Chapter 6
Six
Now that she had a solution, Nicoll decided to confide in her sisters.
“Leave London, for good?” Ellen cried.
“This home.” Ruth added.
“What of what remains of the Season?” Ann asked.
“If I were you, I would not be so anxious to hold onto what we have here,” Margaret interjected. “You are the three who will be under our cousin’s guardianship. He will control where you go, what you do, how you spend your funds, or if you are allowed to spend your funds.”
Their eyes went wide as they pulled back in unison from where they were seated side by side on the settee.
“He will also have the power to arrange a marriage for you to a complete stranger or someone that you do not care for and you will have no choice.”
They gasped.
“Now, would you prefer to remain here or return to Dominica?”
“Where we have friends,” Ellen reminded them.
“We would be closer to Tempest,” Ruth offered.
Now that her sisters understood the urgency, they put their minds to enjoying what time they had left of the Season.
However, they did not discuss plans outside of the privacy of a chamber or the parlor with the doors closed.
The servants would not even know they intended to leave until it was time to do so.
Each had agreed that as soon as they knew the date and time that they needed to arrive at the ship, they would close themselves off in their chambers and pack all belongings without the assistance of a maid.
In fact, Nicoll was confident that they would be already crossing the Atlantic by the time her cousin could appear before the Court of Chancery.
With decisions made, Nicoll put her mind to enjoying London, and perhaps, coming to know Lord Cecil. She even considered the idea of asking Lord Cecil for more than a kiss so that her curiosity in all things intimate could be satisfied.
Did she dare?
Nicoll nearly laughed, partially embarrassed by her thoughts.
She was also confident that all would be well.
Or so she thought until the post was delivered.
“There is a woman in your office,” Cecil’s clerk whispered when he returned to the Inns of Court.
“What woman?” he asked cautiously. He had been visited by females previously, usually widows who had tried to gain his attention at balls but failed so they invented problems that required his services.
“A miss!” His clerk was nearly scandalized.
“Does she have a name?” Cecil asked.
“Miss Nicoll Driscoll.”
Cecil grinned, anticipation replacing his moment of dread. “I have not yet arranged for passage…” he said as he entered his office but trailed off when he noted the paleness of her skin. Her silver eyes, grey and stormy. “What is wrong?”
She thrust the documents at him.
“Please, have a seat.” He indicated to the two chairs before his desk.
She slipped into one, clutching her reticule so tight that her knuckles turned white.
What kind of threats could Retford have made this time?
He unfolded the first document, which was a letter from the solicitor for the Crown.
The pension Nicoll’s father was paid quarterly was in arrears and he was owed pay for one quarter and a half, ending with his death.
However, Marquess Retford had made a claim to the pension as part of the estate.
Therefore, said funds would not be released until the Court of Chancery had decided who was the guardian of the estate and minor daughters.
Cecil did not know how much such a pension was, but they were no longer funds that could be hidden for the use of Nicoll and her sisters.
“Were you aware the pension was in arrears?” he asked.
“I was. They always were, especially during the war with Napoleon, and I suppose I should not have been surprised that my cousin made inquiries.” She sighed. “However, it is the second letter that is far more concerning.”
Cecil set the first one aside and picked up the second. This was also from the solicitor for the Crown, but a different gentleman, and it regarded the property in Dominica. Cecil quickly read the document and frowned.
“The land was granted to your father…given to your father?”
“It is common for the government or authority to gift property as a reward for services and as compensation because the pay is often modest.”
“They make a complaint that the land appears to be abandoned and are claiming absentee ownership and neglect.”
“It is the Crown who ordered him to leave Dominica and then sent him to Jersey. They can hardly fault my father for neglect when they are responsible,” Nicolle argued.
“Except, your father did not return when he retired.”
“I am also just as certain that it is not abandoned and managed not only by a local agent, but my father employed tenant farmers. They would not risk allowing the land that supports them to run to ruin.”
“The Crown has also made the claim, aware of your father’s passing, that they must wait for a decision from the Court of Chancery and if the heir is not associated with Dominica, it could revert to the Crown.”
“I read and understood the document,” she informed him with irritation. “I came here to ask what I can do to prevent losing the estate.”
Cecil pulled back at her tone. He hadn’t meant to insult her and should have realized that Nicoll did not need an explanation as so many other women may claim, even when not necessary, because they had been raised never to show their intelligence to a bachelor.
“It is more likely the Crown will take the property back. They will not see you as an owner, and Retford has no ties to Dominica nor has he ever served the Crown.”
“Therefore, there is no reason for us to leave London.” Irritation lit in her grey eyes. Yet, Cecil was certain that she had not given up. She would find a way to fight Retford and the Crown and he would help her.
“You said there is income from the estate, correct?”
“Yes!” Her silver eyes widened. “Will that be taken from us as well?”
“It is possible, but we can provide an argument that the Crown cannot both claim that it was abandoned and continue to collect, then withhold, the income until an estate is settled.” He frowned. “Who holds the grant documentation?”
“I am not certain, but something could be among my father’s papers.”
“I will need to review everything that he has kept. Would tomorrow afternoon be convenient? I could call on you.
She nodded. “I will see that they are gathered.”