Page 108 of Lords, Ladies and Love

Angel gave them all a sour look, huffed, and held up a finger. “Mr. Barton, if I may, what on earth do you mean by ‘task’? And to whom shall the money be forfeit?”

The lawyer shifted in his seat and scanned the paper in front of him. “I was just…um…about to get to that.”

“Well…?” Angel pressed.

“Angel,” Mama hissed.

Adopting a pouting expression, Angel folded her arms across her chest and tapped a finger against an arm.

“Let’s see.” Mr. Barton’s brow puckered. “Ah.”

“What is it?” Theo asked, a hint of irritation edging his voice.

“If you are unable to fulfill your tasks to my satisfaction, all remaining inheritance shall be bestowed upon a Mr. Hastings.”

A sharp inhale of breath echoed around the room. Theo curled a hand into a fist. What the hell? It couldn’t be correct. Grandfather loathed Mr. Hastings.

“That’s preposterous,” Theo blurted.

“Theo,” Mama scolded, sending him that infamous Templeton look that he usually used to great effect. He did not much like being on the receiving end of it, however.

“What the devil was Grandfather thinking?” murmured Seth.

Minerva shook her head. “This cannot be right. He would never give his money to that man.”

Mr. Barton shrugged. “The will is quite clear. Should you fail, Mr. Hastings shall inherit.”

“He is not even family,” Theo muttered.

Especially not after he separated from their cousin and brought utter scandal upon their family when he tried to gain a divorce and ran off with a nursemaid to Ireland. Mr. Hastings had not been part of the family for a good five years, and their grandfather had been as riled as them all about the matter, especially after their poor cousin passed away only six months after the event.

“You said there were tasks, correct?” Seth leaned back in his chair and waved a hand. “We’ll do whatever it is that Grandfather wanted of us, and that will be the end of the matter.”

Mr. Barton grimaced. “Well, ah, the instructions are extremely specific. All four grandchildren must complete their tasks within two months of this reading.”

Seth’s expression turned smug. “Easy enough.”

“For you, perhaps,” said Theo. “You have few commitments.” It was all very well for his brother and sisters. They did not need to spend every spare second trying to keep this family and their legacy afloat.

“And I had volunteered to help Lady Whitbury reorganize her library. I can hardly back out now,” cried Minerva.

“I am sure she will survive without you, Minnie,” Angel said.

“But—”

Mama lifted both hands. “Perhaps we should find out what these tasks are before we leap to conclusions.”

Theo straightened in his seat. “Quite. Yes. Mr. Barton, what exactly did our grandfather want of us?”

“There are letters for all of you…” Mr. Barton lifted a stack of letters. “Each describes your task.” He handed them out.

Theo’s heart gave a little jolt at the sight of his grandfather’s handwriting. There were many men in Theo’s life who had tried to give him advice, but after the marquis had died and Theo had been thrust into the position, the one person who had been able to offer the best advice had been his grandfather. He missed their occasional whisky together followed by the sage advice of a man with much life experience.

Theo went to press open the seal, but Mr. Barton spoke up hastily. “But before you do.” The lawyer dabbed his forehead again before thrusting his handkerchief back up a sleeve. “You must understand that no one can know of your task. The only people who may be privy to your task are the people in this room, including me. I will, ah, assess whether or not it is felt you have completed your undertaking.”

“So, we can discuss this with each other?” Theo asked.

Mr. Barton nodded. “And your lady mother. But no one else.”

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