not a child any longer, my love. You’re a young lady. You should be looking to the future, to your own husband, your own children, your own life. You cannot go on forever being your father’s daughter and Simon’s sister. We all have to grow up sometime, and your time has come.” Elise smiled and smoothed a finger along her daughter’s high cheekbone. “You’ve turned into a beautiful girl, ma petite. Mrs. Weston tells me Geoffrey is quite taken with you.”
Claire didn’t know what part of her mother’s speech surprised her more, the fact that Elise thought the relationship between her daughter and Simon was that of brother and sister, or her comment about Geoffrey.
“Why are you looking so surprised?” Elise asked gently.
Claire picked the lesser to two evils. “ Geoffrey?”
Elise smiled encouragingly. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if you married Geoffrey? He’s a fine young man from an excellent family. And, just think, you would be living close to us.”
“I have never thought about Geoffrey that way,” Claire said flatly.
“Well maybe you should start.”
Liam finished his conversation with Simon and crossed the room to ask her a question. Elise judged she had said enough to plant an idea in her daughter’s mind.
# # #
The earl came back from Epsom brimming with good humor. He had bet heavily on his filly, and she had won for him. His Jockey Club friends were openly envious of his amazing string of winners. All in all, it had been a splendid week of racing. He had even won some money on other horses.
The only shadow on the earl’s horizon was, as usual, his eldest son. Woodbridge was going to inherit one hundred thousand pounds. Every time the earl thought of that large sum of money he wanted to throw something. He could make far better use of it than Woodbridge. Over the years the earl had won money on his own horses, but his bets on horses that were not his own had been disastrous. He had also lost a great deal of money at Watier’s. Honor demanded that those debts be paid immediately, which had put him in the position of having to borrow from a moneylender. The sad fact was, he had gone through both Annabelle’s and Helen’s fortunes, and here he was, in debt again. And now one hundred thousand pounds, which the earl desperately needed, would go to Woodbridge!
Well, he would pack the brat off to Oxford until he turned twenty-one. After that …. The earl scowled and poured himself a large brandy, which he drank in one gulp. What would happen to the money if Woodbridge died, he wondered? As his father, he would be Woodbridge’s heir. Did that mean the money would come to him?
The earl poured himself another large brandy, sat on the velvet sofa in front of the fire, stared into the flames, and thought.
CHAPTER NINE
The earl and countess did not celebrate Simon’s eighteenth birthday. The only event that marked the day as more significant than his previous birthdays was that his uncle, Richard Jarvis, paid a visit to Welbourne. Jarvis’ purpose was to discuss the trust money and tell Simon what he had decided would be an appropriate allowance for the next three years.
The earl and countess had removed themselves from the distasteful proceedings by visiting friends in Yorkshire, leaving five year old Charlie at home with his nurse. Simon and Charlie were kicking a ball around the side lawn of the abbey when Jarvis pulled up in his carriage. The two boys went to greet the newcomer.
Jarvis smiled at the picture they made. Charlie was almost as fair-haired as Simon, but his eyes were a darker blue and his features less finely cut. He was an attractive youngster, however, and was happy to meet Simon’s tall, broad shouldered uncle.
“Me and Simon kicked the ball,” he confided. “I kicked it all the way over there.” He pointed to a lofty oak spreading its welcome shade across the lawn.
Claire didn’t know what part of her mother’s speech surprised her more, the fact that Elise thought the relationship between her daughter and Simon was that of brother and sister, or her comment about Geoffrey.
“Why are you looking so surprised?” Elise asked gently.
Claire picked the lesser to two evils. “ Geoffrey?”
Elise smiled encouragingly. “Wouldn’t it be lovely if you married Geoffrey? He’s a fine young man from an excellent family. And, just think, you would be living close to us.”
“I have never thought about Geoffrey that way,” Claire said flatly.
“Well maybe you should start.”
Liam finished his conversation with Simon and crossed the room to ask her a question. Elise judged she had said enough to plant an idea in her daughter’s mind.
# # #
The earl came back from Epsom brimming with good humor. He had bet heavily on his filly, and she had won for him. His Jockey Club friends were openly envious of his amazing string of winners. All in all, it had been a splendid week of racing. He had even won some money on other horses.
The only shadow on the earl’s horizon was, as usual, his eldest son. Woodbridge was going to inherit one hundred thousand pounds. Every time the earl thought of that large sum of money he wanted to throw something. He could make far better use of it than Woodbridge. Over the years the earl had won money on his own horses, but his bets on horses that were not his own had been disastrous. He had also lost a great deal of money at Watier’s. Honor demanded that those debts be paid immediately, which had put him in the position of having to borrow from a moneylender. The sad fact was, he had gone through both Annabelle’s and Helen’s fortunes, and here he was, in debt again. And now one hundred thousand pounds, which the earl desperately needed, would go to Woodbridge!
Well, he would pack the brat off to Oxford until he turned twenty-one. After that …. The earl scowled and poured himself a large brandy, which he drank in one gulp. What would happen to the money if Woodbridge died, he wondered? As his father, he would be Woodbridge’s heir. Did that mean the money would come to him?
The earl poured himself another large brandy, sat on the velvet sofa in front of the fire, stared into the flames, and thought.
CHAPTER NINE
The earl and countess did not celebrate Simon’s eighteenth birthday. The only event that marked the day as more significant than his previous birthdays was that his uncle, Richard Jarvis, paid a visit to Welbourne. Jarvis’ purpose was to discuss the trust money and tell Simon what he had decided would be an appropriate allowance for the next three years.
The earl and countess had removed themselves from the distasteful proceedings by visiting friends in Yorkshire, leaving five year old Charlie at home with his nurse. Simon and Charlie were kicking a ball around the side lawn of the abbey when Jarvis pulled up in his carriage. The two boys went to greet the newcomer.
Jarvis smiled at the picture they made. Charlie was almost as fair-haired as Simon, but his eyes were a darker blue and his features less finely cut. He was an attractive youngster, however, and was happy to meet Simon’s tall, broad shouldered uncle.
“Me and Simon kicked the ball,” he confided. “I kicked it all the way over there.” He pointed to a lofty oak spreading its welcome shade across the lawn.
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