Nathan

By Sandy Grissom

Lady Jane Greystone's family falls on hard times and he marries a merchant. Their oldest son Nathan will inherit Greystone Park yet his uncle does not train him for his duties. When he takes over he is busy learning how to manage and estate and meet his gentlemen neighbors. He has not time to consider marriage. Especially not to an eight years younger girl who acts as if she is ten. Even so the married ladies in Cambridgeshire always need partners for their unmarried friends. they have matrimonial plans for Nathan. Will it be the rude child woman?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandy Grissom
• Release date: Oct 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005301491

Sandy Grissom

Sandy Grissom has loved books all her life. That love began by listening to her older sister read when she was still too young to discover the magic for herself. She's read everything from history to the phone book but her favorite authors are James Michener, Agatha Christie and the mystic William Blake. Over the years, romantic novels became a favorite. The top of that list is Pride and Prejudice. When she retired she had too much time on her hands and spent too much money and trips to the library to get books in order to satisfy her restless soul. It was then she began to write herself. As an adult she held a variety of jobs, all of them grist for her imaginative mind. The occupations in Choppy Waters will hopefully inspire someone to fight for their own dreams, to never give up on themselves or on love. A widow, Sandy recently moved to southern Indiana where she lives near the younger of her two beloved sisters.

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NATHAN

by

Sandy Grissom

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the author.

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Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2020 by S.K.G. Haag

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Sandy Grissom has loved books all her life. That love began by listening to her older sister read when she was still too young to discover the magic for herself. She’s read everything from history to the phone book but her favorite authors are James Michener, Agatha Christie and the mystic William Blake.

Over the years, romantic novels became a favorite. The top of that list is Pride and Prejudice. When she retired she had too much time on her hands and spent too much money and trips to the library to get books in order to satisfy her restless soul. It was then she began to write herself.

As an adult she held a variety of jobs, all of them grist for her imaginative mind. The places she’s lived also feed into her stories, namely Colorado and the desert of eastern Washington State. Her heart, though she wasn’t born there, grabbed onto and lives in the west, Nebraska, Wyoming and most especially Texas.

A widow, Sandy recently moved to southern Indiana where she lives near the younger of her two beloved sisters.

NATHAN

CHAPTER ONE

Nathan Holloway, like many before him, was surprised to be seated in Attorney Stephen’s office. At least so soon after his uncle’s passing. He long expected to be master of Bayside Park. Or Greystone as his uncle called it. He knew because no other relative was nearer in relation to the man. Yet for some reason, Uncle William did not see fit to train him for the position. He did not even verbally acknowledge that Nathan was heir to the estate. Nathan, being Nathan, would not presume to bring up the subject himself.

The estate had been called Greystone for many generations. Uncle William was a Greystone and proud of the name. Perhaps he never spoke of Nathan inheriting because it was difficult for him to turn the estate over to one not carrying that name. It was a terrible loss to William when a turn of fortunes in his father’s time forced the sale to a commoner. The man changed the name to Bayside, probably to show it no longer belonged to the family.

William’s father was at a loss as how to provide for his family without an estate. He had been trained to be master of an estate and that alone. Moreover, he was mortally embarrassed he had allowed such a thing to happen. He could not imagine what the servants and farmers must think of him. It fell to William to take up the reins for the family. He became a merchant and in time quite a successful one. He worked day and night and set aside every bit of money he could. Some called him a miser because he held his money close.

He was not; he had a mission to fulfill. He foresaw there would be another shift in financial matters like the one that caused them to lose the estate. He thought to take advantage of it when it happened. In the meantime, he accrued a fortune and in just a few years. That fortune gave him funds to speculate. His business dealings and that speculation allowed him to become rich beyond even his expectations.

It was then he approached the man who bought his family estate. He offered a tidy sum for the man to sell. William was devoted to the ancestral land and missed it exceedingly. The present owner was a commoner without title. He thought more of money than the land and manor house. He accepted the offer and moved on to another house quite happily. In that way, William was able to bring his family home again. His father had been at loose ends without the estate. His mother, interestingly, rose up and became stronger.

By the time William recovered the estate, he had been the breadwinner for so long that he took over managing the estate. His father’s grief at losing the place allowed it easily. He was averse to making a mistake that might cause a second loss. He did not know the extent of William’s wealth, however. A few mistakes, even many of them would not cause them to lose the estate.

William was happy to be master. He considered officially changing the name back to Greystone. Yet he soon discovered it was unnecessary. The families who resided in Cambridgeshire all their lives still called the estate by its former name. Once the original family was back in the house few ever spoke of it as Bayside. As if the time the family was away was simply forgotten or never happened. Perhaps forgiven for a downturn in financial matters likely affected all the estate owners. Though apparently not to the same degree as Greystone.

William never married. He was a serious man and too much into the business of running the estate and managing his ongoing business and investments to consider allocating any of his precious time to a lady. His sister, Jane, however, married a businessman. Had they never lost the estate such a marriage could not have happened. She would have been introduced to gentlemen, perhaps even a titled lord and expected to marry one of that persuasion. Jane was younger than William by seven years. She recalled the estate but did not long for its return like her brother.

She actually appreciated the freedom of being a merchant’s sister. Freedom that the daughter of an estate would not have available to her. She felt less constrained in her manner than a young lady in a gentleman’s house. Jane was a true lady, simply a freer one. One that allowed her to meet and fall in love with a businessman. It happened because her brother dealt with all sorts of businessmen. He did not expect her to fall in love with one, however. Yet she did and his father gave his consent without speaking to William about it.

It was at a time when the older gentleman felt the man was the best Jane could hope for. He had no belief that he would ever go home again. He took little account that it was a love match. Jane Greystone then became Jane Holloway, a wealthy merchant’s wife. Their children numbered five, three daughters and two sons.

Nathan was the oldest son. His brother, Paul, was three years younger. He would one day take over the merchant business his father, Mr. Holloway, managed. He enjoyed the world of business more than Nathan did and already worked with his father. It mattered not that he cared little for merchandising for Nathan would one day take over Greystone Park when Jane’s brother, William went to his reward.

So as Jane was building her family, William was working relentlessly to return himself and his parents to Greystone Park. In time he accomplished it though in the process, it distanced him from his sister and her family. It wasn’t Jane’s choice but William had become addicted to business interests that had nothing to do with merchandising. That was a more passive type of income and often engaged in by estate owners.

His working manner did not change after regaining Greystone. Indeed, he felt his time was greatly limited and his responsibilities to the estate and business matters came first. He gave practically no time to his sister’s family or the acquisition of a wife.

His parents naturally moved back to Greystone with him. His mother managed the household as she had done previously. His father read a great deal unless he was out riding, a favorite pastime. As time will, William eventually lost both of them but he was content that he had made their later years happy in the home they loved. William was then required to manage the household his mother managed. Yet by then the staff was well trained in how he wanted things done. The servants knew his expectations and desires for many of them remained from before the estate was lost.

Nathan then expected to inherit. Nathan’s mother, Jane, talked to him as a boy about what his life would be. Nathan supposed he would know how to manage the household staff. For his mother kept a similar household though not to the extent of a manor house. Even so, Nathan was able to understand it to a degree. She explained to him what she knew of running such a place though a lady knew very little of the actual managing of farms and money matters. His father, a businessman, had no knowledge of the managing of an estate. He did instruct him in matters of budgeting.

He even made visits to Greystone but his Uncle William taught him little about management of the estate. The visits occurred when he wasn’t at school. While there he learned only bits and pieces about managing the estate. Nathan was wise enough to listen to his uncle as he dealt with his steward. He was not often invited into the man’s study. When he wasn’t, he stayed outside and listened anyway.

He found ways to ask questions that did not seem intrusive yet would be instructive for him in times to come. William was unable to deny the boy’s curiosity. He was pleased with questions about it or the financial holdings so dear to his heart. He could not speak to a mere acquaintance about such matters and he had few friends. So he obliged the boy by talking about those things. In those two ways, watching and listening, Nathan was able to learn something of what it would take to manage the estate. Even so, he was certain that when he took over the estate, he would learn a great deal in short order. He expected he would need to depend greatly on his steward to begin rightly. He wanted to do well for he knew how much the estate meant to his Uncle William.

The going home celebration for William was barely past when Nathan was called to the attorney’s office. He knew absolutely that he was the new master then. For Mr. Stephens was known to keep records back to practically infinity as to who succeeded who on the various Cambridgeshire estates. There was a chart for Greystone lying on Mr. Stephen’s desk when Nathan arrived. His name was written as heir. It was not a recent addition but one that was known to the lawyer and written down years earlier. He supposed the man wanted to make contact now assuming he would go back to London after William’s going home service. In fact, though he came down with his parents to arrange the service, he had no expectation of returning to their home in London. His remaining clothes and possessions would be sent to him on his parents’ return there.

Apparently, the servants expected him to become master. For they treated him with great respect from the moment the party arrived from London. Nathan was gracious dealing with them yet kept himself apart a little until the summons from the attorney came. He wanted reassurance he was the heir. It was good he did for he soon learned that was how a master was expected to behave. He recalled then that William did not associate with the servants. He had thought that was simply William’s way. It was not. He realized then how different his life would be from what it was before. He was surprised for his mother treated her maid almost as a friend.

He did not take the master’s suite thinking it would be presumptuous. In doing that, he again unknowingly did what the staff expected. After all, the suite needed to be cleaned of the old master’s things. Nathan did consider that. Still he received immediate attention from his uncle’s dresser. He had not had one in London. He found the man waiting for him the first night he went up to dress for supper.

I laid out your darkest suit, sir, he began. Do you wish to bathe before dressing for dinner?

I should like that, Nathan replied.

I thought as much after your long ride down. A bath is prepared down the hall.

At Nathan’s surprised look, he explained.

The old master’s bones ached some days. He ordered a permanent bath set up across from his rooms. The hot water did him a world of good.

I am happy to hear it eased him, Nathan replied.

He moved down the hall expecting the dresser to stay behind. Yet the man went with him. He proceeded to undress him to Nathan’s surprise. He managed to behave as if he got such treatment all the time. It appeared by his manner that the dresser, Jeffrey, thought as much. Or was too professional to react if he didn’t Nathan bathed quite luxuriously while the dresser stood nearby at the door. He wondered if it was to protect him from an intruder.

I best get out or I’ll be late, Nathan commented as he rose from the tub.

He thought the bath might be available for the others in house.

Supper will not be announced until you make your appearance downstairs, Jeffrey offered.

Nathan nodded. He took the enormous fluffy towel than Jeffrey handed him.

Even so I would not have my parents wait overlong.

Indeed not, sir, the man replied courteously.

He helped Nathan into a robe, then nodded respectfully and left to return to Nathan’s room. Though Nathan didn’t realize that was the man’s destination until he arrived there himself. He supposed he would get used to stepping into underwear a man held for him. For the present he was struggling to maintain what would appear to a