little too progressive for your uncle, I think, Fotherby.”

The conversation turned then, but it was this subject that troubled Fotherby as he lay awake, staring at the ceiling of his room and following the cracking plaster with his eyes. All thoughts of his uncle, however, were soon to be pushed from his mind.

The next day Fotherby joined Lord and Lady Barrington on a journey into Buxton to experience the delights of this town. It was not a long journey, taking perhaps an hour in the carriage in which the guest had arrived a week earlier. For the duration of their journey they happily discussed many topics, laughing as much as they talked.

Buxton was a town in the making. The Duke of Devon was creating the small village into a town that he hoped would one day rival Bath. The imposing C...

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