Engaging the Enemy (The Wild Randalls 1)

Determined to put the troubling conversation behind her, Mercy lifted her gaze to the gardens. She caught sight of a procession of servants coming from the far reaches of the estate and heading for the abbey. At first, she was puzzled until she remembered she had left Leopold in the study on that side of the building.

Curious to know exactly why Leopold needed all her outdoor servants, Mercy climbed to her feet, and crept toward the study to engage in some discreet eavesdropping.

Chapter Eleven

Leopold scratched the name of the last Romsey servant on the cramped sheet and slid it under the desk blotter for safekeeping. By his calculation, the estate had far too few outdoor staff to manage the grounds, and not enough housemaids to keep the abbey pristine. No wonder important matters had become neglected. No wonder the dust was thick in the corners of every room.

“Your brandy, Mr. Randall,” the butler said.

“Thank you, Wilcox. Pour yourself a glass as well. You sound like you need one.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Leopold scowled. “Enough of that. We’re alone.”

The butler took a careful sip, and then another. “It won’t do to relax the proprieties. You will need to appear in control of the whole household, including me, if you are to succeed quickly at setting the place to rights.”

Leopold drained his glass. Being the nearest thing to lord of the abbey didn’t sit well with him, but Wilcox was right. He had to show he was in control here, at least until the new steward was hired and settled in, in order to get what he wanted done quickly, and without any further grumbling. The first way to do that was to raise everyone’s wages.

He pressed his fingers against his brow rather than look at the mess piled high on the far side of the room. He had cleared a space earlier, but he had merely cleared the desk and chairs rather than deal with any of it. “Wilcox, might you direct me to the books of account. I’d like to know how the estate’s finances currently stand.”

Wilcox set his glass down, and moved to a nearby bookshelf. “From what I understand, the estate is financially sound. Very little has been spent to drain the coffers in the last few years besides keeping up the necessities. The duchess has never been given to extravagance, and there should not be any outstanding debts.” He held out a narrow ledger.

“Thank you.” Leopold opened the cover and began to flick through the first pages. “Do you by any chance know if this has been kept up to date?”

“I believe she did her best, sir, but she is unused to such matters and more than once grew frustrated with her lack of experience and knowledge. I believe she’s kept all her correspondence from her London man of business and solicitors separate in the left hand drawer since the steward left.”

Leopold leaned to the side and yanked open the drawer. Ah, neatness! At least Mercy knew enough to keep the most important papers together. The drawer should contain details of his cousin’s will, disbursements, as well as the guardianship details for young Edwin. Familiarizing himself with those important facets of the estate would be his next chore, quickly followed by checking the ledgers before he approached Mercy about increasing the wages of everyone employed on the estate. Given the skin-flint habits of the past duke’s and their wives, he’d better have a firm grasp of the realities of the

estate finances before he tried to convince her to dip into the family coffers.

Wilcox cleared his throat. “I’ve assigned a footman for your use. Jennings will be waiting outside whenever you require assistance. Dinner will be in an hour, sir, and your valet is awaiting you in the blue suite.”

Leopold pinched the bridge of his nose to hide his surprise. God in heaven—not the blue suite! He’d never survive if he had to spend more than one night in there. But unfortunately he couldn’t very well explain his reluctance to the butler tonight. Tomorrow he would assess the work required in the east wing and see if the space was in anyway livable. Better far away than close to temptation.

“While I appreciate the thought, I do not require a footman to attend me. My man Colby provides all the assistance I need. Jennings can return to his usual duties. Thank you, Wilcox. I’ll finish up here directly.”

Once the butler disappeared, Leopold threw his quill to the desk. What a bloody mess the estate was in. One glance at the surly faces of the servants proved just how bad things had become for them. Money would smooth the way to a certain degree, but the young duke and duchess needed to be seen as generous by their people more often for his peace of mind.

There had been a level of dissatisfaction that had his senses prickling with unease. The grounds men were bitter, at first. Less so once they understood that Leopold meant to make changes to improve their lives. But until those changes came to pass he would have to be on hand to smooth the way. That meant he would probably have to accompany Mercy and Edwin on any outings, just to be certain they remained safe.

He’d hate to leave only to find them in more trouble should he ever return.

Leopold dropped his head to his hands and ground his temple hard. He hated being at Mercy’s beck and call. He hated that everyone would see him stand so close to the young duke and speculate about his ambitions to gain the title.

He didn’t want any of this. He wanted Oliver, Rosemary, and Tobias to look after, just as he had when they were small.

A knock on the door brought a groan from his lips. He just needed a moment longer to curb his impatience before dealing with anyone yet. He couldn’t engage in another skirmish with Mercy now. He’d likely give in and help himself to what she offered. When the knock came again, Leopold groaned. “Come.”

Colby’s head poked around the door. “Am I disturbing you, Mr. Randall?”

The disappointment of seeing Colby, and not Mercy, at the door was momentarily unsettling. He pushed it away. “Yes. But the intrusion is welcome. Come closer.”

His valet shut the door behind him and eyed the room. “Is it safe?”

A laugh escaped Leopold. Gods, he needed Colby’s direct way of speaking to improve his mood. “There’s nothing else alive in here. Nothing dead enough to stink up the place either. It’s relatively safe.”

Colby picked his way across the room until he reached the desk. “I hope I did the right thing by following the duchess’ instructions today to move us to the abbey, sir. Her note was very insistent that you should be settled in here before nightfall.”