Jane Feather by Engagement at Beaufort Hall Read Free Book Online

kill. Hawker’s Wood, you said?”
    “Yes.” Imogen rose from her chair. “Ask Hodkiss not to give them any help with the antlers. If the wretched man makes a dog’s dinner of taking them off, that’s his problem.”
    “I will ensure no assistance is rendered to the guilty party, ma’am.” Hartman moved to the door, trying to hide his smile. He held the door for Imogen and followed her out to go in search of the head gamekeeper.
    Imogen made her way up to the Hall, entering the house through the gun room, spending a few moments cleaning the weapon before hanging it on the rack. Her father had always insisted that his children take charge of their own sporting equipment, whether it was cleaning their own tack in the stables, grooming their own horses, or cleaning their own guns. Esther had no interest in shooting, although she was a fine horsewoman and an avid huntswoman. Duncan didn’t have his elder sisters’ natural abilities as a sportsman, but he knew what was expected of a country gentleman and managed to perform adequately most of the time.
    Esther appeared in the hall immediately after Imogen entered from the side corridor. “There you are at last: I’ve been waiting on tenterhooks, Gen. I have some news and I don’t think you’re going to like it, so perhaps we should go into the morning room.”
    “It can’t be any worse than the news I’ve had already, Essie,” her sister responded, but Imogen nevertheless headed to the morning room, a square, paneled east-facing salon, which caught the sun until just before noon. Even on a dismal day it was a cheerful and informal room, kept more for the family’s intimate gatherings than for entertaining guests. “Guess who I ran into in Hawker’s Wood this morning.”
    “Charles,” Esther answered promptly, following Imogen into the room. “Duncan’s letter . . .” She waved it at Imogen in explanation. “Read it for yourself.”
    Imogen took the letter. The information startled her if possible even more than this morning’s unexpected encounter. “Charles has bought the old Beringer property? But how could he afford it? He has a small inheritance, but other than that, just what he earns in the law courts. I know he’s doing well, but . . .” She scanned her brother’s unruly script. “Oh my God, that old uncle of his came through.” She looked up at Esther. “You remember that uncle he has, or rather had, who had that sugar plantation in Jamaica or somewhere like that? Charles always joked that if the old man remembered him in his will, he’d be a wealthy man. But he never really expected it.”
    “Well, it seems to have happened,” Esther said. “The Beringer estate has been up for sale for about six months and I think everyone had forgotten about it, and then Charles bought it. He’ll be our neighbor,” she added, somewhat unnecessarily.
    “Quite,” Imogen agreed drily. “Of course there’s not much land attached to the Beringer place, so that’s why Charles has leased the hunting rights to some part of the Beaufort estate. But how could Duncan play such an underhanded trick on me, Essie? He could at least have warned me.”
    “I think the letter was supposed to do just that,” Esther offered in tentative support of her brother.
    “He took his own sweet time about sending it,” Imogen declared. “How the hell are we going to find a way to exist cheek by jowl, Esther? And now I won’t even be able to walk over the estate in case I run into him. Oh, it really is too bad of Duncan.”
    “It’s not quite that close, Gen,” her sister pointed out. “Beringer Manor is at least five miles from here. And besides, Charles might not come down too often. He does work very hard in London.”
    Imogen grimaced. “That’s true enough, but if he didn’t intend to use the estate, why would he waste good money on it? And five miles is too close by half.” She exhaled on a noisy breath. “It’s probably too much to hope that