Chapter 12 - The Duke's Fief
Several days later, Trevor's investigation confirmed that fraud had indeed been committed. What was more, it seemed to have started quite some time ago, around the time the previous Duke passed away. It appeared the deception had grown considerably bolder since the death of Lord Northem. The great drought several years prior seemed to have accelerated it further.
"From what I have heard, Lord Northem, Duke McLeod's guardian, frequently returned to the fief. But the Duke himself has not been back once since his parents passed away. So the person who created these record books, the administrator, essentially could have lied about anything he wanted. Normally, even if the lord does not return to the fief, the records would be checked thoroughly, as Count Holloway, your father, does. I can certainly see why your father called the Duke 'soft'."
"So the culprit is the land administrator... Well, the Duke is too preoccupied with his angel."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, it is nothing. So, what should I do? Report it to the Duke?"
"That would be the most direct approach, but I would like to secure concrete evidence first. We do not know if he acted alone or with accomplices."
"Concrete evidence?"
"Yes. There is likely a secret ledger of some kind. It would probably be in the estate on the Duke's fief... but the official records should be in the study, so it is unlikely he would keep them together. That leaves the administrator's private quarters, or perhaps another location..."
"The Duke's... my husband's fief..."
Opal, who had been listening to Trevor in the study, pondered his words for a moment. She had thought she no longer cared, but she could not simply ignore this injustice. Even if they divorced in a year and their connection was severed, it would not sit right with her.
"All right. Then, I have a difficult request to make of you, Trevor. Would you be willing to accompany me to the Duke's fief? Or would it be too inconvenient for you to be away from here?"
"Not at all. My management is flawless. After all, I have trained my staff to ensure everything runs smoothly even in my absence. Being away for a short while will not be a problem. More importantly, my conscience would not rest easy knowing this fraud is being overlooked. I would be honored to accompany you."
Opal laughed at Trevor's deliberately boastful tone. She had thought she had forgotten how to laugh since her marriage, but back in the Count's fief, she found herself laughing all the time.
"Thank you, Trevor. In that case, I will write a letter to my husband to inform him that I am going to the fief. I will ask him to let them know in advance."
"That is a good idea. Since it is your first visit, that would be the most reliable way. To be honest, arriving unannounced would catch them off guard, but since it is just you, my lady, they are unlikely to be suspicious... Please have me attend as your footman."
"Understood. I will let you know once the date is set."
"Very well."
After leaving the study, Opal immediately wrote a letter to Hubert. A reply arrived two days later, telling her to do as she pleased.
"Just as I expected, but could he not say a little more? Like, 'Are you well?' or 'Be careful on your journey'."
Muttering complaints to herself about the curt reply, Opal went to inform Trevor and Marcia that she would be leaving for the Duke's fief in five days. This would give Hubert plenty of time to inform the estate of Opal's arrival. She had written to Hubert that she wanted to move some of her personal belongings from the Holloway estate to the ducal one, so as not to arouse suspicion.
It would be a problem if the administrator of the Duke's fief became suspicious and hid the ledgers, but most noblewomen had no interest in land management and were completely clueless about numbers. It was common knowledge, so she would probably be fine. The only reason Opal had noticed something was amiss was because Trevor had taught her how to manage the land she had inherited from her grandmother. If asked exactly what was wrong, she certainly would not have been able to give a precise answer.
And so, five days later, Opal set out on the four-day journey from the Count's fief to the Duke's, with Trevor as her footman and Nadia as her maid. The weather was favorable throughout the journey, and they entered the Duke's fief without any trouble. Opal noticed that the fields were less bountiful compared to her father's lands. The homes and clothing of the tenants also seemed much shabbier.
"To be honest, it does not seem like the land is well managed."
"That may be, but I see no signs of any disasters."
"To me, it just seems neither good nor bad. It looks like the village I used to live in. The Count's fief is just exceptionally prosperous."
As Opal and Trevor talked while looking out the carriage window, Nadia peeked out and added her own thoughts. Nadia had been dismissed from service at another estate during the great drought several years ago and had come to seek help from her distant relative, Marcia. As a result, she knew far more about the world than Opal, who had only ever known the Royal Capital and the nearby Count's fief.
"Is that so?"
"Well, yes. Your father is strict with the lazy, but he rewards the diligent properly. He also invests generously in the development of his fief. If a bridge is needed, he builds a sturdy stone one. If a tenant's farm tools break, he provides new ones. That is why the people are motivated to work hard."
"Hearing you say that, my father sounds like a wonderful lord."
Trevor gave a wry smile at Opal's words. Nadia, who had never even met the Count, said nothing.
"Your father is a shrewd man."
"You are right. He did not marry off his scandal-ridden daughter right away, but left me alone for three years. It was not to give me freedom, but because he was simply waiting for the Duke to go bankrupt. Then he pushed his daughter, along with a fortune, onto the perfect candidate. All to elevate his own status to even greater heights."
"You are a wonderful person, my lady. The Duke is a fortunate man."
"Thank you, Nadia."
Opal simply smiled and thanked Nadia, not elaborating on her current situation. She could not yet predict how the staff at the Duke's estate would treat her. Opal turned her gaze back out the window.
"They seem to be paying their taxes to the crown properly. If this is considered normal, the tenants would not complain, so no third party would have noticed anything was wrong."
"It is a clever scheme. That is why no one suspected the Duke was in financial distress."
"My father knew, though."
"Oh, my lady! I can see the manor."
Either uninterested in their conversation or trying to change the mood, Nadia called out cheerfully while looking through the small window on the opposite side. Opal moved to the other side and peeked out the window as well.
"That is a very large manor. And it looks well-maintained."
"Indeed. If he had returned to his fief just once, he would have noticed such a contradiction..."
Opal did not answer Trevor's murmur. She could see the front entrance of the approaching manor opening wide, with many servants emerging. Opal moved away from the window, straightened her back, and waited for the carriage to stop.