“I have no intention of displacing them,” Emilia responded. “We must honor my father’s wishes and gift them the townhouse.”
Approval shone in Mr. Rymer’s eyes. “Very good, Miss.” He placed the stack of papers down. “Let’s discuss the particulars about your country estate in Sussex…”
Emilia glanced at the long clock in the corner and realized that she was tired. Emotionally and physically. Perhaps she should have taken a nap instead of meeting with Mr. Rymer. But she was here now and she needed to pay attention. After all, he was talking about her future. A future that still seemed quite unbelievable to her.
Fredrick stepped into the dining room and saw Roswell sitting at the table, reading the newssheets.
“Good morning,” he greeted. “Where is Anette?”
Roswell glanced up from the newssheets and replied, “She should be down in a moment.”
“I was hoping to ask a favor of her,” Fredrick shared as he sat down.
Lowering the newssheets to the table, Roswell said, “You have piqued my interest. What favor do you intend to ask Anette?”
“Aren’t you being a bit nosy this morning?” Fredrick teased.
“I am terribly nosy, especially when it comes to my wife,” Roswell said.
Fredrick leaned to the side as a footman placed a plate of food in front of him. “I met the most…” His voice trailed off. How would he describe Miss Sutherland? Intriguing? Perplexing? Ah, he settled on the perfect word. “I met the mostpeculiaryoung woman in the park yesterday.”
“Do I know of this peculiar young woman?”
“I doubt it, because she didn’t know who we were,” Fredrick revealed.
Roswell’s brow lifted. “I take it that she must not be in high Society, then.”
“That is the odd part,” Fredrick started. “She claims that she is the daughter of Sir Charles Sutherland.”
“Wait a moment,” Roswell said as he flipped the newssheets to the front page. “I just perused this article, not giving it much heed, but I do believe it pertains to this Miss Sutherland.” He folded the pages back and read it.
After a long moment, Roswell shared, “According to this article, Sir Charles committed bigamy and was already married when he wed Lady Diana, thus making Clarissa and Calvinillegitimate. He had a daughter with his first wife, and she inherited the vast majority of his fortune.”
Fredrick sat back in his seat. Parts of his conversation with Miss Sutherland came back to him and now it all made sense. No wonder why she was so conflicted. She had gained this vast fortune, but at the expense of others.
“Apparently, Clarissa and Calvin were seen entering a townhouse in Cheapside,” Roswell said.
Anette’s voice came from the doorway. “Are you speaking of Miss Clarissa Sutherland?” she asked.
“I am,” Roswell replied. “Do you know her?”
“I do, but I try to avoid her at every opportunity,” Anette replied as she sat down by her husband. “She is a terrible person and loves nothing more than to gossip about others’ misfortunes.”
Roswell extended her the newssheets and said, “Well, it would appear her fortune has just changed.”
Anette accepted the paper and read the article. “I never thought I would feel sorry for Clarissa, but I can’t believe this happened to her,” she said. “She went from being highly sought after to losing everything.”
“Well, if it helps, I met Sir Charles’ legitimate daughter in Hyde Park yesterday,” Fredrick revealed.
“What was she like?” Anette asked.
Roswell spoke up. “Fredrick said that she is peculiar.”
“Peculiar?” Anette asked, appearing intrigued. “How so?”
Fredrick reached for his teacup and took a sip. When he lowered the teacup, he replied, “She is unlike any other woman I have met. She knows nothing about the trappings of thetonand I am worried that she will be ostracized by them.”
“Surely she must know something about theton, considering she is Sir Charles’ daughter,” Anette argued.