Page 73 of Long Live the Baron
He stared, transfixed, as he slowly comprehended that the late baron had, indeed, written a letter.
The page was covered in the scrawl of his uncle-father. It appeared his visitor had surprised the old man, who had hurriedly swept the letter he was writing, along with the quill, into the drawer to shut his secrets away. The ink must have spattered from the tip because there were spots of ink obscuring some of the written words, as if they had been censored by the dripping pen.
Before him lay the possible answer to the baron’s death. Brendan was almost reluctant to lift the letter and read it. A feeling of dread crept into his chest, while he stared without seeing and thought about the fact that this awful venture was not yet resolved.
He flinched in surprise when a knock sounded, shifting his gaze to the door. It swung open to reveal Lily, refreshed for dinner.
She must have noticed something amiss, because she entered quickly and crossed the room toward him. “What is it?”
Brendan shook his head. “I think I found the letter.”
Lily gasped, rushing forward to stand at his side. “What? How?”
“There is a secret drawer where I keep my journal. When I opened it … I found this.” Brendan held up the letter with a trembling hand. He had believed the letter to be a figment of imagination. Certainly, despite Briggs and Michaels searching Ridley House from top to bottom, he had never truly believed in the possibility that they would find it.
“What does it say?”
Brendan hesitated, his chest tight with worry. “I have not read it.”
She gazed down at him, then swung her arm around him for a tight embrace. “It will start everything up again.”
He nodded.
“But eventually this story will end, and we will have our entire lives ahead of us.”
Brendan nodded. “We shall see what the baron has to say, then.”
Raising the letter, he decided to read it out loud while Lily kept her arm draped over his shoulders.
“It is addressed to the Home Secretary. Some of the words are obscured by the ink that soaked into the paper.”
Sir Robert Peel
London, July 19, 1821
Sir,
It has come - - my attention that the true heir to Lord - - - - - - - - has not been acknowledged.
I was speaking with his lordship before the coronation, and he informed me of his recent bout of ill health. He spoke fondly of his youngest brother, informing - - of his strength, intelligence, and wit at great length. There was no mention of his lordship’s middle brother, Peter, who you may be aware died near twenty years - - -.
Peter and I attended Oxford together, - - - his death was tragic - - - unexp- - - - -. I have thought of him often over the years, which is why I feel the need to pass this information - - - - - -u.
Before departing England, Peter married a wom- - of Catholic descent. She convert- - - - - - - - - were married - - - - - Church of England, before leaving our shores. I maintained correspondence with him until his death. He had written just months before his death to inform me of the birth of his son.
I cannot say for certain where the boy and his mother are - - - - - all these years, but he would be the true heir and I implore you to look into th- - matter. - - - - - - - - - is the true heir to the title of - - - - - and his father’s legacy cannot be ignored.
I understand the trials of being a second son, and I cann- - allow this matter to stand. Whether - - - - terrible injustice is a mistake due to ignorance of the child Peter sired, or a deliberate obfuscation of the facts, I must speak on my friend’s behalf. His son is the true heir and must be found immediately. I will locate our shared correspondence when I return to Somerset and have them forwarded to - - - - - - - - - - -
J. Ridley, Baron of Filminster
Lily stood with her mouth agape as Brendan finished reading the letter. “This truly must be the reason the baron was killed! Do you think the false heir was the one who killed your uncle?”
Brendan did not answer, rather stupefied by what he had read. Inheriting a title could mean a transfer of wealth and power beyond comprehension. It certainly would explain why someone might have visited the baron that night, and could very well be the impetus for a fit of murderous passion wherein a man grabbed a convenient weapon to silence the threat to his future inheritance.
“We do not know enough.”
Lily threw up her hands. “What are you saying? We have everything we need right here.”
