“Oh, no,” she said, standing and putting the book on the side table. “Not at all. I was merely reading.”
She knew something big had made her father angry at his brother, but her Aunt Sarah was right. It was not as if Edward had anything to do with it, nor had she. They should not be angry with one another. The fact that she had yet another family member still alive made her happy, and she so desperately wished to push aside the uncertainty about him that tugged at her.
Be kind and patient. He understands the difficult relationship you had with your father.
With his charming grin, he stepped into the room, looking around with his hands behind his back. When his eyes glanced at her book, his brow lifted.
“What are you reading there?”
“Oh, it's just a book of old maps. It was my grandfather's. My mother loved it so much and she showed it to me often. She was a great traveler, you see.”
She wasn't sure how he would react. He seemed charming enough and understanding of her relationship with her father, but would he understand the desire to travel? It was not that his opinion mattered much, but she would like it if they would get along and perhaps even share interests.
“How curious,” he said. “And interesting.” His smile widened, and he reached out for the book, picking it up and flipping a few pages. “Do you have a desire to travel? It seems these things can often pass down through the family.”
She could feel the same change come over her every time someone asked her that. It was like the fire that was always lit inside her grew ten times with the opportunity to discuss her hopes and dreams.
“Oh yes,” she said, turning to look over his shoulder at the book of maps. “My mother has told me such wonderful things about her travels, and I would like to see them for myself. She always told me that travel changes a person in all the best ways, and I cannot wait to do so. Have you travelled much?”
“Not exactly.” He put down the book and faced her, a little furrow in his brow. She tensed, wondering if he was about toscold her, as a cousin with her father’s title might do to keep her in line. But instead, he surprised her.
“Would you think me very terrible if I thought many times and dreamed many times of escaping through travel? Things sometimes got so bad with my father that all I wanted to do was run away, but we didn't exactly have the funds to do so.”
Jane reached out and patted her cousin's arm. Her heart flooded with sympathy for him.
“No, I would not think you a terrible person at all. After the death of my parents, I too wanted to run away. But unlike you, I have not even been to France!”
“Well then,” he said in a low voice, picking up her hand and kissing it briefly. “You should go sometime. It is a beautiful place. Perhaps we might travel there together one day, and perhaps other places, fulfilling our shared, long-held dreams of traveling.”
“Yes, perhaps,” she replied with a little hesitancy, surprised at him kissing her hand.
But he is your family. That is not unusual.
Yet something about it felt odd, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was a sharp knock at the door, and Mr. Mintonentered. She saw Edward's face for a moment, turning in frustration to the butler, but it smoothed as soon as the Butler spoke.
“Forgive me, my lord, my lady, but the solicitor, Mr. Beaumont, is here. He says that he has an appointment.”
“Oh, of course. Do put him in the study, and we will be along.” Blushing, Jane pulled her hand from Edward’s, and she went to the door. Turning back to him, she said, “I nearly forgot that I asked him to come. You must join us. It is fortuitous that you were here this afternoon.”
“Yes, of course. How perfect.”
When they arrived, they found Mr. Beaumont seated on a far chair next to the hearth. Jane tensed a little as she entered the room. When there was no need to, she never entered that place, for the smells and the look of it reminded her only of her father.
Sometimes it reminded her of the father she'd known before, the happy laughing one. But mostly it reminded her of their bitter arguments towards the end.
“Mr. Beaumont,” she said as he rose to his feet, and he bowed. “Thank you for coming. And at long last, let me introduce you to my cousin, Lord Claridge.”
Mr. Beaumont, a balding man, adjusted his glasses and grinned. He bowed, and then he extended his hand. “Good to meet you, Lord Claridge. Finally, we meet! I am glad that you are here to join us. Now, let's get to that will, shall we?
Chapter 15
Edward was smiling, but inwardly, he was nervous. Every time he seemed to make headway with Jane, someone came into the room and interrupted them. At least he found out something that Jane enjoyed, even if there was a dangerous hobby, a hobby that she most certainly would not be indulging in once they were married.
He would not be opposed to his wife travelling far and wide, but there was no way he was going to foot the bill for such a thing. He had lived for far too long without enough money, and once he had Jane's dowry in hand, he was going to live like a king.
Not only that, but it seemed that she had scheduled a meeting with the solicitor about the will without informing him. Of course, she was used to not having him about when it came to dealing with the logistics of her inheritance, but he was the heir, and he was not going to be pushed aside. It took everything in him to keep his expression a smiling one as he sat down.
The balding Mr. Beaumont sat down and began to shuffle through a few papers. “I'm sure you've guessed already, Lord Claridge, that it took me considerable time trying to find you in France. I understand that there was not a good relationship between your father and the former Lord Claridge.”
