Regency Romances for the Ages

by Grace Fletcher

  Lincoln’s face was draining of color. He swallowed.

  “Are you saying that the will Mother brought out after the funeral was not real? That I… I’m not the heir?”

  “You were the heir by birth right and Thomas left that to you without question. But everything else, including the vast majority of his fortune, was to go to Emily and her daughter. You had your own money, and he was hoping the little you had would make sure you were sensible with it. Emily and Joyce were to be given one of the houses on the estate and they were to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. If Joyce had any children, and they were male, they were to be considered for the earldom when they came of age.”

  Lincoln looked ill. Lady Lincoln looked furious.

  “Emily Newsome doesn’t deserve anything!” She shrieked. “She forced me out of my son’s life and I’m getting what’s mine now. She’s a…”

  Notts spun around on her and the look on his face had Lady Lincoln falling silent. Notts could only imagine what his expression looked like to her.

  “Do not call her anything.” He kept his snarl almost at a whisper. “You have falsely disinherited your daughter-in-law and granddaughter, you have falsely accused her of things that I don’t even want to comprehend, and you had your son try to kill your only grandchild.”

  “What?” Lincoln jumped. His face went even whiter. “What are you talking about?”

  From his reaction, Notts wondered if Frank had got it wrong. Did Lincoln try to harm his niece? From the look on his face, he had no idea what Notts was talking about.

  “Joyce was pushed in front of a carriage two weeks ago. She’s going to be fine, but she was very close to being killed. And my brother says he saw a man push her.” He jabbed a finger at Lincoln. “I think it was you.”

  Chapter 9

  The Offer

  “N o!” Lincoln jumped back, slapping Notts’ hand away. He looked shocked at the idea. “I would never do that. I didn’t like Emily, I’ll admit that, but I had nothing against Joyce. I love that little girl.”

  “You love her but you haven’t seen her in two years?” Notts shot back. “Give me one good reason why I should believe you.”

  “Because I was here. I have been past the past three weeks.” Lincoln swallowed. “I’ve been courting Stephanie Lucerne, Lady Lucerne’s granddaughter. They can verify that.”

  “I’ll speak to her about it,” Notts growled, “And I hope she knows what she’s getting into.”

  Lady Lincoln growled and pushed Notts in the chest.

  “Enough! I won’t stand for my family to be insulted like this! And Lincoln never did anything!”

  “Mother.”

  Lincoln was looking at his mother strangely. Notts took a step back, sensing that something was about to happen. From the way the dowager countess’ face was paling, she knew it, too.

  “You were here when that happened.” Lincoln said quietly. “You left the day after we got here saying you were going to visit someone. You got back late a week later, but you never said anything about your visit. You kept dodging questions about it.”

  “No.” Lady Lincoln shook her head violently. “No, I didn’t!”

  That was when Notts felt the weight in the pit of his stomach. They had got the right family but the wrong person. From the look on Lincoln’s face, he would never hurt his niece. Notts was inclined to believe him.

  He turned on the dowager countess, who looked like she was trapped in a corner.

  “You tried to kill your granddaughter.” He swallowed, unable to believe what he was hearing. “Why?”

  For a moment, he thought Lady Lincoln was going to deny it. But then her face twisted into an ugly look and she practically spat at him.

  “Emily doesn’t deserve her. And every time I look at Joyce, I see the woman who took my son away and changed him. Thomas deserted me and he was going to leave me out in the cold by not leaving me anything in the will. I wasn’t about to have that.”

  Notts pounced on that.

  “So, you did know about the will. Is it just a coincidence that he suddenly comes down with pneumonia shortly after amending his will to cut you out?”

  Lady Lincoln snorted.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t make someone ill with pneumonia.”

  “Maybe not but you can prolong it or make it look like someone died of it.”

  Lincoln’s mouth dropped open.

  “Did you just suggest Mama might have killed my brother?”

  “No!” Lady Lincoln yelled. “Don’t listen to him! I did nothing of the sort!”

  She reached for her son, but Lincoln stepped away. It looked like realization was dawning.

  “The doctors said he was just starting to get over the worst of it, that he was going to get better soon. Then shortly after we arrive, Thomas gets worse.”

  “People die of pneumonia, even when they think they’re getting better.” Lady Lincoln rolled her eyes. “He’s just making you think it was something worse.”

  “Papa died of pneumonia.” Lincoln didn’t seem to have heard her. “He was doing better, and the doctors were optimistic. And then he suddenly died, no explanation. His fever had broken, and he was getting ready to get up and walk around. But then he died.”

  Then Notts realized what he was hearing. The previous Earl of Lincoln, the dowager countess’ husband, had died the same way as his successor. And Lady Lincoln was the common denominator.

  He wondered how long it would have been before the dowager countess had turned on her other son, the one that was starting to back away from her.

  “You don’t know what you’re saying, darling.” Lady Lincoln tried to follow him but Lincoln pushed her away. “You don’t know what you’re saying!”

  Notts decided this was the best time to pounce. He had what he needed.

  “Are you willing to back up what I’m going to say to Society, Lincoln?” He asked.

  “What?” Lady Lincoln spun around, her eyes wild. “What are you going to say? What are you talking about?”

  “I’m going to tell everyone the truth. I can’t prove you killed your son or your husband, but the suggestion will ruin you. And I can produce the real will, the one your son left with his solicitor. The one no one got to hear because they thought the one you produced was the real one.” He raised his eyebrows, trying not to smirk as the dowager countess went white. “Would you like your reputation to be tarnished the way Emily’s has been ruined by you? Only, in your case, I don’t think you’ll be able to recover.”

  From the look on the dowager countess’ face, that was the last thing she wanted. Her mouth tightened, and she looked like she didn’t know whether to burst into tears or unleash her anger.

  “That’s blackmail,” she hissed.

  “No, it’s called doing the right thing.” Notts glanced at Lincoln, who looked like he was going to be sick. “But, I can give you an offer. I can say that Thomas and your husband died of pneumonia and the wills got mixed up, the real one not being found until now. But only if you take the offer.”

  He wasn’t normally a petty man, but it was very satisfying to see this woman squirm. She didn’t want to take the offer, he could see it. But her determination to keep herself intact in Society was winning out. She scowled at him.

  “What’s the offer?”

  ***

  Notts couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he made his way to the Newsome estate. It hadn’t taken long for the dowager countess to agree to his offer, albeit very reluctant. And then it had taken a week for the truth to get around. Most of the people who had believed the rumors were now very humble. A lot still believed something was going on but Notts wasn’t about to correct them. Not when he had made that promise.

  What mattered was Emily’s reputation was being put back together. And she wouldn’t have anything to worry about with regards to her former mother-in-law again.

  The carriage pulled up outside the Newsome house. Notts glanced at the man sit
ting beside him as the door was opened.

  “You go inside. I’ll go and find Emily.”

  He didn’t wait for a response, simply jumping out and hurrying inside out the sudden bite of the wind. After a quick word with the servants, Notts made his way out the back. The weather was getting cold, but Joyce and Emily still enjoyed going outside. Even though Joyce wasn’t about to run anywhere with her leg in a cast, she still wanted to get out and about.

  They were on the terrace, Agnes sitting beside them wrapped up in furs. She saw Notts first and sat up, touching Emily’s knee. Emily looked around. Notts felt like he had been punched in the chest. She looked like she needed sleep and was looking thinner than before. But Emily Jackson was still the loveliest woman he had ever seen.

  Hopefully, this would put a smile back on her face.

  Emily’s eyes widened, and she stood, coming over to him as Agnes busied herself with distracting Joyce. The little girl lay on a chaise with her plastered leg up on pillows, covered in blankets. She looked pale, but she was smiling. That was something.

  “Notts.” Emily approached Notts and allowed him to take her hand. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

  Notts smiled and kissed her knuckles. Did she suddenly gasp? It was subtle but Notts was sure he saw it.

  “I’ve got some good news for you.”

  Emily’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

  “Good news?”

  “You won’t have to worry about the dowager countess anymore. She’s out of your life.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  Emily looked confused. Notts realized he was still holding her hand but couldn’t bring himself to let go.

  “She and I have had a little… discussion.” He chose his words carefully. “She’s agreed to acknowledge some wrongdoing on her part and then she’s going to retreat to her son’s home in Bangor.”

  Emily’s eyes widened.

  “She’s moving to Wales? But… she hates Wales. She’s declared several times that she would never go there. I’m actually surprised they didn’t send me and Joyce there, actually.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “She can’t have gone willingly.”

  “Well, she did.”

  Notts was actually quite proud of Lincoln for this. He was the one who had suggested that his mother went to Bangor instead of Notts’ suggestion that she leave for Ireland. Apparently, Lady Lincoln hated Ireland more than Wales and, at least, Wales was closer than Ireland. Stuck between two places she hated, the dowager countess went with the closer country.

  Notts wished he could cart her off to America or Australia, just to get her away. But that was taking it too far. Retreating to a family home would have a better effect and less questions.

  “But how?” Emily demanded. “How did you manage that? That woman wouldn’t go down without a fight.”

  Notts grinned.

  “She certainly threw a couple of punches, but she went.” He glanced towards the house. “There’s someone inside who would like to speak to you about it. He’ll be able to explain it a lot better than I can.”

  Chapter 10

  The Realization

  E mily was startled. She hadn’t expected Notts to come to her family’s home and tell her the news that Lady Lincoln would never bother her again. What did that mean? And how had he managed to get the dowager countess to back down? That woman wouldn’t back down from anything; she refused to let anyone tell her what to do.

  What had he done?

  Even as she went to the morning room, Emily wasn’t sure she wanted to know. That might burst the bubble she had been living with. But did it mean that her husband really did love her? That what Lady Lincoln had been saying was a lie? Emily hoped so.

  She entered the morning room and saw a tall, imposing figure by the window. Emily stopped short. This was the last person she had expected to see.

  “Gerald?”

  Gerald Jackson turned. He gave her a nervous lopsided smile.

  “Emily.”

  Then Emily remembered her manners. This was the new Earl of Lincoln, the man who had inherited the title now. She bobbed a curtsy at him.

  “My apologies, my lord. I was caught off-guard.”

  “You’re not the only one.” Lincoln approached her, still smiling. “You’re looking well.”

  “It’s very kind of you to lie.” Emily smoothed her hands, which were trembling, on her skirts. “What are you doing here?”

  “Notts suggested that I come to speak with you. Give you an explanation.” Lincoln rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "And to give you an apology.”

  “An explanation?” Emily was confused. “An explanation for what?”

  “May we sit down?”

  Emily couldn’t move to a seat fast enough. Her legs were starting to give way, and she almost collapsed onto the couch by the fire. Lincoln stood by the fire, staring into the flames. Emily folded her hands in her lap and waited. Clearly, this was as uncomfortable for him as it was for her. And it was clearly very difficult for Lincoln. Emily wasn’t about to push him.

  “Mama was the one who wanted to get rid of you.” Lincoln said finally. “She hated you because you refused to do as she said.”

  “I knew that much.”

  “Well, she did a few things even I was not aware of.” Lincoln swallowed. “She produced a new will, which has now been found to be false. There was a real will that Thomas’ solicitor hadn’t been able to declare because the will Mama showed him seemed to make it invalid. And it leaves you and your daughter with most of his fortune. I still have the title but you get more of his money.”

  Emily stared. Had she heard this correctly?

  “So, he never disinherited me.”

  “Absolutely not. He would never do that to you. My brother loved you to the ends of the earth.”

  “It hasn’t seemed like that for the last two years.”

  Lincoln looked ashamed.

  “I know. Mama tried to make it look like you were left with nothing. She wanted to push you out as much as she could.”

  “And you went along with it?”

  “I thought she was the one in the right. She really pulled the wool over my eyes.” Lincoln sat opposite, clasping his hands tightly with his elbows on his knees. “She made me believe a lot of things about you and it’s cost me a relationship with my brother, you and my niece. But Notts opened my eyes to it.”

  Emily had had a feeling Notts had something to do with it. She glanced towards the door, wondering where he was now.

  “What did Notts do?”

  “He spoke to the witnesses of your husband’s will, spoke to the solicitor and discovered some things about Mama even I didn’t know had happened.” Lincoln swallowed hard. “Let’s just say that my brother’s death isn’t the first time someone’s died when she’s around.”

  Emily knew she was staring but she couldn’t help herself.

  “Are you saying she’s done it before?”

  “Notts believes so. And from the way Mama reacted, he was right.”

  And Lincoln knew his mother better than anyone else. Emily felt a stab of sympathy for her brother-in-law right then. He hadn’t been the best of people towards her but she couldn’t blame him for being under his mother’s spell. All children believed their parents until proven otherwise. No one wanted to believe their own parents were liars.

  “Where is she now?”

  “Notts told her he wouldn’t let Society know about her discrepancies and what happened to everything as long as she declared the rumors she spread were false and retreats to our second home in north Wales. If she didn’t do either or refused to do any of it, he would tell everyone the truth.” Lincoln pulled a face. “Her reputation is more important than anything.”

  Emily could very well believe that. And Notts had tapped into the one thing that Lady Lincoln did not want touched at all. And it sounded like Notts had played it beautifully.

  “She’s a vile woman.”

  Lin
coln gave her a wry smile.

  “I’m just beginning to see that.” He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. “Listen, Emily, I know you probably won’t want to see me ever again, but I want to try to make amends. Get to know my niece. I’ve missed out on a lot because of Mama. I don’t want to keep doing that.”

  Emily didn’t know what to say to that. She knew, deep down, that Lincoln wasn’t to blame for his mother’s actions. He had just been a pawn who believed anything she said. But she still didn’t completely trust him.

  However, this was more for Joyce than for her.

  “I’ll think about it. Joyce deserves to know her uncle. Me, on the other hand…” She shrugged. “That might take longer.”

  “As long as you let me atone for my actions, I can handle that.” Lincoln smiled. “You’ve had two good men in your corner, Emily. Not every woman gets to be that lucky.”

  “Two?” Emily blinked. “What do you mean, two?”

  “My brother, for one. And I have no doubt you were the love of his life. And Notts.” Lincoln shrugged. “I think he’s loved you as long as Thomas has. I hope I can do the same when I finally marry.”

  Notts had loved her for a long time? Emily couldn’t quite comprehend that someone could be in love with a woman who was married to their closest friend. He had never said a word. At all. Emily wondered how she had never noticed. And did her husband know about it?

  She had to find out.

  ***

  Emily found Notts still on the terrace, hovering near the door as he watched Joyce and Agnes interact. Seeing him moments after being told he had been in love with her for years had her seeing him differently. It was strange. She had briefly considered Notts for a husband when they first met but that had been dashed quickly. Notts hadn’t been a duke back then and Emily had been told that she wouldn’t be considered his wife.

  Thomas Jackson had been loving and Emily still loved her husband. She wouldn’t change what they had been through for anything. But she did wonder what could have happened if she had married Notts instead.