The Unexpected Heiress Read online

  “I know you are surprised, my dear,” Delilah continued, in a determined yet gentle tone. “I can see it on your pretty face. But your father and your uncle have left us no other choice. I spent all day yesterday and this morning with our lawyers and advisers, while you have been sequestered in your bedroom writing heaven knows what. They’ve left us with nothing. Nothing. Do you understand what that means, Meredith? For us? We have virtually nothing left to live on.”

  “But I don’t . . . there was . . . what . . . what happened to all the money, Auntie?” Meredith could barely get the words out to form a coherent question.

  The stunning news had her head reeling. How could they have nothing left to live on? It was impossible. Unimaginable. Her father’s business, the Remington Oil Company, had been worth over a million dollars! At least that was what she had always been told by her father. He had always been so proud of his company.

  Delilah’s lower lip trembled, and she seemed on the verge of tears.

  “It seems there wasn’t as much money as we were led to believe, and what they did have . . . well, frankly, they spent it all. The Remington brothers put every last penny they had into buying all that land in Texas, just before . . . the accident.”

  The words “the accident” hovered ominously in the air around them.

  “The accident” had turned their world upside down.

  The deadly explosion in a muddy oilfield in Texas had taken Meredith’s father from her just weeks ago. The words “the accident” had been whispered and murmured in hushed tones since the day they received the dreadful telegram bearing the news that John Remington and his younger brother, Joseph, the founders of the Remington Oil Company, had been tragically killed in an oil rig accident while exploring the vast tract of land they had recently purchased.

  “I . . . I simply don’t understand.” Meredith stared at her aunt in disbelief.

  How could her father have left her with nothing?

  Her dear, sweet, handsome father, whom she loved desperately but, in actuality, did not spend much time with, had always been a wonderful and generous provider. Meredith had lived entire her life in ease and comfort, never wanting for anything.

  John Remington had doted on Meredith, his only child, and she had adored him in return. Her father loved her and had even encouraged her writing . . . when he’d been home. He filled her head with promises of all the wonderful things they would do together when he came back home. Every sentence always began with, “When I get back . . .”

  For as much as he loved Meredith, the main focus of John Remington’s life and his time had been the creation of the Remington Oil Company. Meredith hadn’t even seen her father in the last three years, so busy had he been travelling the country with his brother and buying up all the land they thought would bring in oil.

  Her father and her uncle Joseph had been fairly successful too. Up until the accident in Texas.

  The accident. It had changed everything for them. Apparently more than Meredith even realized. She looked at her aunt.

  Delilah’s usually sweet face grew hard with consternation.

  “I don’t quite understand where all the money went either, my dear. But Joseph’s lawyer laid everything out for me in no uncertain terms. My husband and your father, God rest their souls, have left us practically no funds. In fact, we even owe some money, Meredith.”

  The ugly truth felt like a slap in the face.

  How could they have no money? Nothing left? Meredith had never thought about money before.

  She had been fortunate enough not to have to wonder where the money came from. She had always lived in this lovely brownstone house in New York City, and had always had enough for her pretty dresses and whatever else she wanted. She never even had to ask for what she needed. Everything had always been provided for her without question.

  She and Aunt Delilah hadn’t lived extravagantly by any means, but they had always been more than comfortable. They certainly had not been part of the Knickerbocker social set, but their lives had been quiet and peaceful. Her aunt was occupied with raising Harry and Lilly, and Meredith was content with her writing and her own devices. They mostly waited in limbo for when the Remington brothers would return home after they struck millions in oil.

  Money had never been a concern for Meredith before. But now that she thought about it, she was overcome with guilt. Who was she to have never given a second thought to the cost of things? To have never worried if she had enough money for her food and shelter? She had all of this security simply by virtue of being born to a well-off family.

  Then a frightening thought occurred to her.

  What would her life be like now, without her father’s money to keep her safe and in comfort? What about Aunt Delilah? And Meredith’s two little cousins, Harry and Lilly? What would become of what was left of their little family? Meredith’s heart began to beat faster. For the first time in her life, she was truly worried about her future.

  “Well, what shall we do?” she asked her aunt helplessly.

  Delilah gave her a pointed look, her eyes intense. “I’ve come up with a plan. But it involves a bit of deception once we arrive in London.”

  Puzzled, Meredith shook her head trying to make sense of what her aunt was saying. “Why on earth must we leave New York City?”

  “Because there is nowhere else for us to go. I’ve given this a great deal of thought. After paying off the creditors with the proceeds from the sale of this house, we will have just enough to get by for a short time. My sister Lavinia lives in London. Her husband is away in India, and we can stay with her for a while. Although, to be honest, staying with my elder sister is not anything I’m looking forward to. In any case, that’s neither here nor there. I’ve already sent her a telegram with our arrival date. So I suggest you begin packing right away.”

  A thick lump rose in Meredith’s throat.

  She was to leave New York? The only home she had ever known? To go to London and live with people who were complete strangers to her? Her mind raced with alternate possibilities. She was educated and bright enough to work. In fact, she was certain that she could find employment and support them all somehow.

  “Surely there must be another way. . . . Couldn’t we stay here, Aunt Delilah? Perhaps I could get a position somewhere? I could g—”

  Delilah interrupted, holding up her small hand to hush Meredith.

  “And do what exactly? Get a job writing for a newspaper or a magazine? It’s highly unlikely they would hire a young girl like yourself. You have absolutely no experience, and even if you somehow managed to secure a position somewhere, you certainly would not make enough to support all four of us, and you would not earn near enough to what we would need in order for us to remain in this house. So what other option is there, Meredith? Do you wish to become a lowly governess . . . and have to go live with another family? And what about the children and me? What would we do? No. There is no other option.”

  Meredith was about to protest.

  Delilah shook her head firmly. “Besides, I wish for my children to finally meet what little family I have left back in England. And since I couldn’t possibly leave you behind, my dear, we must go stay with my sister Lavinia in London. She is Lady Eastwood now, and she will take us in and introduce us around town until we can get ourselves established.”

  Hot tears welled in Meredith’s eyes. Her aunt was more than likely right, but Meredith couldn’t help but think there must be another way, although she couldn’t think of one just then.

  She certainly didn’t wish to go live with a strange family as a governess and leave Aunt Delilah and Harry and Lilly, who were more like her younger brother and sister than her cousins. She loved them dearly and definitely wanted them all to stay together. After losing her mother when she was so young, and now her father, her aunt and two young cousins were all the family Meredith had left in the world.

  Handing Meredith a lace-trimmed handkerchief, Delilah stared at her with kind ey
es.

  “I understand how you feel, my dear. Truly, I do. I’m quite loathe to leave New York myself. When I first met your uncle, I was a young widow, and I—”

  “You were married before?”

  This was news to Meredith. The shock of discovering that Aunt Delilah had been married to someone other than her uncle was shocking enough to make Meredith stop crying.

  “Yes, my dear, your uncle Joseph was my second husband. My first husband was Peter Martin, and he died of a terrible fever about five years after we married. It was after he passed away that I came to New York with my cousin Laura. It was supposed to be a fun visit to cheer me up, but I never expected to meet someone like Joseph Remington.”

  Meredith listened to this chapter of her aunt’s life with rapt attention.

  Delilah continued her story. “I fell head over heels in love with him. I never even felt that way about my first husband, and I gave up everything to be with him. My family, my friends, and England. I stayed in America to marry him. Joseph promised me the world and riches beyond my wildest dreams, and I believed him. But after years of being left alone while he and your father went off chasing their oil fields, I’m finally finished with waiting. Now that Joseph is gone and I have nothing left here in New York, returning home to England is my only recourse. I have my two children’s futures to think of. And your future as well, Meredith. I promised your dear mother, before she died, that I would take care of you.”

  At those words, Meredith felt tears well again. Thinking of her mother still tended to make her weepy, even though ten years had passed.

  Delilah sniffed too. “We simply cannot remain in New York with no place to live, but I certainly don’t intend to live on my sister Lavinia’s charity for the rest of my life. We both need to marry well and secure our futures. We need a fresh start and a change of scenery.”

  Delilah took a deep breath and waved her hand at everything in the room. “It will do us both a world of good to leave all this behind.”

  A long silence followed. Meredith was lost in the many thoughts that filled her head about their current situation.

  “You do see that I’m right, don’t you, my dear?” she asked softly.

  It was all too much to take in. She would have to marry. Meredith supposed finding a husband was her only option after all. Marriage would provide security and safety in a hostile world. All girls married at some point, and at twenty years of age, it certainly wasn’t unusual to assume that Meredith would too. It was time. Marriage wouldn’t be the end of the world.

  Just the end of her world.

  “When do we leave, Auntie?” Meredith managed to choke her question out between her tears.

  “In five days.”

  Wiping her eyes with her aunt’s lace handkerchief, Meredith sniffed and straightened her spine.

  If her aunt could be so pragmatic and brave about this, then certainly Meredith could as well. She had to be courageous, like the heroine in a novel.

  Yes, that was it!

  What if she regarded it all as a great adventure? Or what if she tried looking at it from a different perspective and viewed it all through the eyes of a writer? She would have new experiences to write about now, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and visiting another country. Surely that couldn’t be so terrible? She had never been anywhere before. In fact, she’d spent her entire life in New York City.

  Yes. A change would do them both good. And surely, she would be able to find a good man to marry. A kind and loving man whom she could love and be happy with.

  Meredith gave her aunt a resolute smile and nodded her head. “Then I had better start packing. We have a lot to do before we go.”

  Delilah nodded in appreciation and returned the smile. Meredith’s heart suddenly raced at the thought of such an adventurous change.

  A new chapter in her life was about to begin.

  2

  A Man of His Word

  Spring, 1895

  London

  “Hell, you look like something the cat dragged in!”

  Phillip Sinclair ignored his younger brother’s more than likely accurate assessment of his current appearance, but he ran his hand across his dark hair in an attempt to smooth it down a bit just the same. He was not proud of how he looked at the moment. With his head pounding relentlessly, he slowly made his way to the sideboard to fill his plate with some much-needed sustenance. A hot breakfast of sausages and eggs would do the trick quite nicely.

  “Were you out all night again?” Simon questioned with a slight note of amazement in his voice.

  “Does it look like I’ve been home?” Phillip answered sardonically, taking a seat at the long dining room table. He truly was starving. “Coffee would be just the ticket, please,” he said to the liveried footman who hovered nearby. Then he picked up his fork and dug into a fat, juicy sausage.

  “You just got home, didn’t you? You’re still wearing the clothes you had on last night.” Simon shook his head in disbelief, his blue eyes tinged with something akin to disapproval. “You could have at least had the decency to change your clothes before Mother happened to see you.”

  “Has she left for the bookshop already then?” Phillip managed to ask between ravenous bites.

  “Yes,” Simon muttered.

  Relief flooded him; Phillip had risked the chance of seeing his mother this morning, but his hunger had won out. He had no desire to spar with his mother again, for his younger brother was right. He hadn’t been home last night.

  Usually after staying out all night, Phillip made the effort to change his clothes and wash up to make himself respectable before coming down to join his family for breakfast. Phillip had some standards after all. Besides, he rarely stayed out until after sunrise. Recently, however, his very late nights out seemed to be growing more and more frequent.

  And last night . . .

  Well, last night had been something else! He barely knew where to start.

  It had all begun innocently enough, playing cards with the fellows after Lord Shelley’s ball. Then one thing led to another, and he’d ended up at Lady Katherine Vickers’s townhouse for a very exclusive after-hours party. He had been under the impression that she had ended things between them the week before, but then Katherine made it quite clear that she wanted to be with him last night.

  What healthy man could refuse the desires of a beautiful and seductive woman?

  Not Phillip Sinclair, the Earl of Waverly!

  But now all he wanted to do was eat some breakfast and then retire to the solitude of his bedroom, where he could sleep in peace for at least eight blissful hours before he would rise and get ready for this evening’s adventures, which would surely include another visit with the lusciously tempting Lady Katherine.

  “Mother was looking for you, and you’re quite fortunate that you missed her,” Simon remarked. “She would have given you hell for coming to breakfast looking like that, not to mention staying out all night again.”

  Phillip avoided his brother’s eyes and the censure he was sure to see there if he looked. It was better to not acknowledge it. His brother had no control over him anyway. Phillip was an adult. Twenty-four years old, almost twenty-five, and he didn’t need his little brother telling him what to do. Phillip could manage his own life and do whatever he pleased, thank you very much.

  He was the eldest son and heir of a marquis, after all.

  Besides, was staying out all night truly the end of the world? Hardly! None of his friends had gone home at a reasonable hour last night either. However, as he attempted to recall the events of the previous evening, Phillip was not entirely sure of that. He continued shoveling his breakfast into his mouth, barely tasting the food. His head continued to throb with relentless persistency and his stomach roiled. Too much champagne could do that to a man, and he knew better.

  Perhaps he had overindulged a little more than usual, but Lady Katherine Vickers had been particularly persuasive last night. The woman loved her champagne; w
hat more could be said?

  In any case, as soon as he was through eating his breakfast, he would escape to the quiet and solitude of his bedroom to recover in blessed peace.

  “Are you still seeing her?”

  His brother’s question sent a twinge of guilt through him. He wasn’t sure why that was. He’d done nothing wrong. Not really. Phillip met Simon’s eyes with a direct gaze.

  “Would it be too much for you to let me eat in silence this morning?” he ground out.

  Simon gave him an amused smile and leaned back casually in his chair. “Yes, actually it would.”

  “Have you nothing better to do today than annoy me?”

  Phillip usually wasn’t so short with his younger brother. In fact, they got on quite well together and were closer than most siblings. But this morning, with his head pounding, his patience was gone.

  “Not a thing,” Simon murmured with a relaxed air, folding his arms across his chest. “I thought you said you were ending things with the fair widow?”

  Phillip gave a careless shrug. “It seems things have changed.”

  He didn’t care what anyone said. He enjoyed being with Lady Katherine Vickers. She was different from all the other women he knew. There was something incredibly exciting and intoxicating about her. She possessed a worldly sophistication and seductive glamour that he was powerless to resist.

  Most importantly, she made him feel like a man. Probably because she treated him like one.

  Unlike anyone else in his family, Phillip thought in disgust. He was tired of everyone telling him what he should and shouldn’t do. Ever since his two Hamilton cousins had married during the past year, it seemed the pressure was now on him to be the next one to head down the aisle and tie the knot.

  Phillip simply wasn’t interested in marriage and the responsibility of a wife and family. Not yet anyway. He wished to have some fun before settling down and wanted to be free of obligation for just a little while longer, which didn’t seem an unreasonable request to his way of thinking.