He gave a brisk nod. “A short journey. You shall be there in no time at all.” He threw the door shut before clambering into his seat and setting the horses in motion.
I stared out the window. As nervous as I was, I was also painfully curious. I bounced my leg, struggling to sit still. I wanted to tell Alexander about what I had discovered. Where was he? He must have still been in London somewhere. He could not have gone far, especially not since Miles’s return was what had brought him to Town in the first place. It surprised me that he hadn’t left me with a note explaining what had happened or where he had gone. My heart ached, dampening the thrill I had been feeling only moments before.
As the coachman had promised, it was a short journey. Archard Street was just outside London, at the center of a small village east of Birch House. That explained why I hadn’t recognized the name. The coach stopped in front of a row of shops and businesses. The cream stone appeared old and grey under the cloudy sky. My stomach fluttered when I noticed the number at the top of one door.
18
The coachman opened my door, and my legs shook as I stepped out onto the uneven cobblestones. A breeze nearly stole my bonnet as I walked up to the front steps. Did someone live here? Or was it a shop of some sort? I took a deep breath to calm my nerves as I knocked three times on the cracked white paint of the door. I didn’t even know what I would say when the door opened.Good day, I’m sorry to intrude, but I found your address in a locket hidden behind a portrait.
My shoulders tightened when the door swung open. A short, stout man with grey hair stood just beyond it. He wore a pair of spectacles on his nose. I recognized him instantly. It was the man Lady Tottenham had met with in the drawing room when Alexander and I had been hiding between the doors. The words I had planned to say evaded me for several seconds.
“Good day, sir.” I cleared my throat. “My name is Lady Daventry. This may sound peculiar, but—” I searched for a proper explanation, but he stopped me.
“Congratulations, my lady.” His face spread into a smile. “You must have found the locket.”
I blinked, trying not to appear as perplexed as I felt. “Y-yes. I did.” My head swam with confusion.
He gave a deep bow. “Mr. Burrowes, at your service. Please, do come inside.” He stepped out of the doorway, waving me forward. The old floorboards creaked under my feet as I stepped into the entryway. Mr. Burrowes led me toward the room to our left. Bookshelves lined the walls, and two leather chairs faced a desk.
“Have a seat, my lady.” Mr. Burrowes moved to the opposite side of the desk, waiting for me to sit in one of the leather chairs.
When we were both settled, he clasped his hands atop the desk with a smile. “Do you have the locket? I must verify that you are indeed the winner of Lady Tottenham’s game.”
A sense of accomplishment jolted through me. Winner? I hardly had time to process his words. “Yes, it’s here.” I reached inside my reticule, fumbling for the locket before sliding it across the desk. “I-I confess I’m quite confused.” I gave a nervous laugh. “I’m not certain why I’m here.”
Mr. Burrowes pushed his spectacles farther up the bridge of his nose, lifting the locket in front of his gaze with a satisfied smile. “That is for me to explain.”
I nodded, watching his every move with misgiving. I had assumed this man was Lady Tottenham’s secret lover, though I would never tell him that. He slid the locket back to me before unlocking a cupboard behind him. The silence was excruciating as he thumbed through a stack of documents, finally settling on one and withdrawing it from the pile.
He turned to face me in his chair. “Lady Tottenham is one of my most creative clients. I was the only solicitor in the county who would agree to carry out her…uniquearrangements.” He chuckled. “I know nothing about you, Lady Daventry, but I can make the assumption that you must be quite clever, and quite determined.”
He set the document down on the desk, sliding it forward. I didn’t have time to read a single word of it before Mr. Burrowes spoke again.
“Today, according to Lady Tottenham’s instruction, we shall name you the sole beneficiary of her property, possessions, and fortune…which amounts to approximately fifty thousand pounds.”
CHAPTER 23
ANNE
Imust have misheard him. The knot in my stomach tightened, my vision blurring at the edges. My mouth hung open in shock. I found myself shaking my head. The entire room seemed to be drifting away from me, Mr. Burrowes’s face and congratulatory smile fading farther and farther into the distance.
I gripped the sides of my chair, feeling dangerously close to drifting away with the rest of the room. “Her—her fortune? Me?” My words didn’t make any sense.
Mr. Burrowes chuckled. “It will be yours. Earlier this year, she received grave news from her physician regarding her health and longevity. So she organized her house party with the purpose of finding an heir or heiress in a timely manner. She has no children of her own, and no relatives she had any desire to bestow the honor upon.”
My mind reeled. “But—I hardly know her. I’m still not even certain why I was invited to her party.”
“She has a tender place in her heart for widows like yourself. She understands how fortunate she has been to remain unmarried, to have wealth to sustain her. She was open to the possibility of any of her guests obtaining her fortune, but I do believe she always hoped one of the widows would solve her riddles first.”
I stared blankly at him. I could hardly comprehend what was happening. It couldn’t have possibly been true. Fifty-thousand pounds was a much larger fortune than I had even imagined Lady Tottenham possessed. Was this all a sham? Could it have been a test of some sort?
“Would you like a glass of water?” Mr. Burrowes’s amused smile brought me back to my senses.
“No, that is all right.” I blinked fast. “I am overwhelmed. I don’t know what to think.” I exhaled slowly in an attempt to relax the turmoil inside my chest.
“Well then, I will tell you what you should think.” He leaned forward with a gentle smile. “You should be overjoyed. Your life is forever changed.” He picked up a quill and wrote my name in one of the blank spaces near the top of the will.
I sat back against my chair. My emotions were numb, suppressed by an overwhelming feeling of raw astonishment.
