The Reverend's Daughter (Book 2 after The Duke's Daughter)

Thirteen Part Two

Marcus was making a trip into town. He was anxious to be on his way as he awaited his steed to be brought around by the groomsman. He was meeting his brother Damien for the noon meal, and he had some personal business to attend to afterwards.

He paced from one end of the entry that fronted his home, to the other. There were columns at either side, supporting an overhanging to protect one from the weather. Marcus came to a halt at one end of the stone entry, next to one of these columns. Resting his hand up upon it, squinting against the sun, he saw Alfred approaching on his own horse. Alfred was still a little ways up the road that led to the house.

The estate covered a good sized area, there were roughly a thousand and eight hundred acres of meadow and woods, surrounding the main residence.

The home itself was large, needing the full support of the thirty odd servants they retained. Those of whom, Gwen kept hard at work at all times during the day, and into the evening. The land itself required another ten and six men, Gwendolyn had three men to tend her gardens, a groomsmen and two underlings to keep the stables, and Marcus had men to help with his husbandry.

Marcus hired more men as they were needed, and over the last few years, he had steadily added quite a few hands to help him in his endeavor.

Marcus looked from Alfred upon his steed, to the emerald, green meadow lying left of the road. The road winding it's way in, to end at the front of the estate.

A very large pasture had been fenced off, it held Marcus' many sheep, and lambs, that grazed the meadow. The small, white, fluffy clouds of animals dotting the rich, green grass. The sheep were Marcus' own addition to the estate, as he loved the way they added to the view. Gwendolyn hated them.

There were some things that Marcus did for his own pleasure, that he enjoyed just a little bit more, due to Gwendolyn's intense displeasure.

His sheep were one of them. He had a lovely view of the pasture from his study window, he enjoyed watching the sheep graze and the lambs frolic, while he was working at his accounts. He kept his own personal and business accounts. Gwendolyn had a man who kept her's, and the accounts of the amounts she spent keeping up 'her' manse.

Marcus also took pleasure in reminding her, once in a great while, t'was his estate, not her's, and he could damn well have sheep if he wanted them.

He bred them and he sold the wool for a tidy profit. He had close to two hundred head of the gentle creatures. He also had cattle that roamed the wood and pasture behind the estate, but only one hundred and twenty three head of those.

Marcus loved his livestock, he especially took great pleasure in putting on a pair of coveralls and boots, and getting outside taking in the glory of nature. He was involved in the calving, he helped mend the fences, and he took great pride in the milk that was produced from his herd. Three of his men were hired to milk the dairy animals, then take the wagons of milk produced to town daily. Marcus had a contract with two hotels and several eating establishments, to have the fresh milk delivered early, every morn. The milk was carried in large, tin, lidded containers by the wagonful. The hired men delivered the milk and retrieved the vessels from the day before, bringing them back to the estate to be sterilized with boiling water, and used again the day after.

Marcus had bought ten cows to begin with, along with a great beast of a bull, which had it's own pasture to roam, until it came time to oversee the breeding process. Marcus had borrowed the funds for the cattle from his brother, and now had grown the animals in number, and paid Damien back with interest.

He had done the same with the sheep, he had originally purchased twelve, and now his fields were flooded with the wooly creatures.

He turned his gaze back to the road, which meandered along to his right, skirting a large fishing pond, with willows gracing it's banks, ducks sliding across it's surface.