“I understand that, but you are the lord now, and the household needs to follow what’s proper,” the older woman said with an affectionate pat to his hand. “Now I know you missed dinner last night, so sit down there and I’ll get you something to tide you over until breakfast is ready.” Sidney grinned and sat at the large kitchen table, chatting with the staff and enjoying the cook’s pastries before heading upstairs to join his friends for breakfast.
Arriving at the breakfast room, he was upset to still not find Angeline. “Fitz, do you know where your sister is?” Sidney asked.
“No, I’ve not seen her since the funeral,” Fitz said with a frown, looking up from his paper.
“Neither have I.” An uneasy feeling swept through Sidney’s gut as he realized it had been over a day since he’d seen Angeline. Something didn’t feel right. He wanted to search for her but swallowed his discomfort and loaded a plate with eggs. Any talks with Angeline would have to wait until he and Reid returned from London.
* * *
Sidney and Reid made good time riding into London, managing to get almost all the way to the city before the rain descended. They had gambled with the weather by making the trip on horseback rather than taking a carriage but opted for the speed of riding. Arriving at Stanton’s office without an appointment, they were lucky to only wait in the lobby for thirty minutes. Upon entering his office, Reid shook the lawyer’s hand appreciatively upon seeing him and thanked him for taking the time to meet with them.
“Stanton, let me introduce you to my dear friend Mr. Sidney Bright . . . I mean, Viscount Hasting,” Reid said, fumbling with the new title as Sidney winced at the correction.
“My lord,” Stanton said, extending his hand. Motioning to chairs across from his large desk, they all settled before getting down to business. “What brings you gentlemen into my office today? How can I help?”
Sidney summed up the events of the past couple weeks to the best of his ability. Nick considering marriage again and drawing up the contract with Lady Effie, Nick’s death leaving Sidney the viscount, and the scene that had transpired the day before with Lady Effie claiming her right to marry Sidney. He was impressed that Stanton gave nothing away as he listened. He sat expressionless, fingers steepled in front of his face while he reclined in his chair.
“And do you have a copy of the contract with you?” Stanton asked.
“We do,” Reid affirmed, pulling the papers from his satchel and handing them over. They sat in tense silence for the next few minutes while Stanton looked over the document. Finally, he looked up and shuffled the papers together with a sharp snap against the desk.
“The lady’s claim certainly holds merit due to the shoddy way this contract was drafted. Not naming your brother specifically as the intended marriage partner creates ambiguity in the contract—leaving it open to interpretation, which she is trying to exploit, and could leave you vulnerable if this were to go before a court.”
Sidney dropped his head in defeat, keenly feeling the weight of the last week.
“However,” Stanton added, “there is precedent for challenging this type of contract. Many entails, especially those tied to the oldest titles, were written much too broadly and have led to disputed claims over who is to inherit over the years. I can apply the rulings from those cases to your contract and use it to dispute her claim.”
“What do you need from us?” Reid asked.
“Time to research as well as your permission to make inquiries with connected parties if necessary.”
“You have it,” Sidney said. “I can’t marry this woman. I refuse to be bound to someone I do not love and who cares nothing for Hazel. And there is another woman I have been planning to marry.”
“I make no promises,” Stanton cautioned, “but I do feel positive about the kind of outcome we may be able to claim.”
“Thank you, sincerely,” Sidney said, standing to shake his hand. “Please resolve this as quickly as possible, I can pay triple if necessary.”
“I understand, I’ll get to work on this immediately.”
Riding back to Ravenswood, Sidney didn’t even feel the rain.
CHAPTER25
Early in the morning on the third day since Angeline’s return to Geffen House, she breathed a sigh of relief when she awoke to signs of her menses. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she wasn’t sure if they were from happiness or disappointment.
The past few days had brought a confusing tangle of emotions and Angeline was wrung out. There were fleeting moments of hope, wishing that she would fall pregnant, allowing her and Sidney to be together. But from there her thoughts would start to spiral. What if they married but she again miscarried? Or if she managed to successfully carry the child to term and had a girl, would they need to keep trying for an heir?
Those thoughts transitioned into memories of the pain and toll on her body after some of the miscarriages she had suffered in the past, turning her anxious all over again.
The hardest part was knowing the best outcome would be for her not to be with child. For as much trauma and fear came with the possibility of expecting, she still very much desired to be a mother. It felt like a betrayal of her deepest dreams to hope otherwise. She felt like a coward for wanting to prevent the heartache experience had told her would inevitably follow.
The last pregnancy she lost occurred shortly after Phillip’s passing. She suspected she was increasing again when she lost him but hadn’t been sure until after. It could have been due to the intense grief, but that final miscarriage made her dangerously ill as infection set in. The midwife explained that her body had not expelled everything naturally as it should have, weakening her.
When the midwife discouraged any more attempts to have children, Angeline had grieved the loss, but tied in as it was to her grief for Phillip, she never truly dealt with the fact that her body could no longer support her greatest desire. She buried thoughts of her new reality as it was no longer a possibility with Phillip gone and dwelling on it was too painful.
These past few days however, brought it all rushing back. Not having children had now become a choice, one that was devastating for Angeline to make. Wishing away her dream of becoming a mother was wrenching her in two. But now nature had taken its course, freeing her from the limbo of the unknown and ceaselessly running all the possibilities, both good and bad, through her mind. Burrowing into the covers, she tried to settle and get some sleep, but she was too restless.
Finally making her way out of bed, Angeline took her time getting ready and indulged in a long, warm bath. It felt luxurious and she could feel the tension releasing from her muscles as the water soothed her.
