Anthony watched the familiar crested carriage roll out of their driveway and on to the street. He knew why Lord Holt had come calling, and if he wasn't quick enough, Lord Holt would ask Sarah Jane to marry him, and his mother would have it in "all of their best interests" to force them together. It wouldn't matter how much he or Sarah Jane disagrees, when the old peer decides, that will be the end of that.
With gritted teeth, he pounded his fist on the desk as he tried to convince himself that Creston's advice to marry the girl and be done with it is still not the right way to proceed.
If Sarah Jane refuses, he could very well force her to marry him anyway as they were already considered betrothed by law, if one were to take the signed letters of their fathers into weighty consideration.
The dark had settled in, and a fire warmly lit his office. Even as his house was comfortably resigning, his mind was still busy at work. Forcing Sarah Jane into a marriage with him didn't seem the ideal solution at all. It was no less than a marriage with Lord Holt.
Just the mere thought of it caused his stomach to clench. Oh, it's not with pleasurable anxiety for finally answering his desire, but with a revulsion of his own imaginings of a writhing wild woman scathingly objecting to a union with him. If Sarah Jane did not want to marry him, he would definitely be made known of this fact in no less than a scream and a mouthful of very foul words.
There was a sudden rap on the door, and a footman arrived carrying three missives that had just been delivered from an express messenger.
"Where is it from?" Killsworth asked upon collecting the missives.
One letter was addressed to him, another to Sarah Jane, and the last one to Mathilda. He held up a hand to dismiss the footman, his eyes reading the name of the solicitor he's been waiting for in ages.
"Shall I deliver the other missives?" The footman paused at the door to inquire.
Anthony looked up and shook his head, "No, I'll deliver them personally. You may leave."
He flipped the letter addressed to him, breaking its hardened wax and walked towards the grate to read the letter clearly. It was indeed from Mr. Collins.
---
Your lordship, Lord Killsworth,
I am to inform you of the discovery I had found in Yorkshire. A Scottish lady in her own right who had married the 10th Earl Rosenberg had been undeniably pregnant when his lordship passed away. My father, Rosenberg's proper solicitor, had heard rumors of the child to have been a boy, but he wished not to speculate as the title was already dutifully passed on to the next bearer including all properties and monies entailed.
I have investigated the matter, and I am presently leaving Yorkshire as you read this letter. The child was indeed a boy, and he is the rightful heir to the Rosenberg title. The former Countess Rosenberg has remarried and is now titled Lady Martin. She sired another son as Lord Martin's heir.
I am to inform you that the title shall not be relinquished to the crown as it belongs to the 10th Earl's son.
You are relieved of your duty to marry your ward, Lady Sarah Jane, as the signed contract has been voided by virtue of finding the true Rosenberg heir. I am to collect her off your hands as soon as am able.
Two missives accompany this, informing both Lady Sarah Jane and her proper guardian of the next steps. We shall transport back to Yorkshire, and I shall accompany them.
YOU ARE READING
Teasing Your Wicked Heart
Historical Fiction[Reached # 2 on Regency and # 1 on Austen] After the death of her father, Lady Sarah Jane is passed around her inheriting cousins and uncles as the tolerated ward no one wanted to care for. Years later, when the last of her relatives passed, and wit...
