My Name is Eva An absolutely gripping and emotional historical novel - Suzanne Goldring Page 0,41
you do with all the land?’
‘Let’s walk around and I’ll show you.’ She led the way across the formal lawns to the rougher grass of the paddocks and the meadows beyond. They stood by the fence and she waved a hand, taking in an expanse of acreage. ‘These fields are currently let for grazing sheep. I love seeing them with their lambs in spring. Look, there’s a little group of them playing with each other now.’ A gang of lambs was skipping across a corner of the field, taking turns to jump onto a tree stump and down again, just like small children playing a game of chase. ‘And over there,’ she pointed towards the river meadows, ‘that’s used by a local farmer for his cattle in the summer. The grass is too rich for sheep because it’s floodplain land.’
‘Is that economical? I mean, do you get much income from letting it out for grazing?’
Evelyn shrugged. ‘No, not much, but I’ve never really thought it was about the money. It’s just a good way of managing the land. Grazing keeps down the scrub and the ragwort and the tenants maintain the fences and give us some extra security. It’s more a matter of quid pro quo.’
‘I see.’ His chin jerked again and he appeared to be thinking for a moment. ‘I wouldn’t like to interfere in your affairs, Evelyn, it’s entirely up to you, but I do hope you are receiving good financial advice.’
Evelyn smiled inside. This was so terribly easy. Were all men this simple when they saw a situation they thought they could turn to their advantage? But she just said, ‘I haven’t really thought about it, you know. I’ve just carried on the way my parents did. Do you think I’m making a terrible mistake?’
‘My dear.’ He turned and held her hand. ‘This is all quite charming and very quaint, but you have to think about planning for the future. None of us is getting any younger. I don’t suppose you have more than your pension to support you and all this property?’
‘That’s true.’ She shook her head and averted her eyes. ‘The house is certainly becoming expensive to run. Utilities these days are a frightful burden. But I couldn’t possibly sell – Kingsley means so much to me.’
‘Of course it does, I can see that. But you might want to examine your options. You are what they call asset-rich but cash-poor.’
Over tea that afternoon in the drawing room, with a fire crackling despite the spring sunshine outside, he continued to explore ideas for Kingsley Manor, not forcefully, he was far too clever for that, but gently and persistently. ‘This house presents huge possibilities. Have you ever thought about developing it as a hotel or a conference centre? Or what about weddings? I believe there’s an awful lot of money to be made in wedding venues.’
She sipped her Earl Grey tea and nibbled a slice of Madeira cake while she listened to him, occasionally interjecting with, ‘Oh, Stephen, that’s such a good idea,’ or, ‘I suppose that could be made to work,’ while he continued to make suggestions.
Then finally he said, ‘And then of course, there’s the land itself. If you’re not even getting the benefit of a substantial rent from your tenants and don’t want to raise livestock yourself, then you should think about the value of the land.’
‘You mean I should sell it?’
He drained his porcelain cup and it made a delicate clink as he replaced it on the saucer. ‘It’s a thought. There’s always a demand for land, particularly around desirable villages such as yours. Could be a very easy way of acquiring some instant capital. I’m sure it would be handy to have a nest egg for next time the roof needs repairs.’
‘Do you really think so?’ Evelyn dabbed at the cake crumbs on her plate with the tip of her finger, but she didn’t eat them, she just brushed them to one side. ‘I do like looking out across the fields at the sheep. Houses wouldn’t be same really.’
He leant across the table and patted her hand. ‘But you could sell as much or as little as you liked. And anyway, these things don’t happen instantly. If you read the financial pages, as I do, you’d know that companies sit on land sometimes for years before they finally develop it. Land banks, they call them. And in the meantime, you’d be enjoying all the rewards.’