uncomfortable if you do not mind advice from a woman.”
Mr. Stillman laughed. “Obviously I do not mind or I would not have asked.”
She braced herself for him to add an aside such as, “You are all I have available” or “I’m sure you know something that might be helpful for my situation.” But he didn’t.
Instead he cleared his throat and shifted his position. “Upon my father’s death, I inherited the Stillman family estate—Falconridge, in Norfolkshire.”
He went on to explain everything Lord Damion already knew about the size of the land—how much was farmed and how much was used as pasture—and the number of tenants. He told her of the portions he’d sold off and the portion he was considering to sell. He confessed that his man of business felt the sale would affect the profits so dramatically that the remaining estate would no longer be able to support itself.
She listened without showing her surprise at how much he was revealing. To her, a virtual stranger, and a woman, no less. She never had the chance to talk business with anyone but Mr. Gordon. Most women did not know such details, and most men would never lower themselves to discussing them with a woman.
“It sounds as though selling off that parcel is ill-advised,” she said, before explaining the profitability quotient of estates reliant on farming, to which he listened attentively.
“The further complication,” he said after he had clarified some of her explanations, “is that I owe a substantial amount of money to the lender who rescued me from the original debt I owed to the man who left me in this condition.” He gestured to his broken leg and shook his head. “Saying all of this out loud makes me physically ill regarding my disgraceful behavior.”
As though to atone for his decisions, he moved his bishop directly in the path of her remaining rook. She had no choice but to take it, as he’d known she would. It seemed to make him feel better.
“I have one year to pay this new debt in full, and after thinking over the situation, I believe the best thing I can do is sell the estate.”
Sabrina tried to hide her surprise. “In its entirety?”
He nodded. “I tried to sell it a year ago and was told it would likely sell for near eight thousand pounds, but I did not need that much. I sold off the first parcel, certain it would restore my situation, which I have told you did not happen. Selling it now would allow me to pay off Lor—the new lender—and have funds enough to invest in . . . something, which, in time, might prove restorative. It is how to manage the investment of the profits from the sale that I would like your advice on. Where would be the best place for me to begin learning about the markets and such? My uncle made his fortune in India some decades ago. Do you think I should take my money there?”
Sabrina feared she would have a headache from the effort it was taking to keep from showing her shock and dismay at his ideas. She spoke in careful, measured words. “India is certainly an option, but as I am sure your uncle has told you, fortunes are not as easily made now as they have been in the past. As trade routes improve, there are more and more people competing for the imports, and a man often has to compromise on his prices.”
He looked at her, somewhat forlorn, which was adorable. “I didn’t realize that. What would you recommend?”
“Well, I would first recommend being less hasty in selling off your holdings. If you keep the parcel you are looking to sell and find a way to improve the profits, then you should do everything you can to keep the estate. Nothing increases in value over time like land does.” Their very country was founded on the economics of land ownership, and for one of the lucky few who owned land, to give it up was almost unheard of.
“I can’t raise the money I would need in time otherwise,” Mr. Stillman said, which Sabrina knew was true. “If I don’t raise the money within a year, then I have agreed to sell the property for five hundred pounds to this lender to resolve the debt. It is more reasonable for me to sell the estate myself in order to increase my profits, and I am eager to have a clear way ahead