To Save a Love - Alexa Aston Page 0,21

and ask if they wished it returned but Capshaw nearly exploded at the idea, telling him he would be foolish to throw away found money. The solicitor convinced him that, as the new earl, the money was his by rights. Though he still felt guilty, he knew very little about financial affairs and decided to take the solicitor’s advice on the matter.

He stood and stretched his arms high above his head, tired of sitting behind his desk. He decided to go for a walk on the estate. He had ridden it several times and stopped at every cottage on Torrington property, meeting tenants and their wives and children. When he saw someone now, a name usually popped into his head and he delighted when he recognized the tenant and could put the right name to his face.

Instead of leaving through the main entrance, Dez merely walked through the French doors of his study and into the warm sunshine of the spring day. Though he told himself he had no destination in mind, he found his feet led him to the lake where so many happy memories had taken place. He had only come down here once since his return, with his valet, Coral. Coral knew everything that happened at Torville Manor and far beyond its boundaries. He was friendly with many people in Draymott, the nearest village and spent time in the Draymott pub every week.

Dez had come to depend upon Coral’s fount of knowledge, which was why he discussed Ham’s accidental drowning with the valet. Coral had been one of the servants who had gone to the lake when the earl and countess did not return from their boating excursion. The valet had been the one to wade into the water and retrieve Lord and Lady Torrington’s lifeless bodies and stayed with them while others brought a cart to convey her and Ham home. Coral didn’t mince words since the former earl was dead in his grave and had told Dez exactly what he thought of his lordship—none of it flattering. Fortunately, Coral believed Dez a grand step up as the new earl and they got along well.

He arrived at the lake and sat on a fallen log near the shore. He remembered bringing picnic hampers filled with food that Cook had supplied to him and Dalinda. Anna would meet them, bringing Jessa along once she got old enough to accompany her big sister. They, too, would have treats from their kitchen. In cooler weather, he would build a fire and they would gather around it, drawing from its warmth while they told ghost stories and sang. Those were good times and he found himself thinking of them with fondness now. His memories honored Anna and were the best part of his life. He had decided to push away the sadness of her death and concentrate on those happy moments. The only thing he regretted was that Anna had not been buried in Draymott, preventing him from visiting her grave.

Finally, he rose and before returning to the house, he went to the small cottage nearby where he and Dalinda had played as children. He didn’t remember which tenant had moved out from it, only that it had stood empty for as long as he could recall. Gradually, he and Dalinda had brought various items to the tiny abode. A few chairs they’d found in the attic. A table with a broken leg that they had propped up with books. An old shelf where they placed more books and a few toys. They had invited Anna to come to the cottage once it was fixed up.

Dez opened the door and glanced around. He had asked Lexington if any tenant had been assigned to it. No one had. Once he knew no one lived here, he had instructed his housekeeper to send maids down to clean and air out the place. The broken down furniture had been removed. The floors had been washed. Dez had gone through Torville Manor and chosen a piece here and there and had footmen bring the furniture under the butler’s watchful eye. The cottage was now cozy. It had a table and two chairs for someone to eat a meal. A settee and another chair. A desk which sat next to the window, where a glimpse of the lake could be seen. In the small bedchamber, he’d placed a bed and wardrobe and had the maids bring linens. He doubted it would ever be used but