Son of a rogue and a gypsy, Hero Fiennes Tiffin was a notorious rake until a shattering betrayal left him alone and embittered in the Welsh countryside. Desperation drives quiet schoolteacher Josephine Langford to ask Hero Fiennes Tiffin to help sav...
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George Madoc had no time to prepare himself for the visit of his employer. Lord Michael Kenyon simply strode into the office without allowing the clerk to announce him.
Madoc would not have recognized the gaunt, hard-eyed newcomer as the fashionable young lord who had hired him four years earlier. Yet when the stranger spoke, the deep voice was unmistakable. "Sorry to walk in on you without warning, Madoc, but I decided to come to Penreith on impulse."
Madoc scrambled to his feet and shook the offered hand. "Lord Michael, what a surprise," he stammered. "I didn't know you were in Britain."
"I was sent back on convalescent leave a couple of months ago. With the war over, I'm selling my commission, so I'll be taking a more active role in managing my business interests." Not waiting to be asked, Lord Michael took a seat. "To begin with, I want to see the account books for the last four years."
"Have you complaints about my management?" Madoc said stiffly, trying to sound indignant rather than worried.
"Not at all—you've produced very respectable profits. I merely want to familiarize myself with the operation again." His lordship gave a faint, humorless smile. "After years in the army, I need to relearn the ways of civilian life."
"Of course." Madoc thought rapidly. "The earlier ledgers are at my house. I'll collect them and send everything to you at once. Are you staying at the inn?"
"No, I'll be at Bryn Manor. I'm on my way there now, but thought I'd stop and see you first."
"You've come back to stay?"
Kenyon shrugged. "I don't know how long I'll be here. I'm in no hurry to leave— Wales is pleasant in the spring."
"Would you like a cup of tea, or maybe something stronger?"
"No need." Lord Michael got to his feet again and began pacing restlessly around the spacious office. "Has Lord Westgate caused you any trouble?"
"A bit," Madoc said, startled. "How did you know that?"
"I saw him in London and he gave me a lecture on mine safety," Kenyon said dryly. "We disagreed—with some violence."
Madoc snorted. "The Earl doesn't seem to realize that mining has always been a dangerous business."
"Exactly what I told him." His lordship turned, his expression harsh. "Has he trespassed on my property?"
"Once. I ordered him to leave and put guards on to watch the mine at night. He hasn't been back."
"Excellent. If Westgate comes here again, I expect you to take all necessary measures to keep him out."
A faint idea glimmering, Madoc said, "To be honest, even though he was making a nuisance of himself, I had some misgivings about denying the Earl entrance because he's a friend of yours."
