“Why?”
“Why? I’m now a man without a profession—that bullet in my gut knocked me flat for a good long while back in Canada, and as much as I relished Army life, it simply won’t do. I’ve a widowed mother and three younger brothers and a sister to support. Gabriel was awfully kind to make me an allowance, and to purchase my commission, but that’s all over now. It was a splendid lark and I enjoyed every minute of it. Time to face the facts, though. Had plenty of time to think on the voyage here. No property to speak of, and I’m too old to be accepting money from a relative, no matter how generous. So I’ve decided,” he concluded cheerfully, “that I must shamelessly capitalize on my family name and my blasted looks, and marry an heiress. Know any?”
The visages of Cecily Orr and Miss Gillingham flashed across Livia’s mind. “The only two I know I wouldn’t recommend to you even if they were eligible. They’re both young ladies who, I am sure, would make you unhappy.”
“I suppose,” Hugo said, eyeing her thoughtfully, “you think I am horribly cold-blooded?”
“I’m hardly in a position to be judging you! Besides, you’re being realistic, and you’re thinking of your family.”
“That’s it. Percy and Francis must be sent to school as soon as possible, and Bertram in his time. And little Gwendolyn must be provided for, too. Ah! Here you are, Mary! Yes, Miss Livia’s making room for your tray, you may put it next to the other one. That’s more like it. And some of Cook’s excellent rolls, too! Thank you very much.”
Blushing bright red, Mary bobbed a curtsy and left, and Livia made up a heaping plate for Hugo which she passed to him, and set a little table at his elbow with his brimming tankard of ale. She poured a cup of tea and helped herself to an éclair.
“Mrs. Penhallow could introduce you to the Polite World, Hugo. Everyone knows her, and she knows everyone.”
“Oh, Lord, Aunt Henrietta frightens me more than Miss Cott! I met her a couple of times as a schoolboy—could rarely afford to go home during the holidays and Gabriel very kindly brought me along with him to Bath. May I trouble you to spoon a little more sauce on these patties? Thank you. In any event, Aunt Henrietta thought me a horrid little terror, and told me so! Probably will never forgive me for the time I slid backwards down the bannister and broke that ghastly old vase and the pedestal it stood on. Worth a king’s ransom, no doubt. Well, when I’ve married my heiress and am rich as a troll I’ll buy her another one, even uglier.”
Livia laughed and took another éclair. “Still, Hugo, Mrs. Penhallow could be very helpful to you.”
“Not to worry, Liv, something will turn up. It always does. The luck is with me, you see.”
“Liv.” She smiled. “I’ve never had a nickname before.”
“Egad, do you mind? I told you I’m not fit to be around proper people.”
“Not at all. I like it very much. But Hugo, do you consider it lucky that you broke your leg and nearly died from an infected bullet wound?”
“To be sure! Brought me here, didn’t it?”
“How is that lucky, exactly?” Livia buttered another roll and handed it to him.
“Thanks very much. I’ll take another whenever you’re ready. Why, I had to sell out because of my injuries, and come home. Needed to do that for my family’s sake anyway. And then there was a tremendous storm as we neared the coast, forcing us to divert to Bude, rather than weigh in to Liverpool as we’d planned. Knew I was doing poorly, and thought that rather than frightening my poor mother half to death by dropping on her doorstep like a sack of turnips, I’d come to the Hall. Much closer, you see. So I’ve been able to meet my pretty new cousin-to-be, and tell Gabriel in person he’s to cut me off at once.”
Livia thought about that hateful little packet of money lying concealed in her armoire. “Hugo, have you any money to get home?” she asked bluntly. “I have a little bit of my own—”
“Lord bless you, child, I’ve enough.” He laughed. “Just barely. Which reminds me—I need to write to the mater and let her know I’ll be back in Whitehaven as soon as I can sit a horse again. Will you bring me pen and paper by and by?”
“Of course,” Livia said, and their conversation wound its way, easily and comfortably, to other topics.
In the corridor outside, Gabriel walked by on his way to his study. He heard Livia’s voice, and Hugo’s deeper one; they both were laughing. He thought, absently, how pleasant it was that Hugo had company; he himself was too busy to be much of a host to the lad. Then he bent his mind once again to the knotty problems confronting him today: a blight afflicting the apple orchards in the northeastern corner of the estate, and a perplexing resistance among some of the laborers to having their old crumbling wattle-and-daub cottages replaced with trim, warm timber structures. It was a mystery.