Read Online A Question of Inheritance by Elizabeth Edmondson - Free Book Online Page B

pleasure of meeting Sonia when I was in London. I guess her nose has been put out of joint and I appreciate she stands to lose a considerable inheritance. But I understand she is a wealthy woman in her own right. I’m not depriving her of her livelihood.’
    Lady Priscilla said, ‘Sonia married an extremely rich man entirely for his money, and by good fortune was widowed soon afterwards. It would have been a disastrous marriage had he survived the war. She’s certainly not short of money and, as you’ll be aware, she also inherited quite a sum from your father. Although not the whole lot, which is what she had expected.’
    Scene 8
    Freya got back from her ride and headed for the kitchen, where she found Mrs Partridge arranging cups and a large silver teapot on a tray.
    ‘Lady Priscilla is here.’
    Freya said, ‘I know. I saw Jupiter in the stables. Where is she?’
    ‘She carried his lordship off to the library. She’s asked for tea, and I’m to find their young ladyships and send them to the library.’
    Freya said with a grin, ‘Give me the tray. I’ll take it in. I imagine Gus will be shaking in his boots by now.’
    She carried the tray to the library, put it down on a table and went over to kiss her aunt. ‘I see you’ve made Gus’s acquaintance.’
    ‘We were just talking about Sonia.’
    ‘Are you? I haven’t told you, Gus, but it seems that Sonia is coming here for Christmas. She said that you’d invited her to come to the Castle whenever she liked.’
    From the fleeting expression that crossed his face, Freya knew her cousin was regretting the offer made to Sonia. But he said courteously, ‘She is my half-sister. That’s a close relationship, even if we’re scarcely acquainted, and I’d like her to feel that she may come back to her family home whenever she wants.’
    Freya said, ‘When she wants is apparently Christmas, and she’s bringing two other people with her.’
    She poured the tea and handed a cup to Lady Priscilla, who looked annoyed.
    ‘It’s all very well for Sonia to accept an invitation but she shouldn’t spring her friends on Gus like this. Who are these people she’s bringing?’
    ‘One of them is a Mr Rupert Dauntsey. Sonia says she’s engaged to him.’
    ‘Engaged? Nonsense. There’s been no announcement, the family knows nothing about it.’
    Freya said, ‘I merely repeat what she told me. She called him her “fiancé”.’ Seeing the expression on her aunt’s face, she added, ‘It was a tease.’
    Lady Priscilla said tartly, ‘I hope so. Sonia is never vulgar except when she wants to be. I suppose she means she’s sleeping with this man. Sonia isn’t about to marry anyone. Although,’ and a thoughtful look came over her face, ‘I did hear that Rupert recently inherited quite a fortune from his great-uncle. An estate and a lot of money. Maybe Sonia does intend to marry him.’
    Gus said, ‘What’s wrong with “fiancé”?’
    That earned him a withering look from Lady Priscilla. ‘You’ll learn. Who else is she foisting on Gus?’
    ‘Oliver Seynton. He works for Morville’s, the auctioneers. Sonia brought him down here before – when she thought she was going to inherit the Castle. To do a final inventory once Selchester’s death was confirmed.’ She turned to Gus. ‘It seems that Mr Seynton has written to you already; he wants to discuss something to do with the pictures here.’
    Lady Priscilla said, ‘You could do worse, Gus, they know their job at Morville’s. You’ll have to sell quite a lot of things, although I dare say you can offset some of the death duties by giving a few of the more valuable pictures to the nation. But Verekers will be advising you on that.’
    Vereker, Vereker, Vereker and Farquhar had been the Fitzwarin solicitors for several generations. And still, in Freya’s opinion, behaved as though they were advising the fifteenth Earl, back in the last century. How Gus would cope with them was anyone’s guess.
    ‘Well,