The Purpose of Miss Shepley

Chapter Seven (part I)

It is the decision of the Court that, being a title of the Ethelfolk Peerage, the Barony of Alderstoke is subject to the Law of the Ethelfolk, though it may have been previously obedient to another. With all deference to the admirable manner in which Miss Beckworth has executed her duties as matrician of Alderstoke, it is the will of the Court that she is henceforth relieved of the title Baroness Alderstoke; furthermore that Eldred Beckworth, being the eldest and nearest male descendant of the common ancestor of the aforementioned parties, the late Lord Alderstoke, Stalwart Langstead, shall be immediately styled Eldred Beckworth, Baron Alderstoke, with all honors and assets attendant, less an annuity to Miss Beckworth to be determined by mutual agreement no later than Harvesttide 525 CR.

(excerpt, Eldred Beckworth v. Adelaide Beckworth, Baroness Alderstoke, Court of the Dukes' Will, 1st Quarter 525 CR)

.:.

His lordship had not been set straight by dinner. He called me into his study afterward, while our remaining guests played parlor games, and he lectured me sternly, telling me I'd embarrassed him and myself and the Shepleys and generations of Lord and Lady Ewerts.

"You will write to your cousin and beg his forgiveness," he said, "and when you have finished that, you will beg for mine."

This was such an assault on all that was just and righteous that I actually flinched. I scowled back at him and said, "I will not," before I could think better on it.

My grandfather turned red. His fist shook with aimless rage a moment, then he brought it down hard on the desk, roaring, "Insolent...!" The hound curled at his feet startled, and then she pulled back her black lips and growled at me.

"Insolent and ungrateful and selfish! After all that Ewert has given you...!"

I stared down at nothing in particular, silent, and sullen, and still, in body and mind.

"He can take it to the courts, Edith. The law is changing under the Regency... Others have sued for entitlement and won, and Charles could, too. And where would you be then, girl? No title. No land. No money." He pounded his desk again for punctuation. "Just a lippy girl with too much education."

It hadn't occurred to me before, but I now had no doubt Charles would go to Court. All things considered, it seemed likely that he already planned to.

"If he wants Ewert, he can fight for it," I said, "but I cannot marry him." I shook my head, at a loss for a tactful way to explain how truly hateful I found our own flesh and blood. "We are simply too ill-matched, Grandfather. I cannot even consider it."

"How do I explain this...?" My grandfather rubbed his forehead with one hand. His scalp slowly turned pale again as blood and anger drained away. "Other houses have fallen, but Ewert has never been bankrupt, never once been in debt... Can you tell me why?"

I thought it was a rhetorical question, but I shook my head, anyway.

"Because every master of this house was born here and raised here. We care about the land. We care about the people. You care about Ewert, don't you, girl? Fowler and Roberts...? You care about whose flocks get the rot, whose babes go to the sweat...

"That gets lost when a house passes from cousin to cousin. The new lords are strangers. They like the money, and they like the title, but it's not their home, and they don't care about it the way we do." He huffed. "Charles doesn't care about Ewert the way you do, Edith."

I scowled, perplexed. "Then why should I marry him?"

"Ach, you'll kill me with your stubbornness." He was silent a moment, then he sighed and dismissed me with one hand. "Go to bed, girl. Maybe you'll be old enough to understand it in the morning."