‘He informed me he has solicitors looking into what he can do.’
Drake bit the tip of his tongue to withhold a curse. Of course Archibald would have done that. Behind his back no less, and he would have rushed to tell anyone who might consider becoming a partner in the shipping company that there were issues behind the scenes, which there weren’t. Other than the ones Archibald was attempting to create. ‘I can assure you that my inheritance of the shipping company was carefully detailed in my uncle’s will.’ A chill washed over Drake’s shoulders. ‘Now that I say that aloud, I can only assume that my cousin has chosen to contest the will.’
‘It appears that way,’ Chesterfield said.
Drake felt his ire rising. He’d known Archibald his entire life, but hadn’t expected him to take things this far. Rising to his feet, he said, ‘I thank you for bringing that to my attention. I will give my solicitor a visit today.’
Chesterfield rose to his feet. ‘Although I don’t want any of this to interrupt our possible deal, for I am still interested in a partnership, I hope you understand that I need a little more time to make my decision.’
‘I understand,’ Drake said. No one would want to partner with a company that could be in the midst of being contested.
‘I also hope this won’t interfere with your and Meridith’s visits.’
Another, colder chill washed over Drake. From all that Meridith had told him, and from what he’d witnessed, it was easy to guess that the duke had ulterior motives for encouraging Drake’s acquaintance with his sister. He’d thought he’d made himself clear before, but to be fair, all of the time he’d spent with Meridith could have her brother thinking differently.
Levelling a clear stare on the duke, Drake said, ‘There is nothing with which to interfere. Meridith is a pleasant young woman, but allow me to be very clear, I have no interest in anything outside of sailing. As soon as possible, I will be on the sea again, returning to London only when necessary for business.’
‘I understand that,’ Chesterfield said, ‘and that you have interests at other ports.’
Drake took that as a sly way of insinuating that he may have love interests around the world, which rubbed him the wrong way. He had let others believe he was a rake, but in this instant, he found he didn’t want that reputation. ‘I have business interests around the world,’ he said sternly. ‘Nothing more. There are no women waiting for me at any ports, on any continent, and there never will be. That’s not the life I want, and I regret that you weren’t in full understanding of that from our first meeting.’ There was more that he wanted to say, but knew he shouldn’t. It wasn’t his place to tell Chesterfield to mind his own business or that Meridith could find her own husband.
Chesterfield held up a hand. ‘My apologies, Drake. I believe that we’re—well, I can only assume that Meridith has shared her belief that I, actually, we, as in my entire family, is attempting to marry her off.’
‘Aren’t you?’
‘No.’ Chesterfield let out a long sigh as he leaned back in his chair. ‘We will be happy for her when she meets the man she wishes to marry, and if he meets my standards, I will give my consent, but none of us are attempting to marry her off.’
Drake couldn’t quite believe that. Not from what he’d seen. ‘She believes you are.’
‘I know, and my sisters have tried to assure her that’s not the case, but…’ Chesterfield shook his head. ‘You understand the complications of families, and ours is no different. My father was a good man, a loving man, who had six children to raise after my mother died. He did well by all of us, except for Meridith. I don’t believe he did it on purpose, but she was the baby. As the rest of us grew up, got married, she was all he had left at home, and he consumed her. The rest of us were too busy with our own lives to see it until after he died. For years, she had been his life. They never went anywhere without each other. She had a governess and a tutor, but after he’d turned over the businesses to me, my father sat in on all her lessons. When he died, she was completely lost, and alone. My siblings and I decided school would help, and she seemed happy there, made friends, but that stopped when she returned home.’
Drake felt his anger slipping.
‘I understand this is all more than you wanted to hear,’ Chesterfield continued, ‘but I want you to know that when I mentioned your visits, I was merely referring to you allowing Meridith to help with the elephant rides, and for including her in the invitation to dine with the Duke and Duchess of Turnbill. I merely hope that your kindness will open her eyes to other such opportunities. She’s been reminiscent of the happy girl she was in her younger years this past week. I’m grateful for that. So grateful that I wish I could agree to a partnership between the two of us today, but as you know, everything works better when family and business are kept separate.’
Drake knew that, but he was still skeptical. ‘What about the young men you’ve introduced her to? She pointed several of them out at the Montgomery ball.’
‘Simple introduction,’ Chesterfield said. ‘Someone she might want to dance with at a ball or play croquet with at a yard party. The only person who has seen them as something more is Meridith.’
And Drake, because while he believed Chesterfield, he also understood Meridith’s interpretation of events. He knew there were two sides to every story.
Now, though, he nodded. ‘My apologies for assuming elsewise. But in any case, I should point out that the zoo will be overseeing the rides now that Hugo is comfortable with the children, and that the Duke and Duchess of Turnbill have returned to their country estate.’
Chesterfield stood. ‘So there will be no reason for you and Meridith to see each other.’
Drake’s throat burned as he replied, ‘Correct.’
Although he had plenty to be thinking about, Drake had a hard time pulling his mind from thoughts of Meridith as he rode away from the duke’s home.
He couldn’t see her again. They’d always understood that their acquaintance was temporary. And he certainly didn’t need to make things more complicated between him and Chesterfield.
Archibald was already making things complicated enough. That thought gave Drake an outlet for the anger that grew inside him again. After visiting his solicitor, he’d pay Archibald a visit.
An overdue visit.
Why some people, like his cousin, wanted to meddle with other people’s lives was beyond him. Drake’s thoughts returned to Meridith, and how her father had controlled hers. There wasno wonder that she believed her family was trying to marry her off. Being under someone else’s control was all she’d ever known. This past week must have felt like freedom for her, and that was something else that Drake knew well. How good it felt to break free from someone else’s control.
Luckily, his solicitor, Edward Gains, was at his office and assured him that, try as he might, efforts would prove worthless. Uncle Donald’s will was ironclad. There wasn’t anything Archibald could do about the shipping company, other than refuse to turn over the records. That still wouldn’t hamper future business because new contracts would be written and new payment transactions set up that Archibald wouldn’t have any access to.
