"Fatima is much too old to race, Lord Farrington," Val said, grinning up at his companion. "Even in her salad days, she would not have beaten Corinth."
Drew patted the neck of the black stallion and grinned back at the boy. "You apparently have a good eye for horseflesh. I can imagine your pony gives you a much more comfortable ride than this bony lad."
Val nodded his head in acceptance of the compliment, but the light in his eyes indicated his knowledge that it was a sop. Drew laughed and ruffled the boy's hair as he kneed his horse along the trail. He was enjoying his outing with the youngster. He was surprised at how well run the estate was, despite an apparent lack of funds. At his question, Val smiled gravely.
"It's mostly my sister's doing. She says it's easy enough to manage your land with great heaping piles of the ready. The challenge is managing when you're short."
"I see," Drew replied. He would never have suspected that Fleur would be quite so perceptive. Robbie had found a gem of a girl who was smart enough to cloak her business sense beneath a fluttering exterior. "You seem to have managed quite well."
"Well, sir, it's piecemeal at best. One must keep priorities straight. The tenants come first. We've given them additional land if they'll take care of the repairs on their own holdings. Most have been on the estate for more years than I can remember and so there's a feeling of family here."
Drew was amused at the seriousness of the young boy. At eleven Val was more responsible about his duties than men three times his age. He was a very impressive child. "You have done a fine job, young sir. Despite your limited funds there is no sign of neglect. Everywhere we have been, the estate seems prosperous and well tended. Your estate manager has advised you well."
At this, the boy chuckled. "My sister loves giving advice."
"Your sister runs the estate?" he blurted out in amazement.
At the question the boy clapped his hands over his mouth and the eyes above his fingers were filled with consternation. Drew pulled his horse to a stop and reached over to place a friendly hand on Val's knee.
"Steady on, son," Drew said kindly in the face of the boy's discomfort. "Perhaps we might get down for a bit of a respite."
Dutifully the boy dismounted and gathering the reins of his pony, looped them over the branch of a nearby tree. Drew busied himself with Corinth, giving the lad a chance to compose himself. The sun was warm and he removed his jacket and, folding it, placed it on a fallen log and sat down beside it. Feet dragging, Val approached. His face was far too grave for a child his age.
"I am a regular loose-lipped Jenny, Lord Farrington," he said. "I shouldn't have told you about not having an estate manager. My sister says that no one is to know. She says people would not approve of a woman making business decisions."
"Unfortunately, Val, she is right. Most men assume that women are too totty-headed."
Val responded to the man-to-man tone of Drew's voice. "Do you think so, sir?"
"Well, in my vast dealing with women, I have found a great many who seem to find difficulty in crossing a room without help." Drew noticed the strained look had lessened in the boy's face. "However I have met women with great knowledge and a good head for figures. Just being male does not automatically make one a wizard with finances."
"My father was such a one," Val admitted, then his expression darkened again as he whispered confidingly to Drew. "I worry that I shall grow to be like him."
"What does your sister say?"
"She says I can choose to be whatever I want. If I want to manage the estate well, all I have to do is to grow to understand the land. Knowledge is the key, she tells me."
"Your sister quite amazes me." Drew said, shaking his head at the previous picture he had had of the golden-headed child. "Fleur is indeed a wonder."
"Not Fleur, Lord Farrington. Blaine."
"Who?"
"My other sister, Blaine, is the one who has taught me so much."
"My apologies, Val. I had quite forgotten you had another sister. I was having no end of trouble picturing Fleur as the mastermind of agrarian reform."
It took a moment for Val to catch the humor in Drew's words but when he did, he rolled on the ground in laughter. "Fleur knows only about hair ribbons, curl papers and needlework."
"A thoroughly male viewpoint, old son," Drew snorted.
"You're right, sir," the boy admitted. "It's that Fleur is just a girl. Blaine is something different. Perhaps because she's older."
"Tell me more of this Amazon."
The boy's face became still, washed of all expression. His blue eyes scrutinized Drew's face and then he nodded his head as if he had made up his mind.
"Sometimes, sir, it's very difficult to know what to do. However as a gentleman I know you will respect my confidences. While my parents were alive Blaine ran the household but eventually she also became interested in the running of the estate. Old Higgins was our manager and he taught her what he could. When he died, Blaine took over but she was afraid of what the solicitor would think of such an outrageous thing and so she invented a pretend name for the new estate manager."
"Quite an ingenious idea." Drew said. "I trust your sister picked a suitable name."
Val's eyes danced with pleasure as he leaned toward his new friend. "I think you'll appreciate it, sir." He paused to give full significance to his disclosure. "Mr. Inchon Visible."
"Ah. Mr. Invisible, to be sure." Drew chuckled much to the boy's delight. "Your sister has a devilish sense of humor, lad. I think I would like her very much."
"I know you would, Lord Farrington. Everyone loves Blaine, even though she really makes you tow the mark."
"I remember that Robbie mentioned she was away from home. Does she visit frequently?"
"Um, no. Hardly ever, in fact. She lives very far away. Clear to Scotland, I think. She writes letters though so I always know what her plans are for the estate."
After this breathtaking burst of words, Val dropped his eyes, his fingers busy pulling up blades of grass. Drew sensed he had once more broached a topic that was clearly off limits. Evincing disinterest, he changed the subject and soon had the boy talking more naturally on other lines.
After he left the boy, Drew rode slowly back to Fairhaven, his mind uneasy. He felt there was something he didn't understand about the Meriweathers. He had met Val, Fleur and Aunt Haydie and liked all three. However he still had a sense that all was not as it should be in the household. He wondered about the other sister Blaine. It was curious that she was not mentioned in the normal course of conversation. Now he thought on it, the few times her name had come up, there had been an abrupt change of subject.
Val had showed nothing but admiration for his sister and yet he was clearly uncomfortable speaking about her. Even the whereabouts of the girl was questionable. He had heard from Robbie that she lived near London and yet Val had indicated she lived far to the north. Could something be the matter with the sister? His mind spun with various possibilities. Disease? A disfiguring accident?
Perhaps when they arrived in London, he would have an opportunity to find out more about the mysterious Blaine Meriweather. After all, if Robbie planned to marry Fleur, he should investigate the family. It would not do to discover some wretched family secret after the banns had been called. He must assume that the sister was an antidote since she appeared to have such shockingly progressive ideas. Definitely on the shelf, according to the boy. But, Drew had to admit to a certain curiosity about the woman Val had so lavishly praised.
A smile touched Drew's face and his expression took on the intent look of the hunter. He would enjoy the challenge of solving the puzzle of the illusive Blaine Meriweather.
Chapter Seven