“No,” he replied. “But you are taking the correct steps. Isn’t it nice to hold a conversation with a gentleman rather than with Myles?”
“What?” she asked, confused.
“Well, when Lord Reginald speaks, he is so refined,” Sir Preston said. “Whereas when Myles speaks, it is with that accent I can’t stand. Even sitting across from Lord Reginald, and hearing the way he recalls an event, or looking at his manner of dress makes me feel much more at ease. When Myles speaks, it is as if he doesn’t know what he is talking about. And when he dresses himself, you can tell that he doesn’t belong.”
“I do not know if I would go that far…” Lady Emily said, but Sir Preston was not done.
“You simply could not be around a man like that any longer, my darling daughter,” he said. “I am glad he is gone.”
Lady Emily bit her lip and said nothing. If that was Sir Preston’s opinion, now was not the time to change it. In fact, she decided she would say nothing at all on the subject. She was tired of wasting energy on situations she could not change, and opinions that made no sense to her.
If Sir Preston could not see past the fact that Myles came from America, then there was nothing she could do about it. She was simply going to have to find Myles and do whatever it took, with or without her father’s blessing.
This bothered her because she did love her father very much, and she did want to obey him. However, she was willing to stray from his good graces only because she knew she was making the right decision These past few days without Myles had taught her that she really couldn’t live without him. She needed to find him again and soon.
“Are you ready to climb back into the carriage?” Lord Reginald re-joined them and Lady Emily put on the false smile she had been carrying the entire journey.
“Yes,” she said. “Absolutely.”
“London is not too far away now,” he said. “Another few hours and we will be there.”
“I cannot wait,” she said. Sir Preston headed into the carriage and Lord Reginald paused, to talk to Lady Emily.
“Can I just say how happy I am,” he told her. “That you have made this decision?”
“Oh?” she said. “Thank you. I simply want to see your London way of life though. I haven’t made any decision.”
“I know,” he said. “But this is a step in the right direction. Since the first time I laid eyes on you, Lady Emily, I knew that you would be the one to make me happy.”
She felt bad that she was misleading him, but she knew she had to keep up the act.
“Is there room at your London home for Edward?” she asked. “I went to see him this morning and he said he would join us as soon as he was well.”
“Well?” Lord Reginald looked confused. “I had no idea he was ill.”
“It is just a temporarily sickness,” she said. “Something minor. But it was he who suggested I go to London, and he said he wanted to come. Is there room?”
“Of course,” Lord Reginald said. “He suggested it? I must thank him.”
“I’m sure you will be able to do that in person very soon,” she said, as they all got back into the carriage. The other two were acting as though three hours to London was nothing, but Lady Emily felt she might perish before they got there. She was exhausted and every moment on the road made her sick with anticipation
“Are you quite well?” Sir Preston asked her, as they neared the end of their journey It was dark, and Lady Emily had been leaning against the carriage wall with her eyes closed.
“Oh yes,” she assured him. “I am just tired.”
“I hope so,” he said. “How did Edward become ill?”
“He said that it was going around his house,” Lady Emily said. “So it must be contagious.”
“Oh my,” Sir Preston said. “Now I am concerned.”
“Don’t be,” she said, with a smile. “I’ll be all right, as soon as we are in London.”
“I believe I can see the city,” Lord Reginald said, as he stuck his head out of the window. “There, I can see the lanterns lit up in the windows. London is much different from the countryside. Shops are open late, and there are many restaurants if you are still hungry.”
“Where would a solicitor work?” she asked. Lord Reginald looked at her strangely
“Well, that would be in the centre of town,” he said. “It’s not the safest place for a lady. Why?”
“Oh, I was just thinking of...you know, since there was so much talk of solicitors with Myles, I realized I had no idea where they worked or what their offices would be like. I was just wondering.”
“Well, I could show you if we happen to go by,” he said. “But I don’t think you should get out.”
“No, of course not,” Lady Emily said, although she intended to keep her eyes peeled for the names of solicitors. It was very dark outside, so she couldn’t see much, so she at least saw the part of town that she needed to.
“My house is just up here,” Lord Reginald said, as they approached. “I will help you out, Lady Emily.”
“Thank you,” she said as the carriage rolled to a stop. She felt comforted just knowing that she was in the same place as Myles. She hoped tomorrow she would be within the same few feet as him.
Chapter 12
Myles had spent a great deal of time making enquiries, and he was starting to lose hope. There were several solicitors on this street alone, and he wasn’t sure he would be able to find the one he was looking for.
However, before he came to the very last office, he found luck. He supposed it was better than knocking on every single door on every street, but he was exhausted having just knocked up and down one street.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Whitehall,” the solicitor, Mr. Barry said. “It’s good of you to come.”
“I am so sorry,” Myles said, as he stood in the office. It was beautiful, with accents of gold, and it was clear that this Mr. Barry made more money than Myles had ever known. “My ship was...wrecked on the way over and I was quite injured. I needed to recover, and when I did...parts of my memory were gone. It took me a while to piece together exactly why I was here and what I needed to do.”
Mr. Barry gaped at him.
“Is that so?” he said. “My goodness, I am so sorry to hear that. Are you well now?”
“Oh yes,” Myles said. “I am quite well now, and I am very glad that I found you.”
“You know, of course, that your uncle has passed on,” Mr. Barry said, as they walked into the largest office. He invited Myles to sit down in the softest chair he had ever sat on. “He was a nice man, and I am sorry he won’t be around anymore. Although he never met you, he spoke highly of you, based on the letters that your father wrote about you.”
“Did you know my father too?” Myles asked and Mr. Barry nodded.
“Yes,” he said. “I have worked with your family for many years. Your father was my first client.”
“My goodness,” Myles said. “I had no idea that there was that kind of history involved.”
“Oh yes,” said Mr. Barry. “And may I say, sir, that you look just like him. I thought I was seeing a ghost when you first walked into the room.”
Myles smiled.
“Many people said that in America. They thought I was so clearly my father’s son...although we were different in many ways.”
“I’m sure you would make him quite proud,” Mr. Barry said. “Shall we get down to business?”
“Yes,” Myles said. “I have been waiting for a long time to hear the details of what I am to inherit.”
“Your uncle, as you know, had no living family,” Mr. Barry said. “And after your father passed away, you were his next living male heir. He was glad that you were easily reachable in America and he arranged it so that, when it became clear he would not live much longer, I would make the arrangements. He wanted everything taken care of as soon as possible.”
“Why is that?” Myles asked. “Just to make sure the money was secure?”
“The money is sizable,” Mr. Barry said. “But there is also the matter of a title.”
“A title,” Myles said. He had wondered if there might be a title. He didn’t know for sure what it would be, but there was something in the back of his mind that told him there was one.
He supposed he might have known this information once upon a time, but it was lost somewhere in the far reaches of his memory. “What is it?”
“It’s a baron,” Mr. Barry said. “I have all the paperwork to explain exactly what lands you would get, and the rules of the title.”
“Rules?” Myles asked. “I didn’t know there were rules.”
“Of course,” Mr. Barry said. “Inheriting a title means that you must pass it on to a male heir. In addition, it means that you must respond if the king ever calls upon you. You sit in the House of Lords and you must raise an army if we go to war.”
“What?” Myles said, in shock. Mr. Barry, however, didn’t seem to be paying attention He was distracted by finding the right piece of paperwork for Myles. He handed over the document and pointed to a number on it.
“This is the sum of money,” he said, and Myles choked.
“Are you sure you didn’t add an extra 0 or 4 in there?” he asked. Mr. Barry smiled.
“Your uncle was quite a wealthy man,” he said. “And he left it all to you without question.”
“I cannot believe this,” Myles said. “I have such plans for this money. Now that I see how much it is, my plans can expand.”
“Oh?” Mr. Barry asked. “What plans do you have for it?”
“Where I live, in New York, the community is struggling,” he said. “I don’t know if you know much about America, but we are very community based, and help each other quite a bit. In that life, I am a silversmith and I want to expand my business while helping the community. In addition, I have heard quite a bit about steam, and I believe jobs in the steam industry will improve the community as well. I would like to invest in the technology if I can.”
“But this is in New York?” Mr. Barry asked and Myles nodded. “Oh my dear boy, you can’t do that.”
Myles looked confused.
“Why can’t I?” he asked.
“Part of the rules of inheritance are that you must remain in England and establish roots here.”
“What?” Myles asked. “Are these standard rules?”
“They are the terms of the will that your uncle wrote,” he said. “He did not want the title to disappear.”
“Well…” Myles paused. “Could I take the money without the title?”
“I’m afraid not,” he said. “One goes with the other.”
“Well, the title wouldn’t disappear in New York,” Myles said. “I would just...I mean, I would still have it. I would just...I don’t know, use it to sign my letters or something?”
Mr. Barry smiled.
“I’m afraid that is not quite what your uncle had in mind,” he said. “As I mentioned, you would be required to stay here in England and establish roots.”
“Establish roots?” Myles asked. “What does that mean?”
“You must marry an English wife, live here and start a family,” he said. “In order to make sure the title lives on.”
Before Myles even had a chance to think, Lady Emily’s face flashed through his mind.
He reminded himself of what she had said about him, and tried to make her beautiful eyes disappear from his mind’s eye. He couldn’t marry her. She didn’t want him. She thought she was better than him.
“I see,” he said. “Well, I am afraid I don’t know anybody here.”
“Those are the terms,” Mr. Barry said, with a sad smile. “Even if I wanted to give you the money, I couldn’t. I can’t go against the will.”
“Is there another male heir?” Myles asked.
“No,” Mr. Barry said. “Not only were you the next in line, you were the only one.”
“That can’t be true,” Myles said, even as he knew it to be so. He didn’t have any cousins or any family at all now, he realized. His father had never spoke of anyone other than his uncle, and that made him feel more alone than he had before.
“I’m afraid so,” Mr. Barry said. “So are you telling me that you aren’t to accept the terms?”
“I...I don’t know,” Myles replied. “I would have to think about it. How long do I have?”
“There is no limit,” Mr. Barry said. “But at the same time, you do not want to leave this sitting here. Although there are no legitimate male heirs, there are groups who look for situations like this and try to take advantage of them, by finding the most distant relatives. You could have a fight on your hands, and that is not what your uncle wanted. Everything he worked for could be swept away by someone who is questionably 1/100th of your blood.”
“I understand,” Myles said. “I am afraid I just need some time to think.”
“You aren’t already married, are you?” Mr. Barry asked and Myles shook his head.
“No,” he said. “It’s really nothing like that. It’s just...this is not my home. This is not my land. This is not where my business is.”
“But it could be,” Mr. Barry said. “You could move your business and make this your home. After all, it’s been home to your ancestors for generations. Perhaps you could be the one to return the bloodline to England?”
“I really have to take some time to think,” he said. “I am sorry.”
“That is all right,” Mr. Barry said. “You should know though, that in certain circles of London, news has already spread fast about the size of this inheritance. It is one of the largest I have ever worked with. The fact that there is a title going to a male heir that no one has met has most of the nobility talking.”
“I see,” Myles said. “So I will be...very popular, wherever I go?”
“You could look at it that way, yes,” Mr. Barry said with a smile. “You certainly won’t have a shortage of prospects for wives, if that is what you mean.”
“This English wife…” Myles said. “Are there any other terms for her? Or she must simply be English?”
“Most of society would say that she needs a title of her own,” he said. “Although it is not unheard of for a baron to marry a little lower than his station. Being American you...could probably do as you please.”
Myles understood exactly what he was saying. Mr. Barry was too polite to say that being American would already cause controversy, so causing more by marrying a commoner might not be a problem.
“And by titled, you mean... Any title?”
“A common title for a baron to take as a wife would be the Honourable, or Lady. Perhaps a baroness or even a countess might be worth pursuing, although she would be marrying below her station for that.”
“I understand,” Myles said. “As I said, there is no one who is...willing to marry me. But that is good to know.”
“I am sure you won’t have too much trouble,” Mr. Barry said and stood up. He shook Myles's hand with a good strong grip. “Don't take too long, my boy. This could be the start of a great life for you.”
“Thank you,” Myles said. “I will make sure to let you know soon.”
A Lady's Taste For Temptation (Historical Regency Romance) Page 23