Free Web NovelChapter 139: Not your place (1)
"Leonard, I hope you are not having another drink before dinner has started. Just because you received a large gift of wine does not mean you must try to drink it all fast. Send some to Scarlet or your father. We have too many for just the two of us," said Samara.
Despite what Samara said, she took the glass from Leonard to have a taste.
"I will personally deliver some to Scarlet," Leonard decided.
"You only want to go see if Ian is around. You are not fooling anyone. Have someone send the bottles so Scarlet doesn’t need to try hiding Ian from us again. It was delightful," Samara said, giving Leonard back the glass. "I suppose I should have a glass for all the trouble your family is causing."
Samara sat down on a chair in Leonard’s study. "Why now do they think they can fight for an estate that belonged to your grandfather? You said he didn’t like them."
"He didn’t. He used to threaten them each time he came around. Once joked that he would have them enjoy a family gathering in his dungeon," Leonard said, enjoying the memory of his late grandfather. "They will never have the estate. Who is it that is bothering Scarlet?"
"All of that side. They’ve been inviting us over for dinner but I’ve not responded. I’m not in the mood to have them speak about Scarlet’s divorce or question how I feel about that fool getting remarried. They are all fools to think I would sit quietly while they bash my daughter. Then Preston’s wife has been reaching out to me," said Samara.
"You sound stressed. Should I open another bottle-"
"No!" Samara exclaimed, not falling for his trick. "I would like for our trip out of town to come sooner. I think of moving out of Lockwood for good but we can’t leave Scarlet here. I envy your father and mother for getting to move to the edge of town."
"It is because mother never got used to life here after growing up at the border. I prefer for them to stay where they are because she can be herself there. We must go visit them. Are you going to be having guests?" Leonard questioned, watching from the window as a carriage stopped outside the gates.
"No. I am not in the mood to entertain anyone. Unless it is Scarlet?" Samara questioned, excited.
"It is not, but the carriage does look familiar. Stay here," Leonard said, going alone to see who came to disturb their evening.
Leonard had long retired since he trusted Scarlet to take over the family business. He didn’t like the surprise visits unless they came from family or friends. To stop unwanted visitors from coming to his door, Leonard followed his father by keeping his gates closed.
Leonard went to the front door to wait for the guard who would come with the message. He was right that it wasn’t Scarlet since she would have just been let in.
"Good evening. Mr. Hurley wants to have a word with you. It is the son."
"Nolan? Let him come in," Leonard answered. It was a bit of a surprise to have Nolan come to him since it was his father that Leonard did business with while Scarlet would go to Nolan.
For Nolan to be here at this time was a bit concerning for Leonard. The first thing he thought was that something had happened to his daughter. There was no other reason for Nolan to seek him out unless the guard had mistaken which Hurley had come to see him. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
Leonard waited patiently by the door, occasionally checking that his wife did not come to the door as she would also worry.
When the carriage stopped at the steps, Nolan came out.
"Nolan, what a surprise. It is only Scarlet who gets your visits. What has happened to my daughter?" Leonard questioned, wanting to get to the point of the visit.
Nolan looked at Leonard as the voice of reason in all of this. If there were anyone Scarlet would listen to, it would be her father. "Nothing happened to Scarlet. I come here about the man she’s been seeing."
"I’ve met the fellow. What made you so concerned that you would come here this late? Excuse me for not inviting you inside. I don’t want to worry Samara so we will talk outside," Leonard said, closing the front door. "Tell me."
Leonard left Ian to court his daughter since Scarlet did seem to enjoy his presence, but if he was in trouble, he would not sit by and do nothing.
"I’ve been looking into him. I’ve managed to track a few towns he has been in and the businesses he has set up. Something isn’t right about all of it. Where did he get all this money to open businesses in a lot of the towns frequented?" Nolan questioned.
Leonard didn’t have too many thoughts on it. Ian was still the son of Hank Kingsley so there was a lot of money to be passed onto him when he came of age. It was a law set long ago in the palace court. One of his relatives had pushed for this law.
The right person could flip a bit of money into something more.
"If you want me to be concerned, I suggest you tell me what he’s done to get money that you think might be bad. We are not talking about someone not born into wealth," Leonard answered, quickly becoming uninterested in the conversation.
"I managed to find out that he lived with an old woman. She passed a year after his arrival and left everything to him. I think Scarlet must be more cautious."
"While that is something to be mindful of, I am not going to carelessly rush to move him from her side until I have the full story. Do you have the full story from when he met this woman?" Leonard asked, willing to hear it.
Unfortunately, Nolan did not know the full story of Ian and the old woman. For some reason, it was hard to find out a lot about Ian’s past. Even though he found a few clues, he ended up at a dead end.
"I thought you should know that he is suspicious so you can watch over Scarlet. I do not trust him. I worry that he would try to steal her wealth," Nolan said, sharing his opinion since his proof wasn’t working.
Leonard chuckled, slightly offended that Nolan thought he wasn’t watching over his daughter. "I am always watching my daughter from afar. It is how I know that she has fired you. How you got yourself fired is what I do not know but I can make a good assumption that you crossed the line. Was it your feelings?"
Nolan didn’t answer. How was it that they were all aware of his feelings? He thought he had hidden it well over the years.
Leonard didn’t need Nolan to speak as his silence answered. "While I appreciate your concern for my daughter, do not meddle. That is my job as her father, not for a man who may be jealous that she has moved on to someone else. I find what you are doing now to be foolish."
