Page 47 of A Sonata for the Fiery Lady
“Thank you, your royal honour,” Oliver replied.
“Welcome home, Lord Quinn,” the royal judge said with a nod of his head.
Oliver turned then and followed Magistrate O’Reilly quickly from the room. It wasn’t until they were out in the courtyard did Oliver finally take a deep breath of fresh air.
“Well done, my boy,” Magistrate O’Reilly said as he patted Oliver on the back.
“It seems that the royal judge was familiar with my family’s name?” Oliver mentioned as he settled his nerves.
“It did seem so,” Magistrate O’Reilly agreed. “Perhaps there is more history to be discovered concerning your family.”
“And I know just the man to employee for the task,” Oliver said with a pointed look at the magistrate.
“Well, before we discuss my rates, Lord Quinn, let us head to your solicitor’s office that was listed with your father’s name. Someone there should be able to discuss the extent of your estate,” Magistrate O’Reilly explained.
“Yes, it seems there is more work to be done,” Oliver agreed as he gestured towards the waiting carriage that had been lent to them by Lord Stanton.
“Indeed, Lord Quinn. Men of society always seem to be working towards one thing or another. And with your father’s estate being left alone for decades, I am certain you’ll have much work to do soon,” the magistrate agreed as the two men set off into the winter day with more to discover ahead of them.
~*~
A light snow had started to fall as Melisa came in from the gardens. She’d tried her best to settle her nerves by reading one of her favourite novels or chatting happily with the Davone family as they had gathered in the drawing room for afternoon tea. But now that most of the day had passed without any news from Oliver, Melisa was starting to grow very nervous. She’d even tried taking a quick turn of the gardens, hoping the cold air would help calm her. But as she came back inside and joined the others in the drawing room to warm herself by the fire, she realized she wouldn’t be at peace until Oliver returned.
Melisa had just settled into a chair with a warm cup of tea in her hand when the drawing room door was opened and Oliver quickly came into the room, followed closely by Magistrate O’Reilly.
“Oh good, you’ve returned,” Lord Stanton said as he stood and welcomed the two gentlemen. Oliver was smiling happily, and his expression caused Melisa to hope that he had good news. “Come warm yourselves by the fire.”
As Oliver and the magistrate moved to stand near the fire, everyone looked to the two gentlemen in anticipation. “Well then, tell us how the day went,” Lord Stanton encouraged.
“The royal judge gave me his approval, instating me to the title of the Earl of Prescott,” Oliver confirmed, a round of cheers quickly moving through the room.
“That is fantastic news,” Signora Davone spoke up as she cheered with the others.
“And I do have to give all my thanks to Magistrate O’Reilly for preparing my case. It seems I will never be able to repay the debt you’ve done my family,” Oliver said, turning to the magistrate.
“It is all in a good day’s work,” the magistrate said sheepishly.
“And you did have success with your father’s solicitor then?” Lord Stanton asked next.
“Indeed, Lord Stanton. I spoke with a Mr Reed, my father’s solicitor and proprietor of the Prescott estate since my father went to war. Mr Reed explained that my uncle had tried to appeal to him many times to gain access to the Prescott fortunes, but that my father had left explicit details to only speak to me,” Oliver explained, his eyes settling on Melisa for a moment before he continued his story.
“It seems that my father kept in good contact with Mr Reed over the years, informing the man of my birth and heritage. But Mr Reed had been given explicit orders not to reveal his identity, that my knowledge of the Prescott estate was to come on my own accord, thus giving me the choice of whether or not to accept it upon my father’s death,” Oliver continued.
“It sounds like the Prescott estate wasn’t left to ruin after all, Lord Quinn,” Signore Davone spoke up, voicing Melisa’s exact thoughts.
“Indeed, Signore Davone. Mr Reed has been a dutiful proprietor over the years and has been able to keep the Prescott affairs all in order, along with the country seat maintained over the years. He seemed certainly happy to see me,” Oliver mentioned with a chuckle. “The man is getting along in years and looks forward to passing the responsibility back to me.”
“It seems this is the best possible news,” Lady Stanton spoke up, her voice full of cheer.
“It is, Lady Stanton. Mr Reed confirmed to me the amount of the Prescott title. It is a matter we can speak of later, but rest assured that we shall be remaining in town for the remainder of the winter and will be able to show the Signonias a wonderful Season in the spring,” Oliver assured, causing the room to cheer once more. Melisa couldn’t deny how happy she was to hear such wonderful news, especially when Signoria Gabrielle and Vivian cheered so excitedly.
“But there is only one matter that will have to be resolved,” Oliver added then as he turned his eyes to Melisa. “It seems that the English courts will not honour our Italian marriage. We will need to be married here before the English church in order for our marriage to be validated.”
Lady Stanton gasped at the news. But as Melisa looked to her mother, she could see the woman smiling as clear as day. “Does that mean I’ll get to see my daughter married after all?” Lady Stanton said with enthusiasm.
“Yes, Lady Stanton. It seems we’ll need to plan a wedding as quickly as possible,” Oliver said happily. The room filled with much excitement then as talk of a winter wedding was discussed by all. Melisa was quick to invite the Signonias as her bridesmaids, causing them to squeal with delight at the thought of being in an English wedding. What overjoyed Melisa the most was that her mother allowed her to talk freely about the wedding plans without trying to decide for her, truly showing Melisa that her parents had changed for the better.
After the room had settled a bit, Oliver took a seat next to his wife, wrapping his warm hands in hers. She felt such relief to have him home again and to hear such wonderful news. Lord Stanton had called for a toast to celebrate the occasion, the footman soon returning with a bottle of brandy to be shared by all.
