original Greek and Latin. He turned even more reclusive after his only son died, and now foolishly allowed his brother Walter and his family full run of his estate.
Lord Trevlyn gazed at Thomas with his soft, kind eyes. “Did your father tell you I wanted to speak to you?”
“Yes, he did, sir.”
“Then after dinner, eh?”
“Of course,” Thomas replied, at a loss to know what Trevlyn could possibly want to discuss.
* * *
Despite his misgivings, Thomas enjoyed dinner. Perhaps, he thought wryly, it was because he’d concentrated on his meal, saying little, while Mrs. Trevlyn and her daughters jabbered non-stop about that most exciting event, the up-coming London Season. As always, Lord Trevyln was a gracious host. Even his brother, Walter, who usually remained quiet, was congenial.
When dinner was finished and the ladies had adjourned to the drawing room, Lord Trevlyn settled with his guest in the library, each with a glass of fine brandy in his hand. “So you’re going to Ireland,” Trevlyn observed.
Thomas sat back in his chair. “I am indeed, sir, at my father’s behest. He owns land in County Mayo, as I’m sure you are aware.”
“Did you know that I, too, own land in Ireland?”
“No, I did not.”
Trevlyn appeared to be musing as he swirled the brandy in its glass. “My land is not nearly as fruitful as your father’s. Fact is, it lies in County Clare, near Galway Bay. Full of rocks, I’ve been told, and not good for much of anything but growing potatoes and grazing sheep.”
“That’s interesting, sir.” What on earth did Trevlyn want?
“As long as you’re going to Ireland, I would be most grateful if you’d check on my land as well as your father’s.”
More delay. Thomas felt an instant’s squeezing disappointment. But this was his father’s best friend, so there was only one possible response he could make. “I would be most happy to, sir.” But why?
“You’re curious, aren’t you?” asked Lord Trevlyn with a knowing smile. “You cannot fathom why a man as rich as I, owner of countless tracts of land here in England, could possibly be concerned about one small, barren patch of land in Ireland.”
Thomas sipped his brandy. “That did occur to me.”
“I hardly know myself,” came Trevlyn’s surprising reply. “I confess I lost interest after Randall—” a look of sorrow crossed Lord Trevlyn’s face, and he cleared his throat. “It has to do with my son, I think. Randall has been gone these many years now.” He sighed and continued, “I disowned him, and for good reason. Yet, as the years have gone by, I find myself thinking of him more and more. It’s as if... I find it impossible to explain, but I have the feeling Randall wants to tell me something, that there’s something unfinished, there, near Galway Bay, something I should know.”
“Have you any idea what?”
“Try not to think me a fool, Thomas.” Trevlyn uttered a self-deprecating laugh. “Although I am one, I suppose. Before he fled England, Randall talked about that piece of land. There was a cottage that overlooked the sea, and a bit of land for raising sheep. He showed an interest in it, although I have no idea if he ever actually visited the place or not. It’s just that... I simply...”
The poor old man was floundering. Thomas hastened to put his mind at rest. “Say no more, sir, of course I’ll go. If there are people living on your land, what shall I say?”
“Tell them... well, I suppose you should try to collect the rent,” said Lord Trevlyn, growing thoughtful. “Not the back rent, which I fear would be too great a hardship, but in future, tell them they’ll have to pay. That’s only fair, don’t you agree?”
“I do indeed, sir.”
“Well, then, I am most grateful.” A gleam of relief lit the old man’s eyes. “Lord knows, there’s not much joy left in my life, although it’s a consolation knowing my estate will be left... in good hands.”
That pause before good hands gave the old man away. What a bitter pill to swallow, Thomas mused, that Trevlyn’s only child, once his pride-and-joy, was dead, and now his brother and his greedy, tiresome family would inherit his beloved Aldershire Manor, and all the rest.
* * *
Later that night, as Thomas drove their curricle the short distance home, he asked his sister, “Where is Galway Bay anyway?”
“On the west coast of Ireland, I believe.” Penelope patted his arm affectionately. “It’s most generous of you. You did not have to say yes,