The Reluctant Duchess (32 page)

“Would you care to introduce me?” Richard asked, as Annabelle petted the pony.

“This is the pony I learned to ride on,” she said. “Father bought him for me
when I turned five. His old owners said that they called him Anchor because he was solid as a rock. When I outgrew him, I couldn’t bear to part with him, so we kept him as companion to the other horses. He must be 25 by now though.”

“26
actually,” a teenaged boy interrupted them. “But he’s in perfect health.”

Annabelle smiled at him. “Richard, this is
Bill, the stable lad.”

“
Groom now,” Bill said. “Although we don’t keep nearly the stable we used to.”

“I can see.” Annabelle had noticed that of the ten stalls, only three were occupied.

“Your brother liked horses, but sold a good many to cover his debts. He lost Mercury in a poker game.”

Annabelle looked pained. “He was an Arabian stallion,”
she explained to Richard. “And although he was temperamental at times, he was the most beautiful horse.”

“Lady Wyatt, can I ask, is Frank still with you?”

Bill had been just 12 when Annabelle (and Frank) left and although he was too frightened to leave with them Bill had always idolised Frank, who had taught the boy all he knew about caring for horses.

“He is,” Annabelle smiled. “He works at my coffee house.”

Bill smiled. “Remember me to ‘im, won’t you?”

“Of course. I’ll give you the address if you’d like to write to him.”

Bill blushed and shuffled his feet and Annabelle was sharp enough to realise that he probably couldn’t read or write. She felt bad for even suggesting it.

“I’ll ask him to write to you, shall I?”
she knew that someone in the house would always read the letter for him.

Bill grinned. “That’d
be grand, Lady Wyatt, grand.”

After the stables, Annabelle headed back into the house and made her way upstairs
to the schoolroom. In the corner sat an old pianoforte.

“I learned to play on this,” she said trying a few keys,
although they were sadly out of tune. “My governess was a hard woman but she was always fair. She loved the piano as much as I did and sometimes I could hear her playing it when I wasn’t around, when she thought no one could hear her. She was always very timid around my father though. She wouldn’t come with us when I left, but I heard that she found employment as a companion to a widow from Manchester.”

Finally she went to her old bedroom, which was just an empty shell now
, with no furniture at all.

“Your brother
had everything moved out,” the chambermaid explained when she passed the open doorway. “The day after you left, in fact. We saved any personal things that we could and hid them in the attic. Would you like them brought down?”

“Thank you but no. I have done without them for six years, I can manage a little longer.”

The maid left and Richard stepped up behind Annabelle, putting his hands on her shoulders.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I’m glad he removed everything; somehow, it makes this easier.”

“If this is unpleasant, we don’t have to stay. We can leave as soon as you like,” he said.

Annabelle nodded. “I know, I just feel as if… as if I need to say goodbye. Does that make sense?”

“You were run out with
only a few hours’ notice, so it makes perfect sense.”

She walked around the rest of the upper landing but didn’t go into any of the rooms. Finally she looked into the nursery.

“I think I’m ready to leave when you are,” she finally announced.

“Are you sure?”

“I am. What do I do about the staff though? And selling the house? How does one clear a debt, is there a list of his creditors somewhere? And how do I even find out if he’s left it to me? If he made a will, he’ll surely have left it to someone else.”

“There’s no rush,” Richard assured her. “
Frederick’s solicitor will handle the estate until ownership transfers to the new owner, and he will handle the sale and settlement of any debts, if you want him to.”

Annabelle nodded and walked over to him, wrapping her arms about him. Richard tu
cked her head under his chin and held her as tightly as he dared.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she
told him.

“You just want
my free legal advice,” he teased.

Annabelle lifted her head and looked up at him. “No, that
’s helpful but it’s you I want. The you who trailed after me this morning to make sure I was all right. The you who came to my bed last night, for comfort, not sex.”

“And what about the me who rescued you?”

Annabelle smiled. “Well yes, the dashing hero was very welcome, but I hope he won’t have to make too many appearances in our life.”

“Me too,” he smiled warmly, then dipped his head to kiss her briefly before holding her close again. From the way she spoke, he wanted to ask if she had rethought the idea of marriage but
was unwilling to hear a rejection if he was wrong. He also realised that she had been through two shocks, first being kidnapped, then realising that she might now be an heiress and if that wasn’t enough, she was clearly in a lot of pain. Even whilst holding him, she kept her left arm protectively at her side.

It wa
sn’t fair to ask about such life-altering things as marriage when she was vulnerable. If she did agree to be his wife, then it had to be for the right reasons.

“I should probably also mention that the staff haven’t been paid for weeks but as part of them agreeing to help me, I offered
to cover all back wages. In my defence though, I didn’t know Frederick was dead then, nor did I know that this house might be yours.”

“I’ve made you afraid to even make a kind gesture,” he said, holding him tighter for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

“I was teasing,” he assured her.

“Half-
teasing, perhaps, but there is no denying that I have probably made you paranoid, and I'm sorry for that.”

“Oh, you foolish woman,” he
joked, his voice unnaturally deep. “Did you forget that I am a hero. I am afraid of no man! Or woman!”

Ann
abelle laughed, until the pain in her ribs kicked in and she took a moment to recover before looking up at him.

“All right, that’s it, you are forbidden to say anything that I might find even mildly amusing for the remainder of my injury.”

“Can I make you smile, at least?”

She pretended to consider the question. “Very well, but all attempts at humour must be submitted in writing
so that I can judge the content of said humorous remarks.”

“But what if I pull funny faces to make you laugh?”

“Then a sketch of each facial expression must be submitted in advance.”

“You drive a very hard bargain, Anna, but I accept your terms.”

Annabelle smiled.

“On the condition that you agree to take a full dose of laudanum before we return to Hampshire. I would hate to think of the pain a carriage ride would cause your ribs.”

Although she knew that he was jesting with her, his tone was serious as he finished.

“Very well, but it will cost you.”

“Oh?” He raised an inquisitive eyebrow. “What or how much?”

“One kiss.”

He thought about it for a moment. “I believe that I can afford that.”

He wasted no f
urther time in paying his debt.

Although Richard’s estate was quite remote, especially when compared to London, convalescing in Hampshire was actually very interesting, as each day brought a new visitor.

King William IV visited the day after they got back, expressing his t
hanks for them recovering the ransom but most of all, for rescuing Lavinia. He offered the men a reward and although Richard declined, he asked that his share be divided by between Sampson and Isaac. He could only stay one night as he was still the King and had a country to run.

The London police came
three times, once to get as many details as they could about the incident and Old John (who remained a fugitive). Next to confirm that Frederick’s body had been recovered from the well and finally, to confirm that H, better known as Harold Smith, had plead guilty to kidnapping and been sentenced to transportation to Australia. Old John remained a wanted man.

Minnie and Frank arrived on
the first Sunday to check that Annabelle was alright and although Richard offered them the choice of staying overnight, they refused, saying they needed to be at the coffee house. They assured Annabelle that everything was running smoothly and she was to take as long as she needed to recover.

By the time they left, Annabelle was more certain than ever that her decision to gift the coffee house to them was the right one.

Following the confirmation of Frederick’s death, his solicitor, John Collier, visited to discuss the terms of Frederick’s will. He was a younger man than Annabelle had been expecting, probably only a year or two out of law school. Richard and Annabelle showed him into the parlour and after tea had been arranged and served, he got down to business, his jovial mood quickly evaporating.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you, Lady Wyatt, but your brother didn’t leave you anything in his will.”

“Oh, thank the Lord,” she said, so heartfelt that he actually looked surprised. He had been practising law for ten years, despite his youthful looks, and was rarely surprised.

“You will inherit the title of Marchioness, of course,” he continued, despite the fact that she didn’t seem at all upset.

“I care nothing for the title either, Mr Collier. My only worry is for Frederick’s staff and farmers on his estate.”

“Well, obviously, I am taking care of wages and rents for the moment…”

“Excuse me, Mr Collier,” Richard interrupted, “but if Annabelle hasn’t inherited anything, why did you travel all this way?”

“Well that’s the thing, she doesn’t inherit, but she is name
d as the executrix of the will.”

“Why on earth would h
e name me executor of his will? He hated me.”

“Can I speak frankly?” Mr Collier asked.

“Of course,” Annabelle assured him but Mr Collier looked to Richard for his assurance. “Mr Collier, I am Frederick’s sister and I am the one named in his will. Please take my word for it that you may speak freely.”

“Of course, I apologise.” He shuffled papers for a moment as he composed himself. He wasn’t used to
ladies telling him off. “Well, the thing is, I believe your brother’s will to be the biggest load of hogwash that I have ever come across. He has named dozens of beneficiaries but refused to give me addresses for any of them and they come from all over the globe, apparently, and every effort will have to be made to track each of them down. Although I have no proof, personally I believe them all to be fictitious.”

“He
hoped to keep me mired in paperwork for years, all for an estate that, although rightfully mine, I wouldn’t inherit. I can’t help but admire his sheer guile.”

“Does she have to act as executor?” Richard asked. “Is there not some way to excuse her of that duty?”

“Actually, she is not obligated at all. A person can name whoever they like as executor, or executrix if it is a woman but as most don’t know that they have been named, they have no legal obligation to accept.”

“So who will oversee the will?” she asked.

“My firm. Despite my suspicions, we must look into each beneficiary and make an effort to trace them. Once we have proved that every effort has been made, I suspect the will could be overturned and you will inherit, however-“

“Let me guess, the estate will pay your costs and after
Frederick’s debts are paid off, there will not be much left. I will likely end up owing you money.”

“Yes, that is likely,” he admitted.

“Then thank you, Mr Collier, but I politely decline to be involved in this farce.”

“I don’t blame you. As Lord Wyatt’s sister and only relative, I still wanted to discuss my plans for the estate, to see if I can make it work for us.”

“What did you have in mind?” Annabelle asked.

“Rather than selling the property, I was thinking that it could be leased or rented,
then I can try to come to an arrangement with his creditors, whereby we pay off a small amount each month. That would provide Lord Wyatt’s estate with a continued income and give me the funds to look into the beneficiaries. It’s possible by the time we are finished, the estate might even be in credit.”

“Even if it was, Mr Collier, I would still not want it.” She smiled at him. “Would the staff be employed by the new tenants?”

“If that is your wish, I'm sure that most of them can be kept on. It is a rather small staff for a house of that size.”

“Thank you, and could
you provide a good reference for those who wish to leave?”