To Love A Lord of London (Wardington Park; Raptures of Royalty) (26 page)

Mr. Tuttle held out a hand for Sally to take a seat in the center of the room. A staff member came to assist her before leaving. Only family would be in the room while Frank’s will was read. After the men had taken their seats, Mr. Tuttle began to read, “To my wife who was never able to produce me a son, I fulfill my final promise and leave the Greenland House and 50,000 pounds to do with as you please. Say hello to the mice for me.”

Sally was astonished by the amount of money, but not the house. Greenland House, located on the other side of Bedfordshire, was a small home that Frank had won in a bet as a young man. It sat in a very small town with only a church and a farm, making it not the most desirable of places. Yet, with the amount of money he’d left behind, Sally would remain a very wealthy woman indeed. She’d have enough for servants, staff, and more. She laughed aloud, shocking the room around her. Greenland was the very home that Frank had always threatened to abandon Sally in had she ever disobeyed him. Little had her husband known that she’d always adored Greenland house and had steered him toward believing that she hated it. She’d tricked him. The fool.

Tuttle continued, “To my only child. If you’d been a man, I would leave you everything, but since you are not, I leave 100,000 pounds, ninety percent of which will be placed aside for your dowry.” He’d basically left her with nothing, forcing the girl to marry. Christa looked at her mother, her face void of emotion. Amy was holding her hand tightly.

Gregory spoke to her, “Don’t fear, dear cousin. I will take care of you.” He even gave her a smile. Such a charming young man he was.

Sally nodded in his direction, thanking him for his support.

“To my niece,” Tuttle read, narrowing his old eyes over the paper, “whom I didn’t know long, I regret abandoning your mother, my own sister, in her time of need and hope you’ve forgiven me for the years that I turned my back on you, my blood.”

Sally’s face turned red. Such words! Where was her apology? She turned to find that Amy had tears in her eyes. Lord Nathaniel’s arms lay wrapped around her. The girl’s own fingers played with the bracelet she wore hidden underneath her glove. The symbol of a cross engraved on its chain.

“To Lady Amy Dawnton, I leave my entire collection of worths. Every book, every journal, and every page of art and literature to be found in my library.”

Everyone gasped.

Amy’s eyes went wide. “Even the original works of Shakespeare?” It was no secret that the woman loved the theatre. She and Nathaniel had funded a play in Covent Garden the previous year that everyone in London had loved. But to give the girl the most precious items in their home?

Tuttle smiled and nodded at Amy, “Yes, even them.”

Something passed over Gregory’s face. Anger. His keen eyes narrowed at Tuttle. “Are you sure those plays are not tied to the title?”

Tuttle nodded, “The plays, like Greenland, were won in a bet. They are free from the title and may be given to anyone the duke saw fit.”

Gregory sat back in his chair and tried for a smile of acceptance, though it was obvious by the tapping of his foot and the jittering of his fingers on the chair’s arm that he was angry.

Tuttle turned to Levi. “And finally to the boy who came from nothing, whom I cultured and groomed into a man. The man whom I educated and gave a seat in the House of Commons. To you, Levi Smith, this day, I leave you more than you could have possibly imagined.” Tuttle paused, leafed through the papers on his desk, and then presented a sealed envelope to Levi.

The young man, who was known to always have a serious look about him, lifted a dark brow of intrigue as he slipped the seal and took out the envelope’s contents. He began reading the first document silently. His eyes went wide before moving to the second and then the third. Finally, he went back to the first and finished reading it. “Is this true?”

By now, everyone in the room was interested in what his letters had said. Sally believed him to have been given a large sum of money. After all, there was no doubt that Hensman liked Levi more than he liked anyone else. If there was anything to inherit that was not tied to the bloodline, it would undoubtedly be given to Levi.

Tuttle’s warm eyes held Levi. “Yes, it is quite true. I helped His Grace send off the documents to The Church myself.”

Sally held her peace no more, “What’s this about? What’s the duke given Mr. Smith?”

Tuttle turned those warm eyes to her. “Well, you see, that’s just it. He’s not Mr. Smith at all. His name is Levi Eaton.”

The room was silent. And then everyone began to speak at once.

Gregory spoke the loudest and was on his feet at once. “What do you mean his last name is Eaton. Lady Sally Eaton had no sons.”

Tuttle nodded, “It is true, but Tabitha Eaton did.”

Blood drained from Sally’s face. “Who’s Tabitha?”

“His Grace’s first wife.”

First wife!
“He had no other wives! I was the only one the duke ever had.”

Tuttle shook his head. “No, there was another before you, though they didn’t wed in a church. But before he died, His Grace managed to get the church to acknowledge it.”

Levi, who’d been staring out in shock, finally spoke, “Even though my mother is dead and wasn’t here to confirm or deny?”

“Even still.”

“This is outrageous!” Gregory shouted. He pointed a finger at Levi and then to Tuttle. “You two are working together on this.”

Tuttle looked calm, as he’d experienced this type of anger from other clients and their families before. “Whatever I did on His Grace’s behalf was done with his permission. I’ve witnesses that will attest for it.”

Gregory shook his head and then narrowed his eyes. Gone was the gentleman he’d previously been. In his place was a man full of rage. “Does this mean he inherits the title? The money? Hensman Hall? The other homes on the continent and the like? The townhouse in London? Everything?”

“Everything.”

“I don’t believe this!” Gregory began to pace while Peter tried to calm him. Finally, the man turned around and glared, “I don’t believe either of you! You probably had him killed.”

Amy gasped, clutching her stomach. Both Lord Nathaniel and Christa were there to offer comfort. Christa stroked Amy’s brown hair back to calm the girl. Sally immediately felt betrayed by their friendship. Where was her comfort? Not that she needed it, but she thought it would have been nice to be offered it.

Tuttle did lift his eyes then. “Killed His Grace? Impossible. The doctors said his heart simply gave out.”

Sally grunted, deciding to let go of her usual ladylike composure as well. It no longer mattered now. Frank was gone, and good riddance. She made herself more comfortable in her chair and said, “What heart? The man was as cold as a dog’s nose. As filthy as one as well.”

Everyone turned to look at her.

Sally lifted a shoulder. “It’s true, and you all know it.”

No one said anything in the old duke’s defense.

Sally continued, “Either way, if the man was killed then I’d like to buy that person a round of scotch.”

Peter, who’d stood by his brother’s side, stared at Levi and piped in. “Perhaps the body should be checked again just to make sure.”

Levi stared, “Are you saying I killed the duke?”

“Why not? You’d much to gain from his death. You were pulled from the gutters, treated like a servant your entire life, and only allowed on the outskirts of most events. Why not kill the duke and claim what is rightfully yours? Claim that which has been denied you your entire life?”

Levi looked amazed. “Well, for one, I would never have killed His Grace, and two, I didn’t know I was an Eaton.”

“Or did you?”

Levi stood and looked ready to fight.

Tuttle stood as well. “We’ll have the body checked again just to be sure.”

Dread settled into Sally’s heart, pushing away the warm feeling she’d woken up to that morning, for Sally knew without a doubt, that the duke had indeed been murdered.

C
HECK
OUT THE LINK BELOW

a
warrington park book

Raptures of Royalty

LINK:
Book 1 - To Love A Lord of London

LINK:
Book 2 - COMING SOON on 5th Sept

N
o part
of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the author.

_{Published by: CREATIVE PUBLISHING HOUSE LLC}

_{40 E MAIN ST, #1156}

_{NEWARK, DELAWARE 19711}

_{Cover Designed by: Terri Woods}

_{Digital Edition}

_{Manufactured in the United States of America}