She had never met him in person before, but she had seen a few paintings of him. Her father had never spoken much about his brother or his brother's son. For what reason, she had no idea, but there had always been some bad blood between them. That much she had gathered. And as she looked at Edward, she could see the slight resemblance between him and her father.
He had dark curls, dark eyes, with a sharper nose. He was thin but strong, and he was handsome in a way, but not so much so that Jane would have picked him out from a crowd.
Certainly not as handsome as Lord Balwood.
Jane grit her teeth, pushing thoughts of the marquess from her mind.
“Thank you, My Lord,” Edward said, bowing low.
Both Jane and her aunt got to their feet, and Edward approached her.
“You must be Jane. Dear cousin, what a pleasure it is to meet you at long last.” He reached out for her hand, and his eyes remained on hers as he bowed over it, turning then to greet her aunt.
Her Aunt Sarah blushed prettily at his charming greeting. “You are most welcome, Lord Claridge,” she said.
Before she could say anymore, Edward said, “You must be wondering why I have come.”
“Well, yes,” her Uncle Hamish replied. “Although it is not unpleasant, I know you have been living in France for some time.”
“Excellent, and yes, I have.” Edward said with a big smile, his eyes sparkling.
He was charming, to be sure. But Jane had no idea what to think of this man. Why had her father never spoken of him? All he’dtold her was that they had left London years ago with hardly a goodbye. And why was he suddenly there now?
“I know it is a bit early, but since we're a family of a sort, I thought I might join you for breakfast. I've recently returned to London and thought it would be best to bring the family together again. I know it has been some time since that has happened, and I no longer have any other family of my own.”
Jane turned to see her Aunt Sara with tears in her eyes. “You’re quite right, My Lord,” she said. “Please do join us.”
“You must call me Edward, of course. We are family, after all,” he said, continuing to smile, his dark eyes turning to Jane.
She tried to smile back, a little curious and bewildered that her father's heir had suddenly come in the morning to greet them after all this time. However, he seemed charming enough, and she sat down to eat breakfast with her newfound cousin.
***
Edward Caldwell had no idea how he was going to be received that morning. He had spent a long time in planning this trip, but it had taken him this long to actually arrive. Luckily, the aunt and uncle seemed very eager to welcome him, even if the beautiful young cousin of his did look slightly suspicious at his sudden arrival. She was beautiful, to be sure, and he knew just how much money was behind her.
That means she will have no end of suitors shortly. I will have to act quickly.
“Please tell us about your journey here from France,” Lord Barnet asked, and Edward had to turn towards him, his attention distracted for the moment.
He answered him pleasantly, but all the while at the back of his mind, he was thinking about what to do next. He had earned a title, an earldom, which was more than he ever could have hoped for, especially after whatever had happened between his father and uncle all those years ago.
For years, growing up in France, his father had told him that he would be ousted from his true inheritance because of his very beautiful cousin Jane. She was the apple of his father's eye, he’d heard, and once she married, she would receive the entirety of the wealth and property of her father. He had only received the title, so without the wealth and property to back it, he was basically nothing.
He had come to London with the express purpose of trying to find a way to bring back what his father had lost all those years ago. His father was the younger son, of course, but he had been due money, and instead of giving it to him, his brother had taken it all for himself, controlling everything, despite Edward’s grandfather’s wish that the former Lord Claridge share some of the money with his younger brother.
After his uncle had not had a son, and Edward had become the heir, he had made it his plan from the beginning to take his revenge. Perhaps marriage to his dear cousin was the only way to go about it. He would take all that money for himself. He would become one of the wealthiest noblemen in the country.
“Will you be staying for the Season?” Jane asked, rousing him from his thoughts, and he smiled at her.
“Yes, of course. Especially now that my cousin is a part of it, I wish to be a supportive relative.” He smiled in his usual way, his charming way, which had worked so often in the past.
And worked it did, if Lady Barnet was any indication. She beamed at him from across the table, and Edward knew that he was well on his way to securing that fortune and honoring his father’s memory.
Chapter 9
Nathaniel yawned as he entered the breakfast room, stumbling over to the sideboard to fill his plate. He was unbelievably tired. His dreams had been heated, and he'd woken up with a sheen of sweat on his skin, his body aching for Lady Jane and her alone.
“Ah, Nathaniel, you’ve joined us,” his mother said, a little too brightly, and he winced, feeling a headache coming on after too much whisky and port the evening before.
