The Chosen Heir (The Bolles Dynasty Book 3) (11 page)

They walked back over the sweeping lawns, being careful not to disrupt the work that was happening.

“I’m not sure you need any advice. You made it sound as if this project wouldn’t finish, but it looks to be well underway. And your management team seemed ready for any obstacle or challenge.”

“The budget is the issue. We will complete it, but the costs are out of control. We need to lessen the labor and the machine costs.”

He opened the door to the Land Rover. She said, “I don’t know if my father can offer any advice. That was his issue as well. But he didn’t think about the money, only the goal.”

William placed his hand on her arm. “I’ve found that it is worth having conversations with the previous owners. It’s impossible to predict what advice or comment might be helpful.” He stepped back and said, “Don’t worry. I won’t push him. I know it must be hard.”

He closed the door and walked around the vehicle. Bridget mused over the new sides of William she saw today. He was an interesting mix of absolute force and empathy and understanding.

***

After a short drive, William pulled up near a stone pub that was within walking distance of her father’s new cottage. Tom must already be inside. She guessed that he was probably already on first name basis with the owner. Her father generally used the local pub as his social life.

Bridget stepped inside the pub first and scanned the bar for her father. He was sitting at a table speaking with a waitress but stood and walked over when he noticed her.

“Bridget.” He wrapped her in a tight hug and she was relieved that he was happy.

“Tom, I’d like you to meet William Bolles. William, this is my father, Thomas North.”

William reached out and shook his hand, saying, “It’s a pleasure, Mr. North.”

“Tom. No one calls me Mr. North.”

They followed her father back to his table and the waitress came over.
 

“I’d like the house stout.”

“A water, please,” Bridget said.

They glanced at the specials board. William asked, “Do you have any recommendations?”

“You can’t go wrong with bangers and mash. But they offer plenty of options.”
 

Bridget looked at the menu and decided on a salad, but when the waitress came over, she ordered a chick pea stew. Both her father and William ordered the bangers and mash, and she handed the menus back to the server.

Her father wore a striped polo shirt with baggy shorts. “I couldn’t believe it when Bridget told me that her new boss owned The Donne.”

William smiled and nodded. “The connections between our families are interesting.”
 

Tom said, “It’s odd the way things turn out. Your father once told me in passing that he thought the locals should take over The Donne and bring it back to life. I get lots of advice, but in this case I took it. It’s strange now that his son owns the place.”

William looked surprised. “Did you know my father well?”

“No. Everyone in this part knew who he was, but he didn’t often speak with the riffraff. It was a comment over a pint. I was at a wedding in a fancy hotel and escaped to the bar area for brief time. A conversation came about and he turned to me and said something should be done about the old course. He had remembered going there, but it had fallen into disrepair.”

“He spent time in this area, but I didn’t know that he was known by the local community.”

“The Bolles family owned an old manor house here and he would visit each year.”

William looked uncomfortable. Maybe the family had a local scandal? “Tom, getting back to The Donne. Have you been by recently?”

Her father shook his head and took a sip of his lager.
 

“I’d like to give you a tour. We hired a firm a year ago to redesign the course and increase the difficulty level while keeping some of the key elements. I’m trying to get one of the major events to use the course.”

“I didn’t have a problem with how the course was laid out. It was plenty difficult.”

“The idea is, to attract outsiders, it needs to host a major tournament. If this is achieved, then professionals will come. This area is stunning and increased tourism would help the local community.”

“I wish you luck. My partners and I tried for years to salvage the place. I would spend time there and feel a connection to the history, but in the end it only brought misery.”

“Why misery?”

Bridget intervened. “I don’t think we need to bring all of this up.”

“It’s fine,” Tom said. “I was convinced the harder I worked, it would eventually pay off. I thought if I gave up I would be throwing away everything I had worked for. I should have seen that I didn’t have the resources to make a go of it.”

The waitress brought their food and asked if they would like another drink. Her father declined and William did as well.

“All businessmen fail at some point,” Will said. “It is the lessons learned from the failure that move you forward.”

Tom shook his head. “I gave it five years of my time and energy. My wife died shortly after the bankruptcy, and I realized that I had neglected my family.”

“I’m sorry about your wife. You must miss her greatly.”

“She was my one great love and always believed in me. That was why it was so hard.”

Bridget couldn’t believe her father was sharing so freely with William. Had he met him as a boy? Did Will come to this area with his father?

“If you are willing to come to The Donne,” Will said, “I’d like to get your opinion on a few of the problems we are having.”

“You don’t need my advice. I didn’t know what I was doing.” His admission surprised her. Usually he insisted on explaining how he could have done things differently. Maybe he’d finally moved on and didn’t want to go back?

“My guess is that you learned a tremendous amount about the place. One of the issues is that the local laborers don’t want to work on the course and we have to bring machinery in from far away. The cost is much higher.”

“I can’t help you with that.”

“Why are the locals so reluctant to work at The Donne?”

Her father looked down at his plate. Did he know something that he didn’t want to share with William? She had never heard him speak about a resentment of the locals. They seemed to love The Donne. It was a place for years where weddings would take place and important events would be celebrated.

Bridget asked, “Tom, I’ve never heard you say that the locals refused to work there. Why would they?”

“Bridget, it’s not for me to say. The past should be left alone.”

“I have a thick skin,” William said. “Don’t worry about insulting me.”

Tom studied him a moment, then said, “There was a scandal involving your father. It’s the Bolles name. I don’t know that people trust it.”

“What type of scandal?”

“Your father seduced a local widow and left her pregnant. It was about the time that he gave me the advice to purchase The Donne, but at the time I didn’t know about the scandal.”

“I don’t understand. Why would people care all of these years later? Relationships fall apart for many reasons.”

“The area surrounding The Donne is a small community. The widow, Mary Blair, was a schoolteacher and her husband had died the year before. She had fallen in love with your father and then found out he had a family. He had lied to her. She had her child and had to live with the shame of it.”

***

William sat back. He couldn’t believe that Tom North was telling him about another infidelity. Mary Blair had never approached the family or the media. Maybe the story wasn’t accurate? “I’m not sure what to tell you. I have never heard of this.”

“She and her son moved away years ago. But it tarnished the Bolles name. The family closed up the manor house and as far as I know, they haven’t been back.”

Why hadn’t any of his business executives heard of this? Had they been afraid to tell him? Or his aunt and uncle? He needed to escape the pub. The food he had eaten was beginning to churn uncomfortably in his stomach. Would he be ill? His father had betrayed the family another time. It would devastate his mother.

“How many years ago did this happen?”

Tom North was trying to come up with a date. Meanwhile, Will wanted to upend the table and walk out. Why would his father do this?

“I think less than twenty years ago but not by much. Bridget would have been eight or nine years old.”

Did Bridget know about this? Was this why she had been so righteous and demanding a year ago? He glanced at her and she looked uncomfortable.

“I had nothing to do with any of this. I don’t know why people would blame this on me.”

“It’s the name. Bolles. In this area, scandal is not forgotten and the family is judged.”

“I can’t imagine that this situation can be rectified.”

Bridget said, “Find Mary Blair and make peace with her and her child.”

He stood and motioned for the check. “We should go. Thank you for sharing this information.”

Tom stood. “I’m sorry for your troubles.”

William handed the server a few bills without looking at the bill. “I’ll be touch. You should come and take a look at the course.”

He shook Tom’s hand and walked out of the pub. Was this why most locals had refused to work with his firm? Why only a few would and then overcharged for their services?

Bridget joined him on the sidewalk. He needed to be alone but would take her home. He headed to his vehicle and she followed him.

Tom North was a nice guy, but he had no idea he would drop a bombshell. The pieces were beginning to fall into place. He hadn’t known his father spent so much time here. He thought it had only been an occasional holiday.

Pulling up near Bridget’s flat, he hoped she would get out without a word.

“You should come in for tea. You are in shock, William.”

“I’m not. Believe it or not, this is not that unusual.”

“That is not true. Finding out you have another sibling, a further connection to your father, is life changing.”

“It hasn’t been proven true.”

She touched his shoulder. “Come inside. Please.”

***

Bridget watched as he shut the engine off and undid his seatbelt. What could she possibly say to him that would help? It was a terrible way to learn that he had a sibling. Was there a decent way? Being an only child, she had no experience with siblings, but she had felt a longing for someone to share a family history with. Maybe this young man would bring William joy or maybe he was rotten and would be the family’s downfall?

Her stomach tightened and she climbed out of the vehicle. He was in shock and needed her help. She couldn’t send him home to Mrs. Blake yet.

Leading him into her rented flat, she motioned to the small sitting area and went to put the kettle on. Why did tea help when someone was in shock? Maybe it was the ritual. Something to do with your hands.

She brought him a mug and placed it in his hands. He sat on the edge of the rose-patterned sofa. William looked out of place in this outdated flat.

“Are you angry?” He looked as handsome as ever. She had seen photographs of Oliver, and William looked like his father. His short dark blond hair and blue eyes were the same, but William had a stronger jawline and was more handsome.

“I’ve experienced a range of emotions in the last hour, and yes, anger is among them.”

“I’m sorry this is happening.”

He looked straight into her eyes. “Did you know?”

She shook her head. “No. I asked my father while you were leaving the pub why he hadn’t mentioned it to me. He didn’t think it was important. It wasn’t until you were asking why the locals would be reluctant to work at The Donne that it occurred to him that you didn’t know.”

William placed his mug down on the table. “I had no idea that my father had another relationship nor did I know that his family owned a manor house here. I’ll have to ask my aunt and uncle.”

“The child couldn’t have been more than a year or two old when your father died. Maybe they thought it was best to leave the situation alone.”