Her father had never had an opinion on money other than that it was the root of a great deal of evil, and it pleased Ellie to no end to be able to say, "I would like to invest my funds in the following way." She supposed that most would consider her eccentric; women did not ordinarily handle their own money. But she didn't care. In fact, she positively reveled in her newfound independence.

By the time she returned to Wycombe Abbey, her spirits were high, and she resolved to improve her efforts to make the grand estate well and truly her home. Her efforts at the Abbey proper had thus far met with nothing but failure, so she decided to spend the rest of the day outside, introducing herself to the tenants. Such an outing would be a worthwhile venture; Ellie knew that landowner-tenant relations often made the difference between prosperous lands and poverty. If there was one thing she'd learned as the daughter of a vicar, it was how to listen to the worries of villagers and help them devise solutions to their problems. As the lady of a great estate, her power and position would be much increased, but Ellie felt confident that the process would be much the same.

This was something she definitely knew how to do.

Of course, she'd also known how to fix stoves and grow roses, and look where that had gotten her.

It was a bit past noon when Ellie returned, and Rosejack informed her that the earl had gone out for a ride. That was just as well; meeting the tenants was something she'd rather do without the imposing presence of the earl behind her. Helen would be a much better choice of companion, and Ellie hoped that she'd be agreeable to such an outing.

As it happened, she was. When Ellie found her in the drawing room, Helen replied, "Oh, but I'd love to. The task of visiting the tenants has rested solely on my shoulders for several years now, and, if truth be told, I'm not terribly good at it."

"Nonsense," Ellie said with a reassuring smile.

"No, it's true. I can be rather shy, and I never know what to say to them."

"Well, then, it's settled. I am more than happy to assume this responsibility, but I will need your assistance this morning to show me about."

The air was crisp when Ellie and Helen got on their way, but the sun was high and bright with the promise of a warm afternoon. It took them about twenty minutes to walk to the first patch of tenants' cottages. Ellie could have probably shaved five minutes off their travel time, but she had long ago learned to adjust her normally brisk and no-nonsense walk to the pace of others.

"This first house belongs to Thom and Bessie Stillwell," Helen said. "They lease a small plot of land where they grow oats and barley. Mrs. Stillwell also takes in mending for a few extra coins."

"Stillwell," Ellie said to herself as she jotted the name down in a small notebook. "Oats. Barley. Mending." She looked up. "Any children?"

"Two, I think. Oh, wait, it's three now. They had a little girl a few months ago."

Ellie knocked on the door, and they were greeted by a woman of perhaps two and a half decades. "Oh, Mrs. Pallister, how do you do?" she said to Helen, looking rather apologetic. "I wasn't expecting you. May I offer you some tea? I'm afraid I haven't any biscuits."

"No worry, Mrs. Stillwell," Helen replied. "We didn't tell you we were coming, so we certainly cannot expect you to entertain us."

"No, no, of course not," Bessie replied, looking unconvinced. Her gaze shifted to Ellie, and she began to look even more nervous. Clearly she had heard that the earl had married, and was correctly guessing that Ellie was the new countess. Ellie decided that she must immediately put the woman at ease.

"How do you do, Mrs. Stillwell," she said. "I am the new Countess of Billington, and I am very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Bessie dropped a quick curtsy and mumbled her greetings. Ellie wondered what sorts of experiences the tenants had had with the aristocracy for them to be so nervous around her. She smiled her warmest smile and said, "You are the first tenant I have visited. I shall have to rely on you for advice. I am certain you will know the best route for me to take today if I am to meet everyone."

Bessie warmed to the suggestion that she actually could advise a countess, and the rest of the interview proceeded just as nicely as Ellie could have hoped.

She learned that the Stillwell children were called Thom Junior, Billy, and Katey, that they were thinking of buying a new pig, and that there was a small leak in their roof, which Ellie promised to have fixed as soon as possible.

"Oh, but Thom can see to it. He's quite handy," Bessie said. Then she looked down. "We just haven't had the supplies."

Ellie sensed that times had been hard for the Stillwell family this past year. She knew that in Bellfield crops hadn't been as plentiful as usual, and she imagined that farmers had felt the same poor harvest here near Wycombe Abbey. "Then I shall make certain we send the proper supplies over," she said. "It is the very least we can do. No one should have to live with a leaky roof."

Bessie thanked her profusely, and by the end of the day Ellie had had such success with the rest of the tenants that Helen was saying, rather frequently, "I don't know how you do it. You have just met the tenants today, and already I think they would all lay down in front of a speeding carriage for you."

"It is simply a matter of making sure they realize that you are comfortable with them. Once they realize that, they will be comfortable with you."

Helen smiled. "I suppose Mrs. Smith could have little doubt that you were comfortable with her after you climbed up a ladder and inspected the bird's nest in her roof."