“Oh, yes, excellent question,” Duncan said, nodding. “The terms of our inheritances specify that we are to be in receipt immediately upon marriage.”
“I will honor that term,” Elliott said. “The dowry will be fulfilled, and Duncan shall become the title holder for the Burrow Building based on good faith that you will live as man and wife for one year’s time. If you do not fulfill the terms, I shall be in my rights to demand a return.”
“That is fair,” Duncan said. He grinned. “How soon could we be married?”
“Wait,” Hazel said, a bit panicked. She turned to Duncan. “Where would we live?”
“In Ipswich, of course. That is where the Burrow Building is located, and I shall need to open my own accounting office and evict Mr. Southey.”
“What about my school? I need to be on-site if I am to manage it.”
“Did you not say Sophie was to help you with the management?” Duncan asked, then moved forward seamlessly. “She can manage for the time being, and you can join her after the year is finished. Her efforts can be counted as equity toward the partnership, since she has no financial resources to offer.”
Hazel opened her mouth to protest, but it was an adequate solution . . . wasn’t it?
“Ipswich is the more convenient location for the length of our cohabitation,” Duncan added with a sharp nod.
“For the love of all that is good, do not call it that, Duncan,” Elliott said, placing his palm on the desk and spreading his fingers as though that gave him some additional balance.
Duncan’s excitement was running high. “I have a flat above the pub in the Burrow Building. We can live there quite comfortably. There is a bedroom and a common room and a stove that works well for both heating and cooking. There are three windows on the—”
“I shall help you find a suitable house,” Amelia cut in, directing an understanding smile toward Hazel. Hazel was too shocked to respond.
“There is no need,” Duncan said, cutting his hand through the air. “The flat is perfectly accommodating. There are three windows on the south wall and two on the north wall that afford excellent lighting.”
“Lord Howardsford will also cover the expenses of the house,” Amelia said, ignoring Duncan’s commentary.
Uncle Elliott straightened in his chair. “What?”
“It is your stipulation, after all,” Amelia said, her tone sweet enough to stick to the walls. “And the house and the servants must be suitable to their purposes, of course.”
“My flat is very suitable,” Duncan said, his tone excited. “I have lived there for eighteen years and keep it shipshape at all times. There is the brown sofa and the green chair, as well as—”
“The stairs to your flat will be difficult for me to manage, Duncan,” Hazel said. The room spun. She would have her own household. She would be expected to manage it like any other woman.
“But I like my rooms and my furniture. I am comfortable there, and it is convenient to live and work in the same building.”
Hazel looked at him directly, realizing he was the hurdle in resolving her concerns, not Uncle Elliott. “Duncan,” she said, then waited for him to face her. “Because of my foot, I cannot live somewhere that necessitates so many stairs. There are other accommodations that must also be seen to. The house would need to be close enough to your office building for you to walk, for instance, and have separate bedrooms.”
“Separate bedrooms are unnecessary,” Duncan said, shaking his head. “It is fully appropriate for a married couple living as such to share a bedroom, though we shall need a bed that can better accommodate two people.”
The room went silent again, and Hazel blinked. He expected to share a bed?
“How soon can we be married?” Duncan asked again.
The room was pressing down on her like the time Harry had tackled her with a pillow because she had said she would tell Mother that he’d been smoking Father’s pipe. Hazel cleared her throat and looked between her aunt and uncle, not bothering to fake a smile. “Might Duncan and I have a few minutes to converse about this in private?”
Duncan looked at her, his expression filled with delight. “What is there to discuss?”
Amelia pushed to her feet. “Why don’t you take the afternoon?” she said. “We’ll have dinner at eight o’clock and can continue the discussion then. Elliott?” She gave him a pointed look. He nodded and rose to his feet.
Hazel stared at the floor until they had left, then took a breath, let it out, and wondered how on earth all of this had become so complicated.
As soon as Lord and Lady Howardsford had exited the room, Duncan jumped to his feet and began pacing between his chair and the south window. Fourteen steps away. Turn. Fourteen steps back.
“This is a most excellent resolution,” he said, thinking excitedly about owning the building. Being a landlord. Of course, the acquisition of the building would mean additional duties, but as he would also be running his own office, he could better adjust his workload to accommodate the time the increased responsibility would demand.
There were five shops and three offices on the ground level of the Burrow Building and six top-floor apartments, four of which were occupied by persons who worked in the ground-level shops. He would evict Mr. Southey and take that office for himself, which would be perfect as it was located two doors away from Perkins & Cromley. It was also right next to Ye Old Pub, which would make picking up his dinner every night even more convenient. Except he wouldn’t be living in his rooms anymore and likely wouldn’t be picking up dinner from Delores.
He swallowed and counted his steps for two sequences as the anxiety began to build. After Catherine had died, he’d gone to school in Bury St. Edmunds for three years, and when he’d returned, there had been a new family living in his rooms.
A smaller apartment had been set aside for him, which were the rooms he lived in now. He’d found the changes uncomfortable, and the new apartment had not felt or smelled the way he liked. It had taken several weeks before he felt at ease there. Though that experience suggested he would be able to settle into this new house just as he’d once settled into his new rooms, he did not look forward to the transition. This house would not smell the way his rooms smelled.
And other people would live there with him. Hazel, of course, though he felt they would adapt well to one another, but there had been mention of servants. Strangers who were meant to help manage the house. Elizabeth would not like that, he was certain. She liked things a very specific way. What if she would not leave the Burrow Building? What if the servants did not like her?
Sweat prickled along his hairline as his anxiety overtook his excitement. He did not actually know how to be a landlord. He knew all the tenants, of course, but not his exact responsibilities. At least he knew how to manage the financial aspects. If he had pursued a different occupation, like butchering, for instance, it would be a much more difficult transition.