TWENTY
She lingered with the Powells until the middle of January so that she might be of some use, which required only that she keep little Powell Cummings amused while an exhausted mother napped. Relating the details of her presentation at court was done with a smile for the benefit of the Powell women, but for Maddie, it had been a chore done to please the Admiral. At least she had won her bet with Nipper, that she would act in an American fashion towards British royalty rather than kowtow like a meek English rose. Let those who thought her beneath them because she came from colonial stock take note, if they liked, that she was not ashamed and would not wither from contact with the high and mighty.
Once Lady Jane settled on an appropriate match for Lucy, the need to dance through an army of eligible men was abandoned and Maddie found herself under Lady Gravier’s wing. As her aunt noted, the woman of higher rank could provide better opportunities to reach into the highest echelons of the peerage, where Maddie was likely to find a man who was not put off by her education. Her ability to converse on substantial matters would be an asset.
Even so, Maddie did not escape from Lady Jane’s strident commands and incessant badgering. Every dinner, every dance, every card party presented some opportunity for Lady Jane to criticize something that Maddie had said or done. No behavior suitable for a Charleston drawing room was suitable for England. A discussion of agricultural practices was inappropriate, an analysis of bloodlines of a particular stallion was beyond the pale for an unmarried female. Weary of the endless badgering, Maddie went back to Farthingmill Abbey, where the solitude only made her mood more dark. She missed her mother more than ever, and wanted to go away to some other place, any other place, but she did not know what that place was.
To keep herself occupied, Maddie filled her time with activities of all sorts, from a study of Hebrew literature to charitable calls in the village. She played music, she sang, she studied bloodlines of brood mares and argued with Nipper about the minimum size of a stall. Making her name in the equestrian world grew from a desire to an obsession, a focus for her energies. Before long, her plans were bigger than the stable could hold. She needed a facility large enough to fit her grand plans.
Mr. Turner was equally enthused at the prospect of some new venture, and he examined the map of Farthingmill Abbey in a quest for suitable space. “There is land here, and here. Enough acreage for a large barn, with paddocks. Of course, that would require the eviction of three tenants.”
“Necessitating the construction of three new cottages elsewhere,” Maddie said. “Further delay, and then there would inevitably be jealousy over who was given a new home while another felt more deserving.”
“And there is the matter of increased costs,” Turner said. He ran a finger down the columns of figures that Maddie had compiled. “You would not recoup expenses in the timeframe you have indicated. Now, if you were to only double the stock, as compared to tripling, and allow an additional four years.”
“There is a larger stable already available at Albemarle, and the tenant has told me that it stands empty,” Maddie said. “If it is suitable to my purpose, I would be interested in leasing the facility, for the right price.”
“From one pocket to the other,” Turner said, a rare smile creasing his cheeks. “Until you marry, Lady Madeleine, and it becomes important to maintain a separation of assets, we do not need to concern ourselves with such details. If I might be so bold, is this your own idea or are you carrying out your late mother’s plan?”
The estate bordering Farthingmill Abbey was hers, if she understood correctly. Why had no one told her before, or for that matter, why had the Admiral never thought to inform her? What else was kept hidden, to be revealed to solicitors charged with compiling a marriage contract? Maddie put the pieces together as best she could, but she did not care for the image of distrust that formed.
Turner retrieved an account book and rifled the pages. “No reduction in income as there is no lease existing, so we have no net decline in your maintenance. Given that adequate income was generated by your mother prior to her marriage to his lordship, sufficient funds exist on which you may draw without infringing on the expenses one would expect you to incur during your London seasons. Indeed, you may be as extravagant as you wish.”
“I would not be a burden on the Admiral,” she said. To think that everything she thought he was giving her was hers all along. Angry, but restrained, she twisted the emerald ring around her finger.
“As I understand it, your grandfather drew up the contract, and a most complex document it was.”
“My grandfather possesses one of the finest legal minds in South Carolina.”
“Quite so. He made the welfare of your mother, and you in turn, his priority. That others might find the agreements odd had no bearing on his decisions.”
“Shall I have sufficient income to pay for an architect and builders to expand the stable?” Maddie asked.
The estate agent closed the book and returned it to the shelf. “His lordship has ignored the provisions regarding your maintenance. Completely and utterly. In confidence, mind you, his lordship feels that by honoring the agreement, he would be acting as a guardian. By providing for you, he acts as a father. He wishes only that you be happy.”
“I cannot be happy, Mr. Turner, if I am driving him to penury,” Maddie said. Shocking, to realize she was so wrong about him. There was no reading him, a man who wanted to shield her from every care that might dull the sparkle in her eye. He was mistaken to assume she needed to be so sheltered. She was a grown woman who would one day be required to manage a large estate. To let matters continue along the Admiral’s path was to arrive at the final destination unprepared, and what was the purpose of an education if not to prepare for the future? “We must meet more regularly in the future. I have much to learn.”
The books were open to her at Farthingmill Abbey, but the state of Maddie’s investments in Charleston was not so easy to determine. She was dependent on Ethan to manage her affairs, but correspondence was spotty at best and had declined over the past few months. With a virtual state of war existing between American merchant ships and the Royal Navy over the issue of impressment, overseas shipping was a risky venture. Added to that was the embargo that Britain imposed on all who wanted to trade with France, seizing any vessel carrying what they declared to be contraband. Was Beauchamp rice sold, or was it stockpiled in a warehouse while debts accumulated? Did the family in Charleston struggle to meet bills, did they need to draw on Maddie’s funds in the Bank of England, did they even still own the land or were they destitute? Were they still alive, or had an epidemic of fever rampaged the Low Country? Not knowing set her nerves on edge.