Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Snow had fallen during the night, transforming the familiar landscape of Wyndham Hall into something from a fairy tale.
Every tree branch bore a delicate coating of white, and the windows sparkled with frost that caught the morning light like diamonds.
I stood at my bedroom window, admiring the pristine beauty, when Lucy appeared with the morning post.
"This came by special messenger, ma'am," she said, handing me a thick envelope bearing the familiar seal of Burtons, Grimsby & Associates. "The man said it required your immediate attention."
My stomach clenched as I recognized the London solicitors' correspondence. This would be the response to my refusal to travel to London in December—no doubt containing whatever urgent matters they had insisted required my presence.
I settled into the chair by the fire and broke the seal with fingers that trembled slightly.
Mrs. Edward Tynsdale,
We write to inform you of the final resolution of your late husband's estate matters. Recent discoveries have necessitated a complete revision of the settlement we initially provided, and we are pleased to report that your inheritance is substantially larger than previously calculated.
Your late husband's investments, which were thought to be modest, have proven to include shares in several highly profitable ventures that were not immediately apparent in his papers.
Additionally, properties in Yorkshire and Cornwall, previously believed to be encumbered by debt, have been found to be free and clear with considerable rental income.
The attached documents detail your complete inheritance, which includes: - Liquid assets totaling ￡12,000 - Annual income from various investments estimated at ￡3,000 - Two country properties with rental income of ￡800 per annum - Various personal effects and household goods
This inheritance is yours absolutely, with no restrictions or conditions. Your late husband's family has no legal claim on these assets.
We apologize for the delay in providing this information and the inconvenience our earlier correspondence may have caused. Please contact us at your convenience to arrange the transfer of these assets to your control.
Your obedient servants, Burtons, Grimsby & Associates
I read the letter twice, then a third time, the figures blurring as tears gathered in my eyes. ￡12,000 in liquid assets. ￡3,000 per year in investment income. Property rentals. Edward had left me wealthy by any measure—financially independent beyond my wildest dreams.
The tears came harder as the full realization hit me.
Edward had provided for me after all. Despite his family's coldness, despite my fears about being left with nothing, he had ensured my security.
The financial anxiety I had carried since his death, the careful economizing I had practiced, the worry about my future—all of it had been unnecessary.
I was crying openly now, overwhelmed by relief, gratitude, and a complicated grief for the husband I had lost. Edward might not have been the love of my life, but he had cared for me enough to secure my future in ways I had never understood.
"Mrs. Tynsdale?" Mrs. Whitmore's voice came from the doorway. "Lord Avebury has called and asks if you're receiving visitors this morning."
I wiped my eyes hastily, but knew my emotional state would be obvious to anyone who looked closely.
"Yes, please show him to the study. I'll be down in a moment."
"Of course, ma'am. Though if I may say, you look rather upset. Shall I tell his lordship you're indisposed?"
"No, thank you. I think... I think I'd like to see him."
I made my way to the study still clutching the letter, my emotions too raw to hide behind polite social masks. Julian rose immediately when I entered, his expression shifting from pleasure to concern as he took in my tear-stained face.
"Eliza, what's wrong? Has something happened?"
Instead of answering, I simply handed him the letter and sank into the nearest chair. He read it quickly, his eyebrows rising as he took in the figures, then set it aside and knelt beside my chair.
"This is wonderful news," he said gently. "Why are you crying?"
"Because I was married to him," I whispered. "For fifteen months, I was his wife, and I never truly appreciated how much he cared for me. I spent so much time feeling like an afterthought in his life, but he was thinking of my future even when I couldn't see it."
Julian's hand covered mine, warm and steady. "He loved you in his own way."
"He did. And I loved him too, just... differently than I thought I should. I feel so guilty for not grieving him properly, for moving forward so quickly, for caring about you when I should still be mourning him."
"Eliza." Julian's voice was firm but infinitely gentle. "There's no proper timeline for grief, and there's no reason to feel guilty for finding happiness again. Edward would want you to be happy."
"Would he?"
"Any man who loved you enough to ensure your complete financial independence would want you to live fully. To find love again if that's what your heart desired."
I looked into his gray eyes, seeing nothing but understanding and acceptance there.
"I'm wealthy," I said, the reality still sinking in. "Quite wealthy, apparently."
"You are. How does that feel?"
"Overwhelming. I've spent months learning to manage one estate, and now I discover I own two more properties I've never even seen. There are investments to oversee, rental income to manage, decisions to be made about things I don't understand."
"You don't have to make those decisions alone," Julian said quietly, his thumbs brushing away my remaining tears. "You understand that, don't you?"
I searched his face, seeing something there that made my heart race despite my emotional turmoil.
"Julian..."
"I love you, Eliza. I love your courage, your compassion, your intelligence, your stubborn independence. I love the way you see straight through to what matters most, and the way you make everyone around you want to be better than they are."
"Even when I'm crying over letters and making a mess of everything?"
"Especially then. Because it shows how deeply you feel, how much you care about doing right by everyone in your life—including people who are no longer here to know about your efforts."
He stood and pulled me to my feet, his arms coming around me in an embrace that felt like coming home.
"You will never have to face anything alone again," he said against my hair. "Not estate management, not financial decisions, not grief, not joy—nothing. I want to be your partner in all of it."
I pulled back to look at him. "Julian, are you saying...?"
"I'm saying that I have something I'd very much like to ask you, if you're free later today.
" His smile held a mixture of nervousness and determination that made my pulse quicken.
"Would you allow me to take you for a drive?
I have a new phaeton that handles beautifully in snow, and I thought the countryside might be lovely after last night's fall. "
"A drive sounds perfect."
"Good. I'll call for you at two o'clock, if that suits? We can take advantage of the afternoon light."
"I'll be ready."
As he prepared to leave, Julian turned back one final time. "Eliza? The inheritance doesn't change anything about how I feel for you. Rich or poor or somewhere in between, you're the only woman I could ever imagine sharing my life with."
"It doesn't change how I feel either. But it is proof I'm choosing you entirely for your own sake, not because I need security or protection."
"Even better. I'd rather be wanted than needed." He paused and winked. “I also happen to know you wanted me just as much as a steward.” With a jaunty laugh, he stepped out the door before I could respond.
My smiled lingered after he left, but I sat in the study for a long time, holding Edward's letter and thinking about the strange turns life could take.
This morning I had been a comfortable widow with a modest estate.
Now I was a woman of considerable means with properties in three counties and enough income to live however I chose.
More importantly, I was a woman who was about to go for a drive with the man she loved, who had just hinted at asking her a question that would change everything.
The snow continued to fall outside, but inside Wyndham Hall, everything felt warm and bright with possibility.