Felicity sent her friend a mock scowl, which earned her another grin in return. When it was clear that Bethany felt not the slightest bit of remorse, Felicity sighed. “I am just so excessively fatigued—body, mind, and soul.”
Bethany’s expression softened, her eyes filling with concern. “Perhaps you ought to consider retiring to Farleigh Manor for a few weeks. A bit of time in the country would do wonders for you. Since much of your business revolves around ledgers and correspondence, there is no reason you cannot maintain most of it while you are away.”
Felicity began shaking her head before Bethany finished her sentence. Uncle’s estate—or rather, her estate—would not bring any comfort. The house was too large and empty. Felicity bit on the inside of her cheek, her gaze falling to the rug. In truth, it wasn’t so much empty as it was filled with memories. Though it had been nearly twenty years since Father and William went to their eternal rest, the only memories she had of that place were tied to them. If she wished to raise her spirits, it would not do to visit a place so haunted by theirs.
“Perhaps not, but I did receive an invitation from Great-Aunt Imogene to visit her in Bristow whenever I wish.” While Buxby Hall held some reminders of that which she’d lost, they were fainter and easily dealt with.
“That could be just the thing, Felicity,” said Bethany, sitting up straighter. “Some time away from your worries and duties.”
“A place where few know me and even fewer would make demands of me,” added Felicity with a decisive nod. Bristow was precisely where she ought to go.
Chapter 3
Sussex
A Sennight Later
One could be forgiven for thinking that no time had passed for Lewis Finch. The world had continued to spin about its axis, but little had altered in the past seven years, and never was that more evident than when he stood at his father’s study window. Finch’s uniform had been cast aside, but still, he awaited his general’s orders as he looked out at a view that had remained unchanged in that time.
Turning to face his father, Finch took the seat before the massive desk and waited for him to finish his usual lecture about family honor and obligation. As much as the rest of his world remained constant, he was surprised to see how much the Finch family patriarch had altered of late. Father rarely visited London anymore, and Finch’s visits home were often curtailed by the cost of travel, so it was rare for him to see Darius Finch above once a year, and Finch had arrived at Dewbourne to find his father had aged greatly.
The gentleman’s light coloring no longer hid the swaths of grey, and new lines cragged his face. But more than that, his posture was stooped and his voice a wispy echo of what it had once been. His sister-in-law had not mentioned this fragility in any of her letters, nor had she or his brother given any hint of the situation when they last visited London. Finch supposed they had not noticed the change that had crept up incrementally over the past year.
“Are you listening, Jack?”
Years of hearing that appellation and Finch still flinched at it.
“You were explaining the current affairs of my nephews,” said Finch, rattling off a few vague details he’d grasped during Father’s rambling exposition. Finch wished to prompt his father to simply say that which needed saying, but it would do no good to do so. Just as it did no good to fight what was to come.
“It is time to reevaluate your situation. The family will no longer carry the financial burden of your rooms in London. The time is long past for you to be independent and for the family to funnel those funds into better investments. I have so many grandsons, all of whom need as much assistance as we can give them…”
And so, Father droned on while Finch thought through all the rebuttals. His rent was the compensation for sacrificing his freedom and future for the sake of the Finch family honor, after all. But Finch supposed the occasional bank note his brothers or father tossed him was enough to salve their consciences.
Father had once said that the money saved from one year of Finch’s army expenses could pay his rent for over a decade, but in the end, it had only been seven years. Or at least that was all they were willing