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“Yes, and she’s a dreadful bore, Thomas. But I managed to convince her to try a little of my brandy, and then her lips started flapping like a bird’s wings.”
“What about?”
“Nothing at first. She knows nothing about how her estate is run.”
“I would imagine that’s true of most wives, including our own mother.”
“Yes, ’tis true,” Lily said. “I’m so glad I have a husband who shares with me and respects my intelligence. But in Mummy’s case, I don’t think it was a lack of respect for her intelligence. I just don’t think she had any interest in it.”
“Yes, agreed,” Thomas said. “But what did you ultimately find out, Lily?”
“I admired the ruby brooch she was wearing,” she said. “And she said it was a gift from Jonathan, our cousin.”
Thomas dropped his jaw.
“Naturally,” Lily continued, “that sparked interest in me. I gushed on and on about it, and I asked if I could borrow it, show it to my jeweler, and perhaps have it re-created.”
“Oh? I’m not sure what this has to do with any of—” Thomas stopped, his mind racing.
“I see your mind is going exactly where mine went,” Lily said. “The viscountess was good enough to let me borrow the brooch for a brief time, and I was able to ask Mr. Lawson about it.”
“I didn’t even realize he was here,” Thomas said.
“Yes, he travels with Daniel and me on occasion. Especially when we’re in the market for gemstones. Daniel compensates him quite well for his troubles.”
“I see. What did he say about the brooch?”
Lily took a seat at the chair opposite Thomas’s desk. “Mr. Lawson had a look at it, and though he said it was of spectacular quality, it was also counterfeit.”
Thomas scratched his chin. “So you mean spectacular quality for a fake?”
“Indeed. He used some chemical—I’ve no idea what it was—and scraped a bit of the gold plating off the brooch. It is brass, plated with gold. The stones, while they are no doubt beautiful, are decidedly fake.”
“So our father’s brother didn’t do as well as he’d hoped over in the Americas,” Thomas said.
“It would seem so. There’s no way to check, of course, unless we could find out the exact locations of his so-called investments. Even then, it would require a trip to the Americas, and you know how long that would take.”
“It’s beginning to come together,” Thomas said. “Jonathan wants my earldom. He’s not nearly as wealthy as he would have us believe, and he wants the estate for himself.” Thomas shook his head. “Thank God you and Rose are taken care of. But what of Mummy?”
“Daniel and I will always take care of Mummy. But Thomas, for the love of God, we’re not going to let this happen.”
“You don’t understand, Lily. If something happens to me, I have no heir. The title will go to Jonathan.”
“Then I would advise you to watch your back, Thomas. I shall be watching it for you as well. We cannot tell Mummy any of this. It would only worry her.”
Thomas agreed wholeheartedly.
He’d have to get Jonathan to admit something.
He would start with Polk.
The duke’s friend couldn’t possibly be in on this of his own accord.
Could he?
That would remain to be seen.
Tricia found herself seated between two different gentlemen at the evening meal, and it was quite a more subtle affair, given that a ball would ensue later in the evening.
