Then he said as he pointed to the huge oak staircase that could accommodate a near battalion marching side by side, “The house is old. Since it was originally built in the late fourteen hundreds by the Kavanaghs, it was added to over the years, then destroyed, rebuilt, and ended up looking like this. Both my great-uncle and my uncle did very little. You will find it somewhat drafty. Now that I have access to unexpected funds I will finish off all the necessary repairs.”
“Is that why you married me, Thomas? You needed my dowry?”
“Yes, that’s exactly the reason.”
“Good. I hope there is enough for everything you wish to do.”
He said, “You amaze me, Meggie, the way your brain works. No, I didn’t marry you for your damned dowry. You will forget that.”
“I never thought that you did.” She was looking at his mouth. He started, then took a step back. He pointed to the very old paintings climbing up the wall beside the staircase. Meggie, engaged, said, “Are these your ancestors or Kavanaghs?”
“My uncle claimed they were all Malcombes. They are so old, no one, however, really cares. In the master’s bedchamber there are portraits of Malcombes. A gloomy bunch. A couple of rogues, an out-and-out scoundrel, a womanizer, and a prominent member of the House of Lords.”
“Now you are the earl. You will do something amazing, Thomas, I just know it. You have a strong sense of duty, your brain is quite fit, and you don’t indulge yourself overly.”
He appeared startled. “You really believe that?” he asked slowly, stopping on the stairs and looking down at her. You believe that my brain is better than that damned Jeremy’s? Is my sense of duty greater?
“Oh yes, certainly. I’m your wife and I should know all your good points as well as your bad. Now, your uncle was, of course, your father’s younger brother?”
“That’s right. He made his money in trade, something my mother doesn’t like to speak of, but his brain served him well. I happen to agree with him. Making money all on your own isn’t a bad thing. In my case, it was necessary because there wasn’t much.”
Meggie looked down at the stair railing that needed polish very badly. “Actually, I’ve never really had to think about money or the lack of it. My uncle the earl manages vast estates and is very rich, but it all comes from old wealth, you understand. Uncle Douglas is an excellent caretaker and more, he has added to the coffers through his fine management. At least that’s what I overheard his estate manager saying.”
“However would you, a female, know of that?”
She said without guile, “I have told you, have I not, that I have been a great eavesdropper in my time? My father would sometimes come to me if he suspected something and needed it verified. I just wish I’d eavesdropped when Jeremy and my father—no, never mind that, it isn’t at all important.”
Thomas wished Jeremy were here right at this moment, standing on the stair next to him. He’d pick him up and hurl him to the marble floor, then stomp him. He wanted to hear his jaw snap when his fist hit him.
He said, “Whereever did you get this eavesdropping tendency?”
She said easily, thinking everything was just fine, “I inherited it from my aunt Sinjun. I fear it is a lifelong habit, my lord.”
“I will keep that to myself. I will also be watchful of what I say when you don’t appear to be around.”
“Wise of you. Now, my uncle Ryder inherited a huge amount of money from my great-uncle Brandon as well as a sugar plantation in Jamaica. As for my father, thanks to Uncle Douglas, who has always tended his money, he is also rich. Then Kildrummy Castle came into our lives and that brought more money into my father’s pockets. Not that he ever noticed or spoke of it.” Meggie looked at him closely. “If you did marry me for my money, why then, I think you made a very wise investment.”
“Thank you. I agree. It was actually far more that I’d expected.”