She let out a breath and nodded.“Yes.”
Sir Deverel began to read out the terms negotiated, a short list that was far simpler than Tulip expected.“Am I hearing right?Are you leaving all the assets that are not a part of the Davenport entailment to me?”
Davenport nodded.“I could tell you that your uncles drove a hard bargain, but the truth is that I would not trust my surviving relatives with any of it.There was never a question it should all go to you and our children, assuming we have any.Of course, if we had a son then he would be the next Davenport duke and have the usufruct of the entailment, as I do now.”
“Usufruct means the right to the use and advantages of the assets tied to the dukedom,” Sir Deverel hurried to explain.“It means His Grace does not own them outright but has exclusive claim to all the income and other benefits, and may reside or otherwise enjoy all the ducal properties within the entailment as he wishes, short of destroying them.”
Tulip smiled to acknowledge the solicitor’s explanation, although she hadn’t needed it.She was aware of what that term meant.“What about setting aside bequests for any members of your family?”she asked Davenport.
“No,” he said with finality.
“All right, if that is your wish.However, if you decide afterward that your relatives ought to get something from you, then that is fine, too.”
He shook his head.“There won’t be any changes.Whatever you choose to do with those assets will be far worthier than anything any Davenport will ever do with them.”
She said no more since his mind seemed firmly made up.
He meant to give his family not a shilling.
Truly, this was so contrary to her own upbringing.
Well, he had never made a secret of loathing his relatives.
She was sorry for it.
But something troubled her and it had nothing to do with financial matters.In truth, Davenport was being quite generous with her.“May I ask you another question, Your Grace?”
He arched an eyebrow.“Of course.Go ahead.”
“Who raised you?”Because someone had done a proper job of keeping him from ruining his life as his predecessors had done.
“My mother did.”He leaned forward, casting her a severe look.“What you are really asking is how I avoided becoming as loathsome and debauched as the other Davenport dukes.As for that, I can only say that my mother did her best to keep me away from their influence.She taught me what things in life mattered most.Whether she succeeded or not has yet to be determined, I suppose.Unfortunately, she died many years ago, long before I became an investigator for the London magistrate.”
“I am sincerely sorry.I know she would have been very proud of you.”
He leaned back and nodded.“Any other questions?”
She shook her head.“No, not at the moment.”
In truth, she had plenty more.
But those were best left for later.
Sir Deverel and her uncle were growing impatient to have the terms finalized and set in writing.
Once the letter of intent was signed, they could move on to securing the marriage license.Since she was still several months away from her twenty-first birthday, her presence was not required for any of these official arrangements.
However, she wanted to be there for all of it.
She was relieved when their next stop after leaving Sir Deverel’s office was to obtain the license.This brought them back to Mayfair where their church was located on its outskirts.She sat in a pew at St.Mary’s, a lovely house of worship built of stone and draped in ivy, while the prelate discussed the wedding procedures with all of them.Then Davenport and her uncle went into the prelate’s office and signed whatever documents were necessary.
“May I invite you to tea at the Denby Arms?”Davenport asked upon their conclusion of this second piece of business.
Her uncle declined.“Please forgive me, but Rupert and I have important customers coming into town today and I cannot be late for our meeting.I still must return Tulip home and then dash back to the Farthingale offices which are close to the Inns of Chancery.”
Tulip was disappointed, for the Denby Arms was one of the most elegant hotels in London and everyone raved about their afternoon tea.
She was eager to try this popular place.
