“Only a month or so, ma’am. He stayed at Helston at first, but then he said he fell in love with the manor and bought it, and got us in—we were living with my Elsie’s sister in Porthleven, but looking for a post just like this.”
Madeline smiled understandingly. “Hard to come by in the country.”
Gatting visibly thawed. “Indeed, ma’am. Is there anything I can do for you? Take a message for the master, perhaps?”
Brows rising, she exchanged a glance with Gervase, then shook her head. “Do you have any idea how long he’ll be away?”
A cloud passed over Gatting’s face. “No, ma’am. In his note he said he couldn’t say, but that we’d be kept on indefinitely. His London solicitor will send our wages.”
“Well, that’s good news then, at least on your account. How did you find Mr. Glendower to work for?”
Gatting waggled his head. “Gentry can be difficult, begging y’r pardon m’lords, ma’am, but Mr. Glendower was a pleasant gentleman—young, not much past his majority, I’d venture, but he was nice, unassuming, easy to do for. Never any fuss or bother. My Elsie was relieved we didn’t have to move on.”
Harry leaned around Madeline. “Did he say where he was going?” When Gatting looked at him, Harry tipped his head toward Gervase and her. “We might be going up to town, and if he’s there, we might look him up if you could give us his direction.”
“Indeed.” She nodded. “That would be the neighborly thing to do.” She looked inquiringly at Gatting.
Who grimaced. “Aye, he did say it was to London he was going, but he left no word of where. Said just to keep any letters that might come for him, although he didn’t expect any.”
“Did he have another man with him?” Gervase asked. “An agent, or a servant or groom?”
Gatting shook his head. “It was only him. Said he didn’t need any man’s help to get himself dressed or saddle his horse.”
“Did he have many callers?”
“No, m’lord, not a one as far as we know.” Gatting paused, then amended, “Well, Elsie did say he’d had a caller one day, while we were off down to Porthleven. Said there were two chairs in the parlor with cushions squashed. Course, he could have just sat in both himself, but she seemed to think it wasn’t so and someone had called. But howsoever, we didn’t ask.”
“Naturally not.” Madeline smiled benedictorially on Gatting. “Thank you, Gatting, you’ve been most helpful.”
Gatting bowed. “I’m only sorry the master wasn’t here to greet you, ma’am.”
With nods, they turned away.
They didn’t speak until they were back on the track; Gervase reined in just before the main road. “So, we’re left wondering whether our conjecture is correct, and Glendower, having bought two mining leases recently, is in truth our ‘London gentleman.’”
She grimaced. “No agent, or at least none sighted. And the Gattings don’t think Glendower is a wrong ’un.” She met Gervase’s eyes. “One thing I’ve learned is that staff generally know.”
He nodded.
“But,” Harry said, “if Glendower is our man, then if he’s left the area and returned to London the rumors and the offers for leases should cease.”
“True.” Gervase gathered his reins. “If they do, then he’s almost certainly the one behind them, but if he remains absent…”
“Then the problem he’s been causing in the district will simply go away.” Madeline glanced at him. “If he stays away and all our problems evaporate, there’s no reason we need to pursue him, is there?”
Gervase nodded, his expression a touch grim. “That would be my conclusion—and unless I miss my guess, that was his conclusion, too.”
She widened her eyes. “You think he realized we were about to descend on him?”
“Don’t ask me how, but his sudden departure at the crack of dawn seems a little too coincidental for my money.”
Madeline considered, then shrugged. “As long as he remains out of our hair, I’m content to leave him be.” Shaking her reins, she urg
ed her chestnut forward.
As he held Crusader back to let her pass, Gervase’s gaze fell on the bright corona haloing her head; he remembered how it had felt when last night he’d run his hands through it, and decided she was right.
He and she had other fish to fry.