“As is proper. It is the law, and everything was entailed to the estate!”
“This letter was given to me to hold in trust until such time as Lady Caroline either married or celebrated her twenty-third birthday.” He handed Caroline a yellowed envelope, sealed with red wax.
Somerson snatched it from her hand before she could open it.
Caroline was tempted to snatch it back, but she turned to Mr. Rice instead. “Then I have money, quite separate from my dowry, which is also mine as of today, and Somerson is no longer my guardian?”
Mr. Rice nodded. “There is a small property as well.”
“She’ll own land? Somerson land?” Somerson spluttered.
“The estate in question is a small house left to Countess Georgiana by an uncle, Lord Howden. It’s here in Scotland, and not part of any of the Somerson holdings.”
“Lullach Grange,” Caroline whispered.
“Why yes, do you know it?” Mr. Rice asked.
“Yes, I know it,” she said.
“Are you truly saying that my half sister—my ward—is now independently wealthy, and may live as she chooses?” Somerson demanded. “I never have to see her again, or pay her a penny?”
Mr. Rice shook his head. “Even if she renounces her ties to you, my lord, the money is rightfully Lady Caroline’s. Lady Georgiana insisted on investing the money, of course, and the funds now total nearly fifty thousand pounds. Of course her dowry must also be turned over to Lady Caroline. It would not of course be a dowry, but her legacy, at this point.” He looked at the records in front of him. “Twenty-five thousand pounds.”
Caroline stared at Somerson.“You told me my dowry was eight thousand pounds!”
He raised his chin. “It seemed enough. Both Mandeville and Speed were willing to take that amount.”
She shut her eyes. “They were the lowest bidders, weren’t they?”
Her half brother sneered. “Indeed they were. Who else would want you at your age? You will draft the letter for Caroline to sign, refusing the terms of the legacy,” he commanded, but Mr. Rice merely smiled.
“I’m afraid that’s up to Lady Caroline now.” He got out a fresh sheet of paper and dipped his pen in ink and waited. “How may I be of service to you, my lady?”
“You inherited Lullach Grange?” Angus asked Georgiana. “It’s on Glenlorne land!”
“I’ll have you know my uncle purchased the house and the garden from your father fairly, Angus MacNabb. He had no wish to cheat anyone.”
“You didna say you owned it. What if I’d torn it down, or Caroline had never come here?”
“I had no way to know, though I hoped she would.”
“You woke me from my grave for nothing, to relive all the heartache over again?”
“I was alive when I made my will, Angus. I had no hope I would ever see you again, on either side of the grave. I only knew that summer we had here was the happiest time of my life. Was I wrong to want, to hope, that my granddaughter might know the joy that I did, perhaps live her whole life here, in love? I had no choices, Angus. None. I wanted to make sure Caroline had a choice.”
“She has enough money to wed Alec now,” Angus enthused. “Everything has worked out the way you planned it.”
“Alec is still betrothed to Sophie,” Georgiana reminded him sadly. “If they had no honor, no love for this place and the people who are important to them, then yes, they could wed. It wasn’t about Caroline’s money. Now, it isn’t even about love. They have that aplenty. We simply didn’t count on honor, Angus, and duty.”
“Duty be damned! Does love never triumph? What will Caroline do now?”
“I suppose that remains to be seen. She has choices to make. We cannot choose for her, or we are without honor as well.”
“Then we’ve failed?” Angus said. “All this was for naught?”
“The curse will continue,” Georgiana agreed softly. “Unless they find a way to break it themselves, and I fear it may be too late for that, Angus.”
CHAPTERFORTY-SEVEN
