Page 45 of Fortune’s Final Folly

“The man’s name?” Joshua mentally counted the number of people and businesses he’d contacted of late. Most were linked to Kate—the bank, the Shrewbury estate, and the matter of Walter’s letter.

Grabbing a card from his desk, Henry handed it to Joshua. The paper was thick with an embossed name printed in gold leaf on the fine card.

Mr. Daniel Burns, Solicitor.

Joshua had heard of the man. He had been at Oxford a few years before Joshua. His family held one of the most prestigious law offices in London and were rumored to handle matters for the Bank of England, Barclays, and The London Gazette. The family had wealth and means with many connections even Joshua’s father could not boast about.

Why would the man be in Cheapside awaiting an audience with Joshua?

“Lord Joshua Stuart?” Burns sauntered into the main office and halted several feet from Joshua, a folder under his arm.

Never had Joshua felt like an interloper in his own building; however, the way Burns looked perfectly at ease despite having no appointment made Joshua apprehensive.

“How can I be of assistance, Mr. Burns?” Joshua, attempting to take back control of the situation, walked forward and gestured toward his office. “We can speak privately in my office.”

Joshua took in the room once they’d both entered, and he’d closed the door behind them. Everything appeared as it had the night before. His desk was orderly, and chairs lined the room, ready for class to be held later in the morning after Kate had finished across the street.

Neither man sat, each preferring to stand.

“My lord, am I correct that your client is Miss Katherina Elliott?” Burns clasped his hands behind his back, the file still under his arm as his serious stare assessed Joshua. When Joshua nodded, the man continued. “I received word from the Bank of England concerning your client’s request for funds pertaining to the Shrewbury estate.”

“That is correct.” Joshua eyed the solicitor. His finely tailored suit appeared freshly pressed, and his cravat was expertly arranged. “Are you a solicitor for the bank?”

Burns barked with a sharp chuckle. “Heavens, no.”

Joshua’s brow rose in question.

The solicitor retrieved the file from under his arm, opening it to reveal several pages of handwritten notes. “I am here on behalf of the Earl of Holderness, Pierce De Vere. He is the heir to the Shrewbury dukedom, previously run by his late father. He has recently returned to London, and we are preparing to petition the Lord Chancellor for a writ of summons to the House of Lords. Unfortunately, there is a small matter that must be rectified before that can happen.”

“Holderness is in London?” Joshua suppressed his shock, knowing Burns would use it to his client’s advantage if he were thrown off guard. “I heard it has been many years since the man has been seen or heard. At least, in England.”

Burns snapped the folder closed and slipped it back under his arm. “Yes, well, circumstances have arisen, and my client believes it is in his best interest to reclaim his place among society and take over his father’s estate.”

“What circumstances exactly, if you do not mind me inquiring?” Had the man created another scandal and been forced to return to London? Or had he squandered away whatever funds he had?

“It is a delicate, personal matter.”

“If you are here, I can only assume you know of the late duke’s wishes made before his passing.”

Burns shrugged. “The earl only seeks what is rightfully his and then wishes to be on his way without further inconveniencing Miss Katherina.”

“Do you not mean, Lady Katherina De Vere—his daughter?” Joshua was done tiptoeing around the solicitor’s true motives for the visit.

“I am uncertain where you have gained your information, Stuart. However, I have no documentation proving that the earl has ever been wed, let alone fathered a child.”

It was Joshua’s turn to chuckle. The dry laugh was nearly a growl. “You have seen the letter then.”

“A letter written by a man who was certainly not of sound, stable mind.” Burns’ eyes narrowed. “It is highly unlikely that anyone would see the letter as anything more than the senseless ramblings of a man losing his mind with grief over the loss of his wife and his son’s departure from England. There is no proof my client was ever wed, and even if Miss Katherina were deemed an illegitimate offspring, she would not legally be entitled to anything from the dukedom. However, I have a proposition for Miss Katherina…”

He could only imagine the proposition a fiend like Holderness would offer Kate. The man had wed and then abandoned his young bride when she was with child, leaving her in the hands of the duchess, arguably a worse foe. The vision of Joshua physically throwing Burns from his office flashed through Joshua’s mind, yet something stopped him.

Holderness was in London.

As was Katherina.

As was her mother, A’laya.

Did the earl know of his wife’s presence in town? Was it a combination of Joshua inquiring with the bank and A’laya’s reappearance that had instigated Burns’ arrival at Joshua’s Cheapside office?