Page 31 of A Figure of Love

“Of course I do not mind. I am only glad you came before we had positioned the entire berm.”

The foreman chuckled. “Aye, as much as we like the work, doing a job twice ain’t something to be wished for.”

Lockheart turned back to the drawing with his customary abruptness, not interested in banter. “The only problem I foresee with this new path is that boulder.”

“Aye, sir, that be why we thought to move the berm up here.” He looked at Serena, “Yon gent that walked the land with Mrs. Lombard argued it made no matter.”

The foreman, Mr. Flowers, was right. She had drawn her initial plans very near to where Mr. Lockheart was moving the berm. She was pleased that Flowers, a stout Kentish gentleman who worked with his group of laborers more than merely overseeing them, had pointed this out to their employer. Serena had earned his respect in the weeks since coming to begin the job and they had an excellent understanding and working relationship. And now, she realized, she had earned his loyalty, as well.

Not that Lockheart appeared to care. His mind seemed stuck on the boulder. “Do you have the necessary means to remove it?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m afraid I didn’t pursue the matter when it seemed it would not be an issue.” She cocked her head as she mentally measured the dimensions of the rock in question before turning to the foreman. “Have you moved something of this size before?”

Flowers scratched his head and then shook it. “Not this size. I suppose we could dig it out enough to roll it down into the lake.”

“That would be the easiest, but. . .” Serena bit her lip.

The two men waited.

Serena shook her head. “Never mind. That would be the easiest.”

“What were you going to say, Mrs. Lombard?” Lockheart sounded intrigued, rather than resigned or skeptical, as many men would do.

“It would make a lovely feature beside the lake. It just seems a pity to submerge it.”

He looked from her to the rock to the hillside. His stared at the rock again, but now Serena knew he wasn’t seeing it. Somehow, she knew this was one of those times where he saw the numbers and symbols he spoke of.

“I have read the great stones on Salisbury Plains come from many miles away.” He spoke the words to the rock.

Serena looked at Flowers, who looked back at her and gave a small shrug.

They waited.

Lockheart turned to Flowers, “Do you understand the changes to the grade?”

“Aye, sir.”

“How many days will the digging take, not including the area the rock occupies?”

“If the weather stays like this I’m thinking we’ll be done by the end of the week.”

Lockheart nodded. “I will have a way to move the stone by then.” He glanced at something over Serena’s shoulder and she turned to see Oliver dismounting. The dogs, she was pleased to see, were staying put at his command.

When she turned back it was to see Lockheart still staring, his brow furrowed.

Serena waited until the men had moved off toward the new dig site to speak. “I hope you do not mind, Mr. Lockheart, but there were these pups in the stables when we arrived. Horrocks seemed to think you were building a hunting pack, but as there was no kennel master, he said Oliver might train them.”

Oliver arrived beside her. “Good morning, Mr. Lockheart.”

Lockheart looked from Oliver to Serena and back to her son. “I am pleased to see you have taken care of the dogs. I’m afraid I did not take care of hiring a kennel master, so I’m glad to see they have found somebody who wants them. I daresay they are quite ruined for hunting now?”

Serena nodded. “Horrocks seemed to think so. But Oliver has been training them to behave.”

He looked at her son. “Have you?”

Oliver nodded. “They are good dogs, sir. But Mama says they must live in the stables. They have a stall, where they sleep and stay when I cannot be outside with them.” He hesitated. “Mama says they may not live in the house.”

Lockheart appeared intrigued by this piece of information and Serena could see the man did not realize he was in the process of being manipulated by a master at the art. He looked at Serena.