He had arrived in Liverpool with two days to spare, again sleeping at a comfortable inn, paid for by the largess of the Earl.
On the morning of the sailing, Wickham, with his valise and the special pouches containing his banknotes sewn into the inside lining of his coat, was one of the first passengers to board.
The Dennington Line ship,the Rose IX, was to set sail from Liverpool on the tide that day. Not long before midday, the ship had slipped its moorings and they were shortly under sail travelling west. Wickham waited, leaning against the railing, until the coastline had become barely distinguishable. He then made his way to his first class accommodations to rest for a while before their first meal on board the ship.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Hill found himself having to make all of the arrangements for the late master’s funeral. Mr. Bennet had no family who would acknowledge him, and even had they been willing to, Hill was aware the Philipses were away from Meryton.
Mr. Philips’s clerk had assured Hill he would send an express to Mr. Philips and Mr. Gardiner to notify them of Mr. Bennet’s passing. That was in addition to the one he sent to Clem Collins.
From there Hill had made his way to the church at Longbourn village and met with Mr. Pierce. As it was a warm spring and none were interested in condoling with the mistress—she was heavily dosed with laudanum—the interment would be the day after the death.
Other than the rector, Hill, and the one male servant from Longbourn no one else was present for the service and subsequent interment.
Thomas Bennet was buried much like he lived—almost alone.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
By the time the expresses reached Lambton, those headed for London had been gone for a day. The missives were redirected to Town.
Chapter 29
Kingsford Marylebone looked over his late client’s will as well as the marriage articles the late Duke had signed.
Everything was in order. As to clauses viii, ix, x, and xi in the addendum to the marriage contract, the solicitor had tried to advise his client that if he passed, as had now occurred, the Duchess would inherit almost everything.
Yes, the Duke had been a rogue, but Marylebone had earned much money from him over the years. He was aware one of the uncles who was to be her guardian was, in fact, a lawyer. He was concerned if the Duchess moved all of her custom to another solicitor, it would leave a rather large hole in his annual income. All he could do was show Her Grace he carried out his duties in a professional manner and that duty included adhering to the letter of the law. He hoped Her Grace would continue to retain his services.
“Here is the documentary evidence you will require to file the petitions with the court of Chancery to have the deeds made over in Her Grace’s name. If you do not have the name of a barrister, I know of a few,” Marylebone told Philips. “This is what you will need for the banks, along with this list of banks where accounts are held. The clear profits from Falconwood, which are around fourteen thousand pounds per annum, will be accumulated in a trust account for the future Duke’s use. Both that estate as well as Hertfordshire House are available for theDuchess’s use, but as they are both tied to the dukedom and per the agreement, they will be held in trust until there is a duke who reaches his majority.
“The ownership of the shipbuilding yards in Southampton, Liverpool, and near Glasgow will be recorded in Her Grace’s name in the next day, or two days at the most. You should know the Duke of Bedford, who has shipbuilding concerns as well as a shipping line, has in the past expressed interest in purchasing these three yards. His final offer was six hundred and fifty thousand pounds.”
With an uncle, each one a guardian, seated on either side of her, Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She knew the man was purported to be wealthy, but the numbers just mentioned were far beyond anything she had imagined.
“J-just how much have I inherited?” Elizabeth asked tentatively.
“From the seven estates which now belong to you, the combined income is around fifty thousand pounds per annum,” Marylebone began to explain. “The shipbuilding yards primarily, but the other business concerns as well, earn a similar amount each year. You have close to two million pounds in the various banks, most of which is in the four percents earning a little less than eighty thousand pounds per annum. Then there is the collection of gold and jewels which is rather extensive. Some belong to the dukedom, but most do not. Your late husband refused to have the collection valued for some years now, but if I were to guess I would say you own more than three hundred thousand pounds in gold and jewels.”
It was not only Elizabeth who was stupefied. An uncle sitting on each side of her had his mouth hanging open as well.
“Now I understand why he settled two hundred thousand pounds on Lizzy as if it was nothing to him,” Philips managedonce he recovered the power of speech. “As far as a barrister is concerned, we are known to Mr. Hubert Barrington.”
“A very good man who is excellent at what he does,” Marylebone commented.
“He agreed to that amount as he believed Lizzy would not live to spend it,” Gardiner added harshly.
“Is any of this money the proceeds of illegal activity?” Elizabeth questioned.
“No, Your Grace, it is not. Your late husband held one small account for gambling and as I am sure you have heard, he cheated to win,” Marylebone articulated. “It was never about the money, but rather a way for the late Duke to gain leverage over those he wanted to control. It is one of the reasons the late Duke was never challenged by anyone whose wife he had forced himself on, until Lord Jersey ended his life.”
“Where are those debt markers held?” Elizabeth demanded.
“In a safe in the study at Hertfordshire House. The key was always on his person. It was returned to me with his other effects he had with him the day justice found him.” Marylebone opened a drawer in his desk and handed Her Grace the key.
Elizabeth handed the key to Uncle Edward. “I want every single debt marker returned to the victims as soon as may be.”
Gardiner took the key and nodded. “It will be a great pleasure to release the markers back to those on whom he used to prey.” He turned to Marylebone. “Is there anything else other than signing these documents now? My niece has an appointment at Buckingham House.”
