Dearest Booke,
Yesterday Mr. Clark came to call. Mr. Clark is the man of business who oversees this house in the village of Avoncliff.
I thought it was a polite call, that he just wanted to check up on the house. This is one of the many homes the Durand family owns, and they are mostly scattered all over the north, so these southern properties are an annoyance for Mr. Humphrey, Papa’s man of business at Rosemont. Mr. Clark is Papa’s London solicitor and handles everything in London and Bath. All the houses are not open and occupied at the same time, so managing the details of the staff and such must be quite a burden. Rosemont is Papa’s ducal seat (what a thoroughly obnoxious term that is) and the historic home of all the dukes of Leicester.
But no, Mr. Clark was here to see me at Lady
