Had he been summoned here to be arrested?
‘‘Sean!’’ Coming up the steps, Deirdre looked astonished to see him. ‘‘What are you doing here?’’
‘‘I wish I knew.’’ He gestured toward the plaque. ‘‘These are Peregrine Peabody’s offices, too.’’
Another woman mounting the steps did a double take, then turned to face him. ‘‘Mr. Delaney, isn’t it? You have quite the nerve showing up here. Hmmph,’’ she added, pushing through the door, no doubt to spread the news that he’d arrived.
There was nothing for it. There would be no slinking away. ‘‘Come along,’’ he muttered, taking Deirdre’s arm and steeling himself to face the fire.
But instead he came face-to-face with Corinna.
At first, Corinna thought Sean was a figment of her imagination. She wasn’t ever supposed to see him again, and he especially didn’t belong here. But then their gazes met and held, convincing her he was real, and something disturbing shuddered through her.
A mixture of love and anguish and regret.
Seeing him made her happy and sad, excited and apprehensive, all in a single instant. Her hand went up to touch her necklace, but it wasn’t there, of course. She could wear it only in her room at night, where no one would see it and ask questions.
She started toward him.
‘‘You need to come inside now, Corinna.’’ Griffin appeared, giving her no choice as he took her arm and began weaving her through the crowded corridor. ‘‘Mr. Lawless is about to begin, and you’ve been commanded to sit in the front.’’
She looked back, but Sean was already lost in the crowd. She could only hope he was following.
Griffin had told her that everyone they knew had been asked to attend the reading, but she’d figured he’d been exaggerating. She’d had no concept of just how many people would show up. They crammed the large chamber where the reading was to be held and spilled out into the corridor, filling the building all the way back to the front door. With all the bodies in the way, she and Griffin barely managed to squeeze into the room.
Mr. Lawless was a very tall, very serious-looking man. Over a sea of chattering heads, Corinna could see him from where she was stuck in the back. ‘‘Ladies and gentlemen,’’ he called. ‘‘I beg your attention! Will the following individuals please make their way to the front row. John Hamilton, the ninth Earl of Lincolnshire. His wife, Deirdre, the ninth Countess of Lincolnshire. Lady Corinna Chase. And Mr. Sean Delaney.’’
The crowd suddenly parted like the Red Sea, letting Corinna through. Griffin followed and went to stand at the left end of the front row, against the wall. Corinna noticed that the rest of her family already waited there. Four chairs at the front sat empty save for small signs set upon them that said, RESERVED. Corinna dropped gratefully onto one of them, and a moment later Mr. Hamilton—Lord Lincolnshire—lowered himself to the chair on her left, and Sean took the seat to her right.
Deirdre sat beside Sean rather than her husband.
‘‘Why were you asked here?’’ Corinna whispered to Sean.
He looked pale. ‘‘I wish I knew. I assumed—’’
‘‘Ladies and gentlemen,’’ the solicitor interrupted. ‘‘Although the eighth Lord Lincolnshire requested your presence, I feel compelled to inform you at the outset that you did not all receive bequests. Alas, while he was well-known for his generosity, Lord Lincolnshire’s largesse did not extend quite that far.’’ He paused while an amused titter ran through the room. ‘‘Rather, Lord Lincolnshire asked you here to stand as witnesses to his final wishes.’’
Now a speculative murmur circulated the room instead. Mr. Lawless waited for that to die down before continuing.
‘‘Let us begin.’’ An expectant hush fell as he raised a large document. ‘‘ ‘I, Samuel Hamilton, eighth Earl of Lincolnshire, being of sound mind and failing body, declare that this is my last will and testament. I revoke all prior wills and codicils. I wish to thank everyone who has assembled to bear witness to my wishes. I have instructed Mr. Lawrence Lawless not to schedule the reading of this will until my nephew, John Hamilton, has arrived in London and presented himself as my heir, which I hope will prove to be sooner rather than later. I assume that doubtless scandalous event has by now taken place.’ ’’
Shocked whispers buzzed around the room, accompanied by a few more titters. Corinna and Sean exchanged wary glances.
‘‘ ‘I imagine it came as a surprise that an impostor has been posing as my nephew. It certainly came as a surprise to me. What may come as a larger surprise indeed is that I also discovered my true nephew, John Hamilton, was responsible for the deceit. He demanded another man impersonate him and made certain said man did so by means of blackmail.’ ’’
Gasps filled the room, and John Hamilton jumped from his seat. ‘‘I object to that slander!’’
Griffin stepped forward. ‘‘This is not a trial. You have no right to object to anything.’’ He shoved the man back down. ‘‘Stay, Lincolnshire,’’ he ordered as though the new Lord Lincolnshire were a misbehaving dog.
Which he was, of a sort.
Mr. Lawless cleared his throat and continued. ‘‘ ‘Needless to say, I was disappointed to learn my nephew is as immoral as the reputation that precedes him. For him I wish all the censure he deserves. Contrarily,I wish everyone to know that his impostor, whom I am now identifying as Mr. Sean Delaney, proved one of the best men I’ve ever had the privilege to meet. He treated me better than an uncle—indeed, better than a father—and were I to be granted one impossible wish, it would be to have had such a man for my son.’ ’’
Corinna’s heart had stuttered when Sean’s name was read off, and it was racing now. An expectant silence filled the room as Mr. Lawless lowered the document and looked around as though making sure everyone had heard his words. He nodded slowly before raising the will once more.
‘‘ ‘And so, my dear friends, I have summoned you to this event in order to beseech you to treat Mr. Delaney as I believe he deserves to be treated. Rather than persecuting the man, I beg you to accept him into our circle. I will remind you that you’ve all claimed numerous times that you’d do anything for me, and
this
is my most fervent request.’ ’’
The solicitor glanced up again, this time looking directly at Corinna and Sean.
‘‘ ‘In addition . . .’ ’’
At the significant pause, everyone sat up straighter.
‘‘ ‘In addition, although I will not put any conditions in this will stipulating the matter, as I believe such decisions are best left to those whose hearts are involved, I wish to publicly convey my hopes that Mr. Delaney will propose marriage to Lady Corinna Chase.’ ’’
If Corinna thought everyone’s gasps were loud before, the ones they emitted now sounded nothing less than a roar. And the loudest gasps of all came from her family. Meeting Griffin’s eyes first and then those of her sisters, she reached for Sean’s hand.
‘‘And now, for the bequests . . .’’
She hardly heard what came next, at least not at first. She felt faint. Her blood was thundering in her ears. Sean’s hand felt warm in hers, and when she squeezed it and he squeezed back, she feared her heart might burst.
She glanced back to her family. Griffin’s mouth was open in shock, Alexandra nodded approvingly, and Juliana’s grin was smug beyond belief.
The last, at least, was no surprise.
And the reading wasn’t yet finished.
‘‘ ‘. . . only my title as required by law and the small amount of entailed property that goes along with it,’ ’’ Mr. Lawless was saying. Given the indignant huff to Corinna’s left, she guessed that was the new Lord Lincolnshire’s punishment. ‘‘ ‘The balance of my fortune will be held in trust, the income to go to charity. I name Mr. Sean Delaney as trustee to oversee all investments and distribution, because I know him to be a man who has no need for the income himself, a man with an excellent head for business, and most important, a man who is eminently fair and makes decisions for the right reasons. ’ ’’ The solicitor paused for effect. ‘‘ ‘Unless . . .’ ’’
Skirts rustled and shoes shuffled. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats.
‘‘ ‘Unless,’ ’’ he repeated, ‘‘ ‘my errant nephew, John Hamilton, grants Deirdre Hamilton a divorce, in which case he shall receive half the income of the trust in perpetuity.’ ’’
John Hamilton stalked out of the room as Deirdre collapsed in a swoon.
Chapter Fifty-five
Still holding Corinna’s hand, Sean walked with her and Deirdre toward Mr. Lawless, who stood by the door, where he’d been busy ushering everyone out. Although Sean’s little party was the last to leave the chamber, excited chatter could be heard from the corridor. The reading of Lord Lincolnshire’s will would doubtless be talked about for weeks.
‘‘I’ll be setting up the trust in the next few days,’’ the solicitor said. ‘‘I’ll need to meet with you to go over the details. Shall we say next Monday, at the same time?’’
Sean nodded. ‘‘Agreed. But I’ve one question I’d like answered today.’’
‘‘I have
lots
of questions,’’ Corinna said.
‘‘I’m thinking your brother can answer most of them,’’ Sean told her, and looked back to Lawless. ‘‘Why did the letter I received requesting my presence here come from your partner rather than you?’’
‘‘Those were Lord Lincolnshire’s instructions. He didn’t want my name on the letter. He thought you might not show, fearing arrest.’’
‘‘Lincolnshire was a clever man,’’ Sean said, as arrest was exactly what he’d feared on seeing Lawless’s name. ‘‘My thanks.’’ He held out his free hand, and the solicitor gave it a firm shake. ‘‘I shall return a week from today.’’
The chatter ceased as they stepped into the corridor. Apparently a nosy lot, most of the people followed them outside, where Corinna’s family waited, bunched together on the pavement. Sean tried to drop Corinna’s hand as they approached, but she tightened her grip.
Lady Stafford, Corinna’s middle sister, elbowed their brother when she noticed the two of them walk up. Cainewood turned. ‘‘Ah, there you are, Corinna. Due to the atmosphere here on Queen Street’’—he waved a hand, indicating all the busybodies—‘‘we’ve decided to discuss these developments at home.’’ He looked to Sean. ‘‘I would appreciate your participation in the discussion.’’
‘‘I’m riding home with Sean,’’ Corinna announced.
‘‘
Sean?
Since when do you call the man Sean?’’ Glancing down to their clasped hands, her brother’s eyes widened. ‘‘It’s not proper for you to ride alone with an unmarried man.’’
‘‘Sean has an open curricle, so I can assure you nothing improper will happen.’’
Snickers came from all around them, this sort of exchange being exactly what nosy busybodies loved to overhear. Cainewood’s jaw seemed to be clenched. Suspecting none of this boded well for the man’s approval of his suit, Sean turned to Corinna. ‘‘I need to take Deirdre with me,
a rún
,’’ he told her apologetically. ‘‘The curricle seats only two.’’
‘‘Your sister is welcome to ride with my husband and me,’’ Lady Stafford piped up at the same time Cainewood said, ‘‘
What
did you just call my sister?’’
Deirdre smiled. ‘‘
A rún
. It means ‘my love.’ ’’ She didn’t seem to notice Cainewood’s reaction as she turned to his middle sister. ‘‘And I would be pleased to ride with you, Lady Stafford. Thank you for the offer.’’
‘‘I think you should call me Juliana,’’ Lady Stafford told her. ‘‘I’ve a feeling we’ll be related soon.’’
The buzz around their little group was getting deafening. Cainewood’s next words came from between his teeth. ‘‘I think—’’
‘‘Oh, let them ride together, Griffin,’’ Corinna’s eldest sister interrupted, wheeling a squeaky perambulator back and forth. ‘‘My goodness, what do you think could happen in an open curricle? There’s my carriage now.’’ A large vehicle crept to a stop in the snarl of traffic. ‘‘Let’s all go,’’ she said, pushing the perambulator toward it.
Her husband followed. Lady Stafford took her own husband’s arm and smiled at Deirdre. ‘‘Our carriage is this way, Lady Lincolnshire.’’
‘‘Call me Deirdre,’’ Deirdre said. ‘‘I won’t be Lady Lincolnshire for long.’’
As the three of them walked off, a lovely young woman moved to stand squarely before Corinna’s fuming brother. ‘‘It seems your sister may be getting married a lot sooner than you expected, hmm?’’ she all but purred.
‘‘Good God,’’ Cainewood said, and walked off, too.
A delighted smile on her face, the woman joined three other young adults. ‘‘I want you to drop me off at Griffin’s house,’’ she said as they all departed.
Leaving Sean and Corinna alone.
Well, except for the dozens of buzzing busybodies.
‘‘Who was that?’’ Sean asked.
‘‘My cousin Rachael. I think Juliana is about to get even more smug. Where is your curricle?’’
‘‘In a mews about two blocks from here.’’ Still holding her hand, he drew her in the right direction. The crowd parted to let them through, but Sean felt at least a hundred eyes on his back.