It broke loose as soon as he rode out of earshot and was no longer in danger of offending his charming hosts. Angelic goat! He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed so hard. Mercury trotted toward Eversham Hall while the earl reveled in his encounter with the neighbors. Even the confirmation that most of the county enjoyed a good harvest buoyed him. He admired the woman's knowledgeable account. It proved he had been right to fire Eversham's land steward. The fool had botched the harvest. He put what little they had harvested in a damaged shed on top of rotting hay. His incompetence forced them to buy feed for the winter. Being right gave Will cold comfort. His elation dimmed completely when Stowe, Eversham Hall's morose butler, greeted him in the foyer. "Her Grace wishes to see you, my lord," the old man intoned. "She said to tell you it is most urgent." "It always is," Will muttered, as he dragged his feet up the stairs toward Sylvia's sitting room. Unrepaired fences paled next to the damage Emery Wheatly had done in private.
