Three hours later, the carriage reached Elmhurst Park just as the sun was setting. As Faith peered out the window, what greeted them was nothing like she expected.
Always before, Stephen had never cared about the estate, viewing Elmhurst as just another burden. One that represented what he loathed most about his life as a peer, trapping him into a life of responsibility and expectation. The last she’d heard anything about Elmhurst had been rumors of how neglected it had become. How a series of bad land agents had left the estate buildings and roads in disrepair, the farms untended, the fences and walls falling down...There had been grumblings from the tenants themselves about the absent marquess and how he simply didn’t care about them, and the constant turnover of staff at the manor hous
