Read Online Guardian to the Heiress by Margaret Way - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Margaret Way
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gorgeous little thing and as sexy as hell! As far as he knew, it was perfectly legal to get hitched to one’s first cousin, especially with different mothers.
* * *
What followed was either farce or high tragedy. Carol, the one the family had turned their back on, the principal beneficiary? My God, what a turn up!
“You’ve got the whole damned kit and caboodle.” Troy, like his mother and father, showed his stupefaction.
“This is horrible, horrible! ” Dallas jumped to her feet, looking like a minor volcano about to erupt. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I? Selwyn left the bulk of his personal fortune to Carol? Why, she knows nothing of the world.Nothing!” She struck the library table with her clenched fist. “Don’t sit there like a trout with your mouth open, Maurice. Say something. We have to fight this. Selwyn clearly wasn’t of sound mind.”
“My father was of sound mind from start to finish,” Maurice said with some bitterness. He was making a real effort to bite down on his shock. He’d had a lifetime of being bypassed. He had never received his due. At least the old man had left him with a sizeable fortune. It was no surprise Dallas wasn’t on the list. He’d knock her off his list if only he could. But she knew where the bodies were buried. He and his brother, Adam, had had poor judgement when it came to women. His son, Troy, who gave himself such airs and graces, thoroughly deserved a good set-down. Not that Troy was going short, either.
Troy didn’t agree. “This is outrageous, a bloody knock-out blow.” For once Troy sided with his mother. “Carol not only takes precedence over you, Dad, she takes precedence over me.” Obviously the more serious blow. “He always was a ruthless old bastard. You know what this is all about? It’s spite. He let us all believe we would inherit in the usual way. I am your heir, Dad. He never did like Mother dear. Don’t you remember he never would drink any of your herbal concoctions, Mother? Wasn’t My Cousin Rachel one of your favourite books? No, the old man didn’t trust Mother any more than he trusted that psycho bitch, Roxanne.”
Carol, who had been sitting stunned by the magnitude of her inheritance and the attendant responsibilities, spoke up. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t target my mother, Troy,” she said sharply.
“Do you want to know the truth?” Troy all but yelled.
“Perhaps you could sit down, Troy. You, too, Mrs Chancellor,” Damon intervened in the sort of voice one obeyed. “Over these last years Selwyn Chancellor became more and more concerned about how his granddaughter had been treated. We don’t have to touch on the furore after Carol’s father’s tragic death. Mr Chancellor had wanted custody of Carol, but our best advice was the court wouldn’t take her from her mother.”
“News to me!” Maurice Chancellor pronounced. “We all know what part my sister-in-law played in my brother’s death.”
Damon saw Carol flinch. “I would remind you, Mr Chancellor, the coroner brought in a verdict of accidental drowning.”
“You mean she was never found out!” Dallas cried, pathologically jealous of her former sister-in-law.
“There are laws against slander,” Damon reminded them quietly. “Roxanne Chancellor’s story was accepted. There are always accidents on boats.”
There was a chilling malice from Dallas. “My husband is right. Roxanne was never to be trusted.” Bucket loads of aggression were in her tone.
Troy flopped down in his chair, looking poleaxed. It wasn’t as though he would have to cut back on his living expenses; it was the sheer unfairness of it all. The loss of face. He suspected his father would adapt to his new situation given time. All his father could aspire to was writing a book. He had wanted to for years—a work of fiction, a potential block-buster, no less. A bit late in the day! The only catch was his father loved Beaumont with a passion. He would bitterly resent being
* * *
What followed was either farce or high tragedy. Carol, the one the family had turned their back on, the principal beneficiary? My God, what a turn up!
“You’ve got the whole damned kit and caboodle.” Troy, like his mother and father, showed his stupefaction.
“This is horrible, horrible! ” Dallas jumped to her feet, looking like a minor volcano about to erupt. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I? Selwyn left the bulk of his personal fortune to Carol? Why, she knows nothing of the world.Nothing!” She struck the library table with her clenched fist. “Don’t sit there like a trout with your mouth open, Maurice. Say something. We have to fight this. Selwyn clearly wasn’t of sound mind.”
“My father was of sound mind from start to finish,” Maurice said with some bitterness. He was making a real effort to bite down on his shock. He’d had a lifetime of being bypassed. He had never received his due. At least the old man had left him with a sizeable fortune. It was no surprise Dallas wasn’t on the list. He’d knock her off his list if only he could. But she knew where the bodies were buried. He and his brother, Adam, had had poor judgement when it came to women. His son, Troy, who gave himself such airs and graces, thoroughly deserved a good set-down. Not that Troy was going short, either.
Troy didn’t agree. “This is outrageous, a bloody knock-out blow.” For once Troy sided with his mother. “Carol not only takes precedence over you, Dad, she takes precedence over me.” Obviously the more serious blow. “He always was a ruthless old bastard. You know what this is all about? It’s spite. He let us all believe we would inherit in the usual way. I am your heir, Dad. He never did like Mother dear. Don’t you remember he never would drink any of your herbal concoctions, Mother? Wasn’t My Cousin Rachel one of your favourite books? No, the old man didn’t trust Mother any more than he trusted that psycho bitch, Roxanne.”
Carol, who had been sitting stunned by the magnitude of her inheritance and the attendant responsibilities, spoke up. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t target my mother, Troy,” she said sharply.
“Do you want to know the truth?” Troy all but yelled.
“Perhaps you could sit down, Troy. You, too, Mrs Chancellor,” Damon intervened in the sort of voice one obeyed. “Over these last years Selwyn Chancellor became more and more concerned about how his granddaughter had been treated. We don’t have to touch on the furore after Carol’s father’s tragic death. Mr Chancellor had wanted custody of Carol, but our best advice was the court wouldn’t take her from her mother.”
“News to me!” Maurice Chancellor pronounced. “We all know what part my sister-in-law played in my brother’s death.”
Damon saw Carol flinch. “I would remind you, Mr Chancellor, the coroner brought in a verdict of accidental drowning.”
“You mean she was never found out!” Dallas cried, pathologically jealous of her former sister-in-law.
“There are laws against slander,” Damon reminded them quietly. “Roxanne Chancellor’s story was accepted. There are always accidents on boats.”
There was a chilling malice from Dallas. “My husband is right. Roxanne was never to be trusted.” Bucket loads of aggression were in her tone.
Troy flopped down in his chair, looking poleaxed. It wasn’t as though he would have to cut back on his living expenses; it was the sheer unfairness of it all. The loss of face. He suspected his father would adapt to his new situation given time. All his father could aspire to was writing a book. He had wanted to for years—a work of fiction, a potential block-buster, no less. A bit late in the day! The only catch was his father loved Beaumont with a passion. He would bitterly resent being
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