The Duke Didn't Want Love — He Wanted a Practical Wife. Then Her Carriage Arrived 40 Minutes Late
Chapter 17
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Avery had imagined himself a conscientious landlord; he had never considered that a woman might spend her days moving the few precious objects she possessed to keep them dry while his office recorded the repairs as completed."Mrs. Elwood," he said, "I came to ask exactly what you require before the next rain.""A roof that holds," she said. Then, perhaps frightened by her own bluntness, she added, "Your Grace...""You need not apologize for that answer."She pointed out where water entered, where the plaster loosened, and which room her sister had been unable to use. Avery listened without interrupting.Then he asked Fenwick what could be done immediately with material already in hand. The carpenter proposed securing the new leak at once, then replacing the entire damaged slope before October ended: it was a larger order than the temporary work of September, with its own written estimate and delivery tally. Avery approved the work from funds separately set aside, with payment recorded openly and without requiring a decision about the disputed old bills.He returned to Briarcombe to arrange a direct way for tenants to send written complaints through Mercer if they feared their message would be lost in the estate office: it was a small change, almost embarrassingly obvious once he had thought of it. He signed instructions for the repairs before any word came from Helena; he did not know whether she would ever return.By afternoon, Fenwick's men were working on the exposed section, their hammering carrying over the village lane. The whole roof could not be made new in a single day, and Avery did not pretend it could. A brief report traveled to Marian's household through the ordinary business of arranging future inspections; Helena heard that work had begun and made herself wait before drawing conclusions.On Saturday, Avery invited the affected tenants and contractors to a small meeting in a ground-floor room at Briarcombe. He had asked Marian to attend, and she had brought Helena after making clear that no personal conversation was required.Helena stood near a window while men and women who ordinarily lowered their voices before a duke took seats on ordinary chairs. No one applauded his entrance; he was grateful for that.Avery had prepared notes, though he left them on the table when he began. "Certain repair sums were entered as paid, although the work described was not completed," he said. "We are examining the records independently. I shall not accuse anyone beyond what can be established. But there is something I can say now without waiting for another paper: the estate failed to repair roofs for which it was responsible, and I failed to see it."He told them which temporary works had started, when fuller replacements were intended, and how legitimate unpaid accounts would be checked and settled. He did not promise that every sum diverted would be recovered; his estate had resources enough to begin repairs without waiting for that uncertain outcome.