Resentment didn’t distract her from her purpose. “Are you certain my name is not there or my mother’s? Complicated things, wills,” she said.
“I wish I could say otherwise, but I assure you I know every line of that will. I’ve been through it dozens of times, ensuring justice to the heirs. I fear, Miss Hancock, you were forgotten.” His sorrowful expression didn’t soften his words.
Forgotten. Ignored your entire life and forgotten.She bit her lower lip to keep her flood of grief under control and peered around the study. The desk alone would sell for enough to feed Wil and Amy for a long time. She sat up straight and lifted her chin once more.
“Perhaps so. But the estate still has an obligation to help me,” she insisted, grateful her voice didn’t break.
*
Eli thought fora moment that the woman might collapse under the weight of disappointment, but Miss Hancock was made of sterner stuff. A jolt of utterly inappropriate attraction scrambled his wits momentarily.She’s only…He wasn’t sure now how old she was. Probably not fifteen now that he looked at her. Looked entirely too closely. Whatever her age, he owed her respect.
His respect, however, was of no consequence, no matter how much he admired her backbone—and other assets. “Unfortunately, I know of no legal obligation of the Clarion estate to assist you.”
He sipped his tea, silently urging her to do the same, and considered the appropriateness of offering her something stronger. He glanced at Sally, who dutifully sat with her hands folded and directed her gaze at her lap.
Miss Hancock took the hint and lifted her cup, but her hand shook, and she put it down. “You seem to believe me that the earl is—was—my father.”
“Your mother’s note might hold up in court. Your appearance likely would, at least in this county, but I don’t need proof.”
“My appearance?”
“The Caulfield family has distinctive eyes and hair. The old earl bequeathed that to his natural children without exception, in my experience. You have them. So yes, Miss Hancock, I believe you. That doesn’t change your position, however. The earl didn’t acknowledge you, and he didn’t include you in his will. That frees the Clarion estate from any legal obligation.”
This time, he feared she would fall apart, so tightly wound did she appear. Eli’s growing belief that the estate had a moral obligation was personal, one he had no authority to act on. It would take him some time to see what could be squeezed from the already stressed estate, and it would be no help unless David Caulfield, the current earl, agreed with him.
“I will notify the current earl about your visit and your request. I’m afraid that’s the best I can do,” he said.
“How long will that take?” she asked. Eli could swear he heard her mutter what sounded like “fernstubble” before her jaw clamped tight.
“The earl is in London. If I send an urgent packet, we may have word in four or five days.” As he studied her carefully, a dash of panic crept into her already distressed expression. He mentally reviewed the petty cash situation. Funds set aside for charitable emergencies were meant for Clarion tenants. “Miss Hancock, may I assume your problems are of an immediate nature?”
She swallowed hard. Pride appeared to war with what he suspected was desperation. Desperation won. “My sister and brother are in danger of starvation and eviction, Mr. Benson. Perhaps not immediately, but very soon. I don’t know this earl’s relationship to the one that sired me, but I assume he is family of some sort. Will he want someone with Caulfield eyes and Caulfield hair, as you call them, put out on the streets?”
That he would not. Bile rose in Eli’s own gullet at the thought.Shrewd threat, Miss Hancock. “I’ll make sure he understands the urgency when I contact him,” Eli said, concern for her immediate situation growing. “Is it that your rent is in arrears?”
“We do not rent, Mr. Benson,” she said with outraged pride. “My grandfather left my mother a valuable freehold, where we live and do business. Unfortunately, after her death, her husband mortgaged it. The earl—That is, we might manage the rest if he would see to the mortgage.”
When he asked the size of the loan, the amount staggered him. Valuable freehold indeed. David Caulfield, the new earl, couldn’t manage it from his personal funds, nor could the estate invest in it unless there was promise of significant return. Too many people depended on the estate’s prosperity.
Eli swallowed. Hard. “Do you have a place to stay until we hear back from him?”
“I’m staying at The Willow and the Rose. I—I only paid for one night.”
Something in her voice told him her situation might be worse than he thought, but the Willow was a problem he could do something about. He bit back a grin lest it give offense. “I will speak to the innkeeper. He will no doubt extend credit for several days.”
“But if the earl won’t cover it, what will the inn do?” Tension tightened the delicate lines of her face.
“You won’t be put out.” Confidence rang in his voice, but Miss Hancock gnawed on her lower lip.Terrifiedmight be too strong a word for her—worriedcertainly. Eli leaned forward, tempted to take her hand in his. “Trust me, ma’am,” he said. “As it happens, I know the innkeeper well. He will help you.”
His assurances had little impact; her frown deepened. “I left my sister and brother alone. I only meant to be gone three days. I can’t wait several more for this earl.” The determined chin rose yet again. “If I could presume on the estate to loan me fare for the mail coach—or a stage would be less—I need to go home. The earl can reach me with his decision there.”
She’d come alone by public coach? Eli’s horror gave way to consternation.Of course she did, you lackwit!She’d come without return fare, and she’d left two children to fend for themselves. Desperation indeed.
The vision of two children alone and in precarious financial straits curdled his stomach, and he tossed about for a way to help. However tenuous this woman’s claim was on the benevolence of the Clarion estate, her siblings had no claim at all. Eli had no idea how to help, but he couldn’t leave them on their own.
“For now, Miss Hancock, I suggest we take you back to the Willow. We’ll see what can be done. The Bensons will help if Clarion cannot.”
