In England, heirs are allowed to sell part of their inherited assets to pay inheritance tax...However, when many nobles were faced with huge inheritance taxes, selling off their property on a large scale to pay the inheritance taxes was a very difficult decision.
Because the education these nobles received since childhood was different from that of ordinary civilians. In aristocratic families, their education of their children placed more emphasis on the sense of responsibility for the entire family.
In other words, the title and property you get will belong to you, but not completely, because both the title and the family assets are accumulated from generation to generation. Therefore, when you get these, you also need to assume the corresponding responsibilities.
If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight!
This is why Barron's grandfather, when faced with an inheritance tax of up to 7 million pounds, only sold a small part of his property - mainly some land - to pay the inheritance tax, and was willing to spend the next 24 years working day after day to pay off the overdue inheritance tax, and ultimately preserve the family's property as much as possible.
Because growing up in such a family, the achievements made by successive dukes, those glories that shine in British history, are all the responsibilities that the heirs of this family need to bear - they must not bring shame to the family, they must not let the family fall apart!
These can be said to be beliefs engraved in the blood of every family member - including Butler Sean, who has served the family for more than 40 years. I am afraid that in his heart, he will regard the honor of the Duke of Devonshire's family as more important than his own life.
Because Sean is not only the steward of the entire family, but he also took over the position of family steward from his father. It can be said that their family has been serving the Duke of Devonshire family for life for three generations, and they have long regarded themselves as a part of the entire family.
This is why Butler Sean said this to Barron at this time.
For example, Julia Moore, although she can serve as the manager of the family trust fund and has close ties with the Duke of Devonshire's family, her feelings for this family are no greater than those of Butler Sean.
For Julia, although she hopes that the Cavendish family can revive, but in the final analysis, the use and management direction of the family trust fund will be decided by the family heirs. Even if she disagrees with Barron's instructions in her heart, she will follow them.
But Barron can be said to have grown up under the care of Butler Sean, and Butler Sean knows his character and abilities better.
In addition to the critical situation the family was facing at the time, he really did not want most of the family's assets to end up in Barron's hands, so after hesitating, he still expressed his concerns.
"Butler Sean, although you are the butler, in fact, I regard you as my elder, so I hope you can believe me that everything I do is to preserve the family's wealth."
Barron knew what kind of person he was in his previous life, and he had already anticipated the resistance he would encounter in using the funds after taking over the family.
At this time, he looked directly at Butler Sean and said to him sincerely:
"Perhaps my previous performance made you lack confidence, but that was because my brother would do a good job as the heir, and I didn't need to take on too much responsibility. But now it's different. At this time, we all have the same goal, so I just hope that you can trust me and help me get through this crisis."
To be honest, Barron at this moment actually felt a little strange in the eyes of Butler Sean - even though he had watched the other party grow up, the temperament displayed by Barron at this moment was completely different from the young man who could be called a playboy or a dandy.
This discovery surprised Butler Sean, and at the same time, he also felt some anticipation.
Could the young man before him really lead the Cavendish family back to glory?
Intellectually, Butler Sean felt that this possibility was unlikely; but often at this time, people always have more hope for a miracle to happen.
"I'll make a list for you, Master Barron..."
Butler Sean finally wanted to give it a try.
…
After arriving at the manor, Barron felt for the first time the service enjoyed by the nobles.
Well, to be honest, it was a little bit uncomfortable at first, but after getting used to it, it felt really good.
Just like in his previous life, he could never imagine having to rely on other people to help him put on his clothes, button them, and tidy them up.
But here, all of these will be done by personal valets.
You just need to stretch out your hand, and they will help you put on your clothes; they will help you put your clothes in order by just standing there, it's like just stretching out your hand for clothes...
Of course, unlike what many people imagine, in an orthodox aristocratic family - of course, one that is of a certain size - these tasks are all done by dedicated male servants, and there are usually no personal maids to serve male family members.
Usually, female personal servants serve female members, and male personal servants serve male members...
However, for a family, having one more servant is certainly not as simple as having one more mouth to feed. It requires salary and some corresponding treatment. Therefore, unless the family is really large enough, it is often very luxurious to have a dedicated full-time personal servant.
"Master, did we lose a lot of money?"
After helping Barron tidy up his clothes, Ramos stood behind him and asked with a little hesitation.
"Did you hear what others said?"
Barron turned around and looked at Ramos and asked.
"Yes, there are some servants who are talking about it, and everyone is a little worried."
Barron had anticipated all of this. Perhaps Ramos asked this question not only because he wanted to know the answer, but also because there were many people who wanted to confirm the rumors through him.
Since the last century, servants in aristocratic families have had a certain degree of independence. It does not mean that being a servant in a family means that all of them belong to that family.
Instead, it was more of an employment relationship within the same family. If a servant made a mistake, the most you could do was fire him, or if it was a more serious mistake, you would call the police. There was no such thing as lynching.
Although they are called servants, it is actually just a job for them. After all, they earn a salary to make a living, so it is very common for them to "change jobs" when they find a better job.
Often in such families, there are no secrets, especially among servants, where news often spreads very quickly.
We all try to make a living, and if this place were to fall into disrepair, everyone would definitely want to find another way out as soon as possible.
"Ramos, there are some difficulties now, but I believe we can get through it. It's never smooth sailing, right?"