Page 37 of A Brooding Christmas Promise
The solicitor shook his head. “There was more than just the will being returned to us, Lady Hesterway. We retrieved every item and I would be very surprised, I confess, if this addendum had gone missing, though everything else remained.”
“I see.” Amelia reached across to take Charlotte’s hand. “Charlotte, are you –”
“I shall write to our brother at once to engage his consent.” Charlotte pressed Amelia’s hand and then rose to her feet. “Thank you for your time, sir. What you have told us is invaluable.”
With a look to her sister, Charlotte made to step away, hurrying out of the solicitors and onto the street. The cold winter wind was a welcome relief, bringing a sharpness with it which brought Charlotte back to herself a little. Her mind, which had been filled with confusion, suddenly came to a clear understanding and, even though Amelia hurried out after her, taking her hand and leading her to the carriage, Charlotte did not need her sister’s support.
“It is all very clear to me now,” she said, as the carriage made for home, the sleet beginning to whip around the carriage itself. “I confess, the shock of it was so great, I did not know what to make of it all but now… well, now I see that there is something here that must be discovered. Something which will determine the course I now take.”
Amelia held her gaze, her own face a little white. “I am astonished at how clearly you are speaking, Charlotte.” She offered a small, slightly watery smile. “But then again, I suppose that you have always been determined. Once you have set your mind to something, you follow it.”
Charlotte nodded, though she clasped her hands together tightly in her lap, aware of the tension which still wound itself through her. “Do not misunderstand me, Amelia, I am utterly horrified to hear that this addendum, this part of the will which I believed was from father directly, might not be as I have believed for so long but I am also not going to simply cry over it. Rather, I want to find the truth in its entirety so I might know the path which my life must now follow.”
Her sister nodded, as Lord Hesterway frowned, looking deeply frustrated.
“Would that I could have commanded him to do as I know you both – and your brother – desire to do also,” he said, a little heavily. “I would have done so had I the ability.”
Charlotte smiled briefly. “I am grateful for that. It is frustrating but it must be done. That being said, however, I am going to speak with our stepmother this evening, should she appear, and if not, then I will call upon her tomorrow.”
“For what purpose?” Amelia asked, her eyes a little wider. “Do you mean to confront her?”
The determination which had driven her to the solicitors in the very beginning grew all the more forcefully and Charlotte nodded. “In a way, yes. I know that we need our brother’s permission to see the will but I do not have to inform her of that. All I can say to her is what webelieveto be true, in the hope that she might speak the truth regardless.”
“You believe that she will be at the ball this evening, even though she has no invitation?”
Charlotte shared a glance with her sister before nodding. “Yes, I do. I saw her looking at masks earlier and given that it is a masquerade, I presume it might be a little easier to sneak into the ball than it would otherwise have been.”
“I will be there when you speak with her, if you please,” Lord Hesterway said, gently, speaking with no authority nor demanding in his voice, leaving the choice to her. “I want very much to be present, to make certain you are kept safe… that is, unless there is someone else stepping in beside you?”
The lift of his eyebrow told Charlotte precisely whom he was thinking of and she merely lifted her shoulders in response, not certain whether or not Lord Crestwood would be willing to do such a thing. After his reaction to their stolen kiss, she could not say for certain.
“If he is present and willing, then I shall ask him,” she conceded, quickly. “Though my first task is to write to my brother. That is of the greatest importance.”
“You can do so the moment you step in,” Amelia promised her. “Here we are now. I shall order tea and bring you some.”Leaning forward, she gazed into Charlotte’s eyes, concern written into every part of her expression. “You are quite all right, truly?”
Charlotte nodded, a sense of relief washing over her as she smiled. “Indeed. There is a relief in knowing that I might well be free of the burden I have carried for so long, though with that comes the desire to know the truth.” Her smile faded as she sighed. “And once I discover it, that will change everything – for better or for worse.”
Chapter Eighteen
“An excellent evening thus far, I must say!”
Samuel grinned as he shook the gentleman’s hand, well aware that it was Lord Trenton behind the mask. “You have decided not to hide your face, I see.”
Lord Trenton drew back in what Samuel presumed was an attempt to look offended. “Iamwearing a mask, am I not?”
Samuel snorted. “The smallest one I have ever seen. It barely covers your eyes!”
“But it is still a mask.”
Conceding this, Samuel chuckled and shrugged. “I suppose that is true.”
Suddenly serious, Lord Trenton set a hand to Samuel's shoulder. “I presume that your betrothed will be here this evening.”
Samuel’s smile fell away. “Yes, she will be.”
“And?”
Closing his eyes, Samuel shook his head. “I have not yet spoken to her about Lady Grifford’s nearness and obvious desire to return to what we once had, though I have every intention of doing so.” Having already told Lord Trenton about what had taken place, he already knew what his friend thought about the matter.
