Anne Gracie - [The Devil Riders 02] Read Online Free

It came to him through his late wife, so it’s not entailed.”
    They walked from dusty room to dusty room, down corridors hung with faded paper dotted with darker patches to show where paintings had once hung and furniture once stood. If this place wasn’t entailed, Harry wondered, why hadn’t the earl sold it? He’d sold everything else he could lay his hands on.
    The fourth Earl of Denton had brought a large and prosperous estate to ruin. He’d mortgaged it to the hilt, sold everything that could be sold, and even then it hadn’t been enough to cover his debts. At last, facing debtor’s prison, he’d had a heart attack and died. In the middle of the road, Harry heard.
    Then the scavengers had moved in; the bailiffs and those the earl had owed money to, picking over the leftovers of the once-great estate, wringing from it every penny that could be wrung. Pedlington had been appointed by the London firm whose task it was to salvage whatever could be retrieved from the mess.
    Harry had heard all about it in Bath. He’d cut his social engagements short, much to his aunt’s annoyance. There was no point anyway. The middle-class fathers of the girls his aunt had collected had made it clear to him that they aspired higher for their daughters.
    So Harry had ridden down here to inspect the property. Before the late earl had acquired Firmin Court, the estate had been renowned for its horses.
    “I don’t imagine the fifth earl is relishing the task ahead of him,” Harry said. Poor bastard.
    Pedlington shook his head. “No, indeed. He’s the late earl’s second cousin—lives in Ireland—and had no idea of how things stood. The poor fellow got quite a shock when he heard the full sum of it. Fainted, I’m told. What use is a title when it comes with an estate that’s mostly entailed and crippled with debt?” He gave Harry a hopeful glance. “At least this property can be sold.”
    Harry ignored it. This house had been stripped bare, and not recently. The rooms smelled of disuse and dust, but there was no odor of damp or decay. They passed from room to room, Harry insisting on being shown everything, though the house mattered least to him.
    “What the—” the agent muttered. One of the bedchambers was locked. The agent tried key after key with increasing annoyance. “It’s just a bedchamber, sir, of no interest. It is in the same condition as the rest of the house.”
    Harry raised an eyebrow. “And you have no key?”
    “No, but I assure you I shall obtain it forthwith,” Pedlington said in a tight voice.
    Harry, uninterested in a missing key, strolled back along the hallway. “Is that all you have to show me?”
    “Would you have any interest in viewing the kitchen regions? Or the attics and servant’s quarters?” Pedlington’s tone said he did not expect it.
    Harry made a dismissive gesture. “I’m not sure if there’s much point. The neglect is appalling, as is the dust.” He added as if in afterthought, “But perhaps the kitchen, though I expect it’ll be hopelessly inadequate. And since I’ve come all this way I might as well look at the outbuildings.”
    Pedlington, by now sure his trip had been made in vain, sighed. “Yes, sir. We can reach the outbuildings through the kitchen door.” They retraced their steps, their footsteps echoing on the bare wooden floor. A good, solid floor, Harry noted, with no sign of woodworm.
    Harry repressed a faint smile at the agent’s dejection. In the ragged, empty fields that surrounded the house, the grass grew thick and lush. If the stables were as solid as the house, he’d make an offer.
    All this place needed was a little money, a lot of hard work, and good management. His legacy from Great-aunt Gert would provide the money; Harry could provide the rest.
    The stable doors were ajar. Pedlington frowned. “I’m sure I locked this the last time I was here.”
    As they approached, a dog stuck its head out of the door. It growled as they