Chapter 22
After two more sleepless nights and another day, the moment of the meeting with the legal representatives arrived.
The drawing room was formally arranged, with a large table placed in the middle and chairs around it. Elizabeth, Mr. Gardiner, Bingley, Darcy and Cece were already there when Mr. Reeves and Mr. Thorn—the two trustees, Mr. Hoskins—the solicitor, and Mr. Finch—the executor, arrived.
The family sat on one side of the table, while the others faced them, spreading the heavy ledgers between them.
Seeing Cece, the trustees exchanged a glance.
“Is the young lady attending the meeting too?”
Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched.
“Miss Cecilia? Of course. If I remember correctly, she also assisted in some of our meetings with Lady Sedgewick.”
“Yes, but back then we assumed she was her ladyship’s companion.”
“Miss Cecilia is well-educated in finance and very knowledgeable regarding Lady Sedgewick’s affairs. She is of valuable help to me.”
“Of course, as you wish. What I meant is that this is not usually the sort of discussion appropriate for young ladies.”
“Perhaps, but we both have to suffer it nevertheless,” she said, more harshly than she intended.
“Gentlemen, would you like a drink before we start?” Mr. Gardiner offered to avoid further arguments.
“Not for now, thank you,” Mr. Hoskins answered. “Lady Barrington, before we proceed further, I wish to inform you that I have continued to carry out my duties as solicitor, based on my agreement with Lady Sedgewick.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you. This was recommended in Lady Sedgewick’s will and I readily accepted. I am ready to sign a new agreement for your employment as my solicitor.”
“I would be honoured, madam. I have already contacted Lady Augusta and Mr. Wood—her solicitor—after Lord Barrington’s funeral. I required financial details regarding that part of your inheritance.”
“Excellent. I was prepared to ask you to do so today.”
“Unfortunately, I have met with little success and the scarce information I have received is quite alarming.”
“Please explain it to us, Mr. Hoskins.”
“In the absence of a formal answer, I subsequently discovered that the Barrington’s fortune had been entirely squandered.
There is no remaining capital to produce any income from bank interest. There is only the Barrington estate—which is part of the earldom—and the London house.
There were two other properties, which Lord Barrington sold last year.
As his heir, you are entitled to know what happened to that money. ”
Elizabeth breathed deeply and sipped some tea. The news did not surprise her. She expected to hear much worse regarding anything related to that family.
“I assume the money was used to pay debts or had been wasted on gambling and parties. I have no expectation of seeing a penny of it,” she answered calmly.
“But madam, this is quite outrageous, and illegal! Your rights have been grossly violated! Lord Barrington signed a settlement before you married, although he knew he had no means to honour it. He promised you a sum as pin money, a dowry for your sisters and a home for your family in case your father passed away. But he was aware he had no resources to do so! He deceived you on purpose!”
“Dear Mr. Hoskins, your disgust and anger are commendable and any honourable man would feel the same. I am grateful for your support! I have long discovered that my late husband had no intention of keeping any of his promises, to me or anyone else. The entire scheme was nothing but a deception, very much like a long-planned robbery. Yes, I am well aware that I could have lost my life and my family would have been thrown out on the street anyway. But what can we do now?”
The four men stared at her, then at the others, astounded by her tranquility.
“Does this discovery affect the legitimacy of the inheritance?” Elizabeth enquired.
The trustees exchanged a quick look. “No. All the documents were signed with our approval, their legality is beyond a doubt,” Mr. Reeves assured her.
“But since you inherited everything, you are also responsible for any possible debts too,” Mr. Hoskins added gravely.
Another deep breath and a sip of tea helped Elizabeth to keep her composure.
“For the debts that can be legally proven, I assume,” Darcy intervened severely. “Am I correct? Otherwise, I may declare that Lord Barrington owned me one hundred thousand pounds and demand his widow to repay me. Bingley here could be my witness.”
“Of course,” Mr. Hoskins and Mr. Finch replied at the same time. “Any claim must be proven.”
“I shall disregard any requests unless they are validated by you or a judge, gentlemen. But in such a case, do I have the liberty to sell the Barrington properties to pay the debts?”
“Nothing connected to the earldom, Lady Barrington. You must wait nine months after Lord Barrington’s death, in case you provide an heir.
If it is a boy, he will inherit the title and the estate.
If there is a girl or no heir, the earldom will be returned to the Crown in its entirety,” Mr. Reeves explained.
“But you may sell the Barrington townhouse,” Mr. Hoskins added. “In such a case, Lady Augusta would become homeless.”
“Yes, that would be a misfortune indeed. We cannot allow it,” Elizabeth replied coldly, with a trace of irony.
“It is a delicate situation, one that I have never encountered in my five and twenty years in the field of law,” Mr. Thorn said.
A sharp headache gripped Elizabeth’s temples.
“So gentlemen, please explain to me very clearly what I am allowed to do, with or without your permission, regarding the Barrington and the Sedgewick estates. From what I see, the greatest amount of income from the Sedgewick fortune is in bank interest.”
“Yes,” Mr. Reeves replied. “There is significant capital in two bank accounts under the trustees’ supervision that produces around seven thousand pounds in annual interest.”
“And another two thousand pounds from rents,” Mr. Hoskins added.
“To answer your ladyship’s question,” Mr. Thorn explained, “you have free use of monthly pin money—promised to you by Lady Sedgewick. With that, you may do whatever you please. You also have free use of the entire annual income, as long as you use it for purposes mentioned in the legal agreements you have signed. There is a special fund for any children that may result from your marriage to Lord Barrington. If there is no child, that sum will be added to the main capital.”
“However, you may not sell any property without our consent,” Mr. Reeves continued. “But you are allowed to sell any jewels offered to you personally and use that money as you choose.”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth responded. “Please have a drink and I will have some tea. To conclude, all the expenses for the Sedgewick properties, including the two schools, are paid for by the annual bank interest.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Very well...But the expenses are significant and they might exceed the income. Mr. Darcy believes we might increase our annual income by better using the rental potential of each estate. Do I have the liberty to make decisions on this matter? Including who I may employ, to whom I may rent and under what conditions?”
The legal representatives were now dumbfounded.
“Of course, ma’am, but...this would be an enormous undertaking for you!
Such an endeavour would be difficult even for a man!
It is unlikely you will exceed your income anytime soon.
If it does eventually happen, you may reduce the costs accordingly at any time,” Mr. Finch voiced everyone’s opinion.
“I realise it is a huge undertaking, and I know I may live a comfortable life doing nothing further. But this is not what Lady Sedgewick expected from me, I am sure. If we do have to decrease costs, this would mean reducing our staff or, even worse, abandoning some of the charities. This would be a painful failure on my part and a betrayal of her ladyship’s trust. She expected me to take on the demands and to be involved in difficult endeavours. And this is what I shall do.”
Her speech—filled with emotion—made an apparent impression on the gentlemen. Elizabeth’s reaction was like nothing they had seen from any other lady in her situation, just as her circumstances were nothing like they had seen before.
“Lady Barrington, we wish you the utmost success. You have taken very much upon yourself, more than any other lady we know. We would be honoured to assist you in any way we can,” Mr. Reeves declared.
“Mr. Finch and I will be at your disposal anytime,” Mr. Hoskins added.
“Your loyalty is much appreciated. The first thing I intend to do is to visit each of the Sedgewick properties this autumn.
You will be informed of any decisions I make.
Mr. Hoskins, please send another letter to Mr. Wood and Lady Augusta.
They are obliged to answer and to provide us with the required information.
I do not wish to take advantage of my authority as the mistress, but I shall, if it is needed!
∞∞∞
A fortnight after she moved into Lady Sedgewick’s house, Elizabeth slowly returned to life. Busy acquiring new knowledge and taking on her new duties, the days passed quickly and the nights, although still restless, became bearable.
She ordered more mourning gowns, as elegant and expensive as her position demanded, although she loathed to pretend sadness and to waste money that could be better used otherwise.
She understood her situation required particular attention to details that society valued, even if she despised them.
As Cece politely mentioned, her success in continuing Lady Sedgewick’s charities depended on Elizabeth’s image in the eyes of influential people.
As much as she disliked being Lady Barrington, the paths back to the former Miss Bennet were closing one by one.
To compensate for such disturbing thoughts, inside the house, tranquillity and harmony settled.