Page 73 of The Mistress of All & Torn

“I remember those times with much fondness,” Elizabeth whispered. “They seem a lifetime ago, although less than a year has passed.”

Her words were burdened by sadness and brought a momentary silence to the dining room. Then the servants entered with the second course; slowly the conversation resumed and continued on neutral subjects until the evening ended.

Chapter 22

After two more sleepless nights and another day, the moment of the meeting with the legal representatives arrived.

The drawing room was formally arranged, with a large table placed in the middle and chairs around it. Elizabeth, Mr. Gardiner, Bingley, Darcy and Cece were already there when Mr. Reeves and Mr. Thorn—the two trustees, Mr. Hoskins—the solicitor, and Mr. Finch—the executor, arrived.

The family sat on one side of the table, while the others faced them, spreading the heavy ledgers between them.

Seeing Cece, the trustees exchanged a glance.

“Is the young lady attending the meeting too?”

Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched.

“Miss Cecilia? Of course. If I remember correctly, she also assisted in some of our meetings with Lady Sedgewick.”

“Yes, but back then we assumed she was her ladyship’s companion.”

“Miss Cecilia is well-educated in finance and very knowledgeable regarding Lady Sedgewick’s affairs. She is of valuable help to me.”

“Of course, as you wish. What I meant is that this is not usually the sort of discussion appropriate for young ladies.”

“Perhaps, but we both have to suffer it nevertheless,” she said, more harshly than she intended.

“Gentlemen, would you like a drink before we start?” Mr. Gardiner offered to avoid further arguments.

“Not for now, thank you,” Mr. Hoskins answered. “Lady Barrington, before we proceed further, I wish to inform you that I have continued to carry out my duties as solicitor, based on my agreement with Lady Sedgewick.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you. This was recommended in Lady Sedgewick’s will and I readily accepted. I am ready to sign a new agreement for your employment as my solicitor.”

“I would be honoured, madam. I have already contacted Lady Augusta and Mr. Wood—her solicitor—after Lord Barrington’s funeral. I required financial details regarding that part of your inheritance.”

“Excellent. I was prepared to ask you to do so today.”

“Unfortunately, I have met with little success and the scarce information I have received is quite alarming.”

“Please explain it to us, Mr. Hoskins.”

“In the absence of a formal answer, I subsequently discovered that the Barrington’s fortune had been entirely squandered. There is no remaining capital to produce any income from bank interest. There is only the Barrington estate—which is part of the earldom—and the London house. There were two other properties, which Lord Barrington sold last year. As his heir, you are entitled to know what happened to that money.”

Elizabeth breathed deeply and sipped some tea. The news did not surprise her. She expected to hear much worse regarding anything related to that family.

“I assume the money was used to pay debts or had been wasted on gambling and parties. I have no expectation of seeing a penny of it,” she answered calmly.

“But madam, this is quite outrageous, and illegal! Your rights have been grossly violated! Lord Barrington signed a settlement before you married, although he knew he had no means to honour it. He promised you a sum as pin money, a dowry for your sisters and a home for your family in case your father passed away. But he was aware he had no resources to do so! He deceived you on purpose!”

“Dear Mr. Hoskins, your disgust and anger are commendable and any honourable man would feel the same. I am grateful for your support! I have long discovered that my late husband had no intention of keeping any of his promises, to me or anyone else. The entire scheme was nothing but a deception, very much like a long-planned robbery. Yes, I am well aware that I could have lost my life and my family would have been thrown out on the street anyway. But what can we do now?”

The four men stared at her, then at the others, astounded by her tranquility.

“Does this discovery affect the legitimacy of the inheritance?” Elizabeth enquired.

The trustees exchanged a quick look. “No. All the documents were signed with our approval, their legality is beyond a doubt,” Mr. Reeves assured her.

“But since you inherited everything, you are also responsible for any possible debts too,” Mr. Hoskins added gravely.