Chase entered. It was a small place, but had been made comfortable. A wooden floor made it into a house if anything did. The gates for the carriage were firmly locked and bolted, becoming a wall. Simple furniture, probably borrowed from the main house, created a little sitting room.

Another door gave off from this one, and he walked to it. On its threshold he saw that it was the bedchamber. Inside Jeremy washed, stripped to the waist, his youthful body bent over the basin while he rinsed his face. He heard Chase, and glanced over. Smiling, he stood and faced the door while he pulled on a shirt. Then he opened the door fully and came out. “I thought it was my mum. I didn’t expect callers. I don’t have any.”

Chase looked around the chamber. “You have made a pleasant home for yourself here.”

“I like it. Mum doesn’t.” He smiled again. “‘We’ll be killed by intruders and you’ll be none the wiser out here,’ she said. As if any intruder would stand a chance with those two, as you learned to your pain. Also, they can shoot better than I can.”

“Is that who taught Miss Hepplewhite? Your mother?”

“It was. Mum was a farmer’s daughter. Tenant on some estate somewhere. But she married an army fellow. Not like you. Just a soldier. He got killed in the war early on, and she went into service to be able to keep me.” He pulled on his coat. “Come and sit down. If you are here, there is a reason I expect.”

Chase and he returned to the sitting room. Jeremy built up the fire a bit and soon the flames broke through the night chill still hanging in the house.

“I would offer you something, but I take meals at the house and there’s not even coffee here.”

“I have no need of anything, but thank you for the good intentions. Miss Hepplewhite suggested something to me. I thought I would talk about it with you, since you may not think it as good an idea as she did.”

“Could be, although she usually has good ideas.”

“She said that there are times when she does not have much use of your services, and that if I do have need of such services then, perhaps you would like to make yourself available to my inquiries.”

Jeremy absorbed that. He frowned vaguely while he thought. “There’d be wages for this?”

“I will match whatever she pays you.”

Jeremy smiled at the floor and scratched his head. “I’ll be wanting a bit more than that, because she doesn’t pay me anything. Not yet. She feeds me and I live here, and she is like my family.”

“Then let us settle on wages that are suitable, since I am not like family.”