Page 20 of The Duke’s Bride (The Duke’s Alliance #6)
She tore it open. Good heavens! Mama had decided to breakfast downstairs.
It would have been sensible to have spoken about this before she vanished and caused her unnecessary worry.
She had no intention of going into the public realm until this evening when she was accompanied by Mr Sheldon.
Therefore, she would be obliged to depart without speaking to her parent.
When the children returned from their outing with Mr Sheldon, they were to have their luncheon in the hotel and then go to look at the Tower and the animals in the menagerie. She would be back in good time to accompany them.
Mr Sheldon walked in as the children burst out of the bedchamber, so there was no opportunity to speak to him privately. He smiled and greeted her politely and she responded in kind.
‘I thank you for doing this, sir; there are not many unmarried gentlemen who would be prepared to take charge of two lively children.’
‘I shall have the good offices of their nursemaid. I can assure you, my lady, I would not venture out entirely on my own with them.’
The children insisted on taking one of his hands each and he did not appear to object to this familiarity.
He would make an excellent father and she hoped one day he would have children of his own.
The familiar stab of pain twisted her insides at her inability to have more children because of the complications she endured at the birth of the twins.
This was another reason she could never marry again, as all gentlemen must wish to fill their nurseries and she could not do that for them.
The hired vehicle was waiting to convey her to her lawyers. Her maid had never been to the city and was impressed by everything she saw. When Viola alighted, a young clerk handed her down from the carriage.
‘Lady Fenchurch, it is an honour to meet you in person. Mr Blyth is waiting to see you in his office, if you would kindly come this way.’
The building was of ancient construction, as were all the rest in that area, but it was well maintained and she was pleasantly surprised by the luxurious interior. She was led along a narrow corridor and into a spacious chamber that overlooked a pretty garden at the rear of the building.
An elderly, grey-haired man, dressed in the regulation black, rushed forward and bowed obsequiously. ‘Welcome, my lady, I am Mr Blyth the Younger. Would you care for refreshments?’
‘That will not be necessary, thank you. Do you have the information I require?’ She took a seat by the fire and he returned to his own place behind his desk.
‘I am afraid that we have discovered there is in fact a gentleman by the name of Patrick Fenchurch who does indeed have a direct line of descent from Lord Fenchurch. I believe he would be a very distant cousin. However, in law, he does have a good case to apply to become your children’s guardian and take control of the estate and its finances instead of your brother. ’
This was the worst possible news and for a moment she was too distressed to answer. Then she regained her composure. ‘What sort of man is he?’
‘He is an Irishman by birth. It appears a cousin of your husband’s father married an Irish girl and went to live there many years ago.
Mr Patrick Fenchurch has yet to arrive in England to make a claim.
He is a farmer, but not a wealthy one, and certainly not a suitable person to be in charge of your children and estates. ’
‘Then I must tell you that Sir Frederick Watson is orchestrating this. He will manipulate Mr Fenchurch and this man will be his puppet. Have you drawn up the papers to counteract this claim if it is made? I cannot understand why your original enquiries did not discover him. I am not impressed by this.’
‘My lady, I can only apologise for our lack of diligence. As it was clearly stated in the will that Mr Alston was to take over the estates and responsibility for you all, there seemed no necessity to enquire further than we did.’
‘How likely do you think it is that this man will do Sir Frederick’s bidding? I cannot see any judge in an English court wishing to hand over the care of the Earl of Fenchurch to an Irishman.’
‘My lady, Mr Fenchurch might live in Ireland, have an Irish accent, but he is legally English as his father was English. I believe there is nothing for you to worry about at the moment and we will certainly lodge the papers as soon as we hear he is in the country.’
She had to be satisfied with that, but it was not what she had hoped to hear. She would discuss the matter with Mr Sheldon when she saw him as, being an intelligent and well-travelled gentleman, he might have some pertinent suggestions.
As she descended the steps she was hailed by a familiar voice.
‘Richard, I had hoped you would be here for the meeting but I am delighted to see you now and I shall tell you everything I have learned.’ They embraced, ignoring the shocked expressions of the passers-by as any show of public affection, even for one’s brother, was not considered proper.
In the carriage she gave him a brief update on her life since she had last seen him. He was as appalled as she to know there was a genuine candidate to take over his responsibilities.
‘There is one alternative, sister; you could marry this Mr Sheldon. He seems a likely sort of fellow, a genuine gentleman. I cannot see him refusing to help you in your hour of need.’
For a moment she thought he was serious and then he laughed.
‘You must not tease me like that, Richard. My nerves are already frayed from all this anxiety. I have been thinking furiously for the past half an hour and think I might have a solution. This Patrick Fenchurch is a man of modest means but his roots are in Ireland and I think he might well be reluctant to come here, to bring his family to live in what is, in effect, an alien world.’
‘That is probably correct, but the lure of a large sum of money and a means to better himself and his family might prove more compelling.’
‘What if you went to speak to him and offered him a substantial sum if he remained where he was? I think it quite possible in those circumstances he would take our offer over one from Sir Frederick.’
‘That is certainly something to think about. Do you have the whereabouts of this person?’
She handed him a copy of the letter that the solicitors had received from the investigators listing everything about this gentleman and his location. Her brother glanced at it and then folded the paper and put it in his pocket.
‘I will leave tomorrow. The weather is inclement and there are storms at sea. I might not be able to sail to Ireland for a day or two. Then it will take me a further two days to reach him. We must pray I reach him before he has signed any sort of agreement with the other party.’
The carriage rocked to a halt outside the hotel. The doorman was there to let down the steps and hand her down. ‘The children should be back at any time. I hope you will remain until they return.’
‘Wild horses would not drag me away – I have every intention of inspecting this Mr Sheldon and seeing that he passes muster. I cannot have an inferior gentleman associating with my family.’
He offered his arm and she put hers in it. He was not a tall man by Mr Sheldon’s standard, but he was half a head taller than her and they made a handsome pair. Her fair colouring came from her mother; he was the image of their papa and they did not look at all like siblings.
It did not occur to her that erroneous conclusions about their relationship might be drawn by any onlookers.