? When you left England, you vowed never to return.”