Deceiving the Duke by Carter Elizabeth Ellen

Author:Carter, Elizabeth Ellen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical
Publisher: Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.
Published: 2022-02-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Seeing the solicitor’s gig outside the front door soured Seth’s stomach.

His few moments alone with Ruby were not nearly enough to help restore his mood.

Now, as if by some miracle, his father, who had slept for the bulk of their journey, was not just awake but exceedingly alert.

He really shouldn’t have been surprised by his father’s ability to rally. Perhaps the man had already been to the Pearly Gates and Saint Peter sent him back to earth with a flea in his ear.

The solicitor waited at the front door with not one but two clerks.

“Gentlemen, we weren’t expecting you so soon,” said Seth. “My father will need time to recover from his outing today.”

“Don’t talk about me as if I were not there! I am not deaf and I can well speak for myself!”

He cast his father a baleful look before addressing the footmen.

“Take His Grace inside. Nurse Campbell, does my father require anything before he sees his guests?”

Ruby dropped a curtsy, her pretty features contained behind a mask of stoic indifference.

“No, My Lord. If His Grace feels well enough, there’s no reason why he could not attend to his visitors as soon as he is refreshed.”

There – the stiff formalities over.

The solicitor smiled widely with the look of man who had already calculated his fee and found it substantial.

“Well, My Lord,” the man beamed, “in that case, there are matters ye and I can attend to while we await the duke’s pleasure.”

Ruby bobbed a curtsy once and turned away. For some reason, Seth had the sense of being abandoned, just as he had as a child.

Irrational. Foolish. But there it was.

Mindful of the solicitor’s waiting attention, he directed the man to the study. The two clerks followed dutifully, each bearing a large box. The older of the two juniors opened his and pulled out what appeared to be a ream of paper.

“As yer father is in failing health, there are a number of matters regarding the present running of the estate. These documents, witnessed here today, will give ye authority to act in his stead.”

“That would presuppose me to be the heir,” he said.

The solicitor blinked rapidly, as though Seth had suddenly take leave of his senses, but was too polite to remark upon it.

Seth huffed before taking a seat at his father’s desk and reached inside the drawer for his spectacles.

And he didn’t care what the damned man in front of him thought about them.

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