Flora looked at him.
The Marquis had a strange feeling that she was wondering if he was telling her the truth.
As if he suddenly felt he must justify himself he said,
“I assure you, Miss Romilly, that when I travelled abroad, as you may know for over a year, I expected to find everything exactly the same when I returned.”
“Did you really give Mr. Potter no instructions about economy and dismissing so many men both in the house and on the estate?” Flora enquired.
“I told him to keep everything going in exactly the same way as it was when I inherited my father’s title,” the Marquis informed her.
Flora did not speak as he continued,
“I admit that I should have visited the castle more often before I left and on my return. But I became so involved in events that were happening in London,
