The Widowed Countess (15 page)

“Cellar, yes,” the solicitor repeated with a nod. “Again, they can be sold or kept according to the new earl’s discretion. Now, moving on to the next collection,” he said, hoping no one would interrupt. He paused, expecting someone to say something. When no one did, he struggled to find his place in the will. “Ah,” he said. “Vehicles.”

The urge to sigh audibly had to be tamped down. Clarinda considered all the conveyances that crowded the carriage house out back as well as the additional carriage house that had to be built to accommodate David’s collection of every kind of cart, carriage, chaise, barouche, phaeton, and coach known to England.
Boys and their toys
.

“Daniel Fitzwilliam may use his discretion to determine what is kept and what is sold. The former earl notes here that the yellow phaeton is especially sporty and easy to drive and the new, larger town coach has deeper seats and more comfortable squabs than the smaller version. He goes on to write that the barouche is a piece of ...” Mr. Hammond suddenly stopped and took a deep breath, removing his spectacles to rub his eyes and give an audible sigh. “As there are ladies present, I shall not read what Lord Norwick said in regard to said barouche, but it seems he is recommending it be sold,” he said as diplomatically as he dared.

Daniel waved his hand, wondering when he would ever have a chance to drive any of the conveyances mentioned.

“Is there more, Mr. Hammond?” Daniel wondered when it sounded as if the solicitor would be sidetracked once again. It was bad enough that Clarinda was reminded that paintings of her still decorated the master suite – he didn’t want another surprise to reveal anything else untoward.
No pun intended
, he thought to himself.

Mr. Hammond looked up and over his spectacles, still hung precariously on the edge of his hooked nose. “Oh, yes, my lord,” he said with a nod. The tone of his voice seemed sad, almost as if no one in the law office had wanted to do this reading and he’d been the one to draw the short straw. He lifted several hand-written pages from the desk as if to illustrate his point.

“Carry on,” Daniel said with a sigh, hoping Clarinda was holding up alright. Although she wasn’t crying at the moment, he thought she might erupt in tears at any moment.
Like a volcano
, he thought just then. One moment she would be calm and collected and ever so ladylike, and with the just right provocation, she could erupt in anger or sadness or righteousness. The thought of all that passion and how she might behave in bed had his cock hardening so fast, he was forced to consider his mother and Lord Wallingham. He breathed a sigh of relief as his manhood diminished as quickly as it had grown.

“Now, the late earl’s desire was that a small collection of books be given to Lord Everly,” Mr. Hammond went on, pulling out the next page of David’s will. “These are apparently in the library here at Norwick House.”

Clarinda’s brows furrowed at the mention of the eccentric explorer. She found herself wondering if the man would ever see to finding a suitable husband for his younger sister. “Did he list the titles?” she wondered.

The solicitor gave her a glance over the top of his spectacles. “He did. They are all on the topic of
fish
, especially those species found in tropical waters,” he murmured as he consulted the writing on the page he held. “Seems Lord Everly lost the books to Lord Norwick in a game of piquet, and it is Lord Norwick’s wish the books be returned to their original owner because, and I quote,
The damn books have been nothing but trouble, their weight having contributed to at least one broken toe and a sprained wrist, and their illustrations so frightening I have been left with nightmares. I swear those fish will be the death of me.
Unquote.” The solicitor looked up to find three pairs of rather startled eyes regarding him.

“He has never been particularly fond of Lord Everly’s fish,” Clarinda commented with a shake of her head. “I, on the other hand, recall it was when I was looking through the glass of his rather large fish tank that I first set eyes on my late husband.”

Dorothea let out a long sigh. “How romantic,” she purred. “I never knew.”

Daniel merely rolled his eyes, thinking his brother must have looked rather odd when viewed through a fish tank filled with water. And tropical fish.

When none of his audience asked for further information about the offending books or the fish, Mr. Hammond set the page down atop the others he had read and picked up another.

“Servants are to receive bequests commensurate with their time in service to the Norwick households. Mr. Fitzwilliam,” the solicitor raised his gaze from the parchment he held, “You are to use your discretion in determining the amounts, but none are to be less than fifty pounds and none are to exceed five-hundred pounds.” He glanced back down again before adding, “The earl wrote, ’And do try to be generous as these are the people who will be doing your bidding for the next forty years’.”

Although Daniel merely nodded at hearing his brother’s instructions, the words ’forty years’ repeating themselves in his head, his mother let out a huff that was probably heard by any servants listening outside the closed study door. “Five-hundred pounds? To a servant?” she questioned with another huff.

Mr. Hammond lifted one shoulder. “As a maximum. The earl mentioned a butler at Norwick Park that he thought should be, and I quote,
Put out to pasture with a padded purse
, unquote. It is up to Mr. Fitzwilliam to determine the final amounts, although I might recommend he seek input from you and the countess as to the worth of the servants in your employ.”

Clarinda struggled to keep from giggling at her late husband’s reference to the ancient butler that had served at Norwick Park since before David and Daniel had been born. She straightened and turned to regard her brother-in-law. “Porter and I can help you with those who are in service to Norwick House, of course,” she murmured.

“Thank you,” Daniel replied with a nod. He turned to his mother. “Will you assist with those employed at your house?”

Dorothea let out a huff again. “Yes,” she responded, none to happy with the idea of giving any servant such a large amount of money.

“Now comes the topic of the late earl’s jewelry,” Mr. Hammond intoned, as if it was the most important part of the will.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Dorothea breathed. “I was afraid he would have forgotten.”

Clarinda and Daniel both turned to look at the dowager countess. “Forgotten what?” Daniel asked.

His mother gave him a slight shrug. “The disposition of the family jewels, of course,” she replied. All the distress and anger she’d displayed when she’d arrived for the reading, as well as her displeasure at giving money to servants, seemed to melt away, as if the mere mention of jewelry acted as a kind of calming balm.

Daniel’s eyebrows cocked in a manner suggesting he was about to inform his mother her phrasing wasn’t suitable for mixed company and then thought better of it. He stole a glance at Clarinda and realized she thought his mother’s phrasing was exactly as she intended it to be. Resisting the urge to cover his crotch with his hands (his were the last of the family jewels, after all), Daniel gave a nod in the solicitor’s direction. “Please, go on,” he stated, hoping it didn’t sound too much like he was begging.

“Gladly,” Mr. Hammond intoned. He cleared his throat.

“Upon his inheriting the earldom, Lord Norwick came into possession of several pieces of jewelry. Since they belong to the earldom, they are considered entailed and must remain so. These pieces include a wreath tiara made of emeralds and diamonds, a matching necklace, earbobs, brooch, bracelet and a ring.” Mr. Hammond paused and removed his spectacles. “At this point, Lord Norwick made a comment implying he did not know the whereabouts of these pieces, but it was his opinion they were ’somewhere’.”

Leaning forward, Dorothea gasped. “They had better be in the vault at Norwick Park,” she stated in a manner that suggested a theft had occurred if they were not. “I planned to wear some of those pieces when I’m in London for the Season!”

“They are in the vault, Mother,” Daniel assured her as he reached out to pat the back of her hand with his own hand, his eyes rolling at her apparent hysteria. He had rather hoped to bestow Clarinda with a piece or two to help smooth the waters before he made his intentions clear as to their future together. He was now reconsidering that thought. Although Clarinda would look stunning in emeralds and diamonds (and probably nothing else), he was leaning toward finding her a necklace with a combination of emeralds and sapphires. The combination of the blue and green would be stunning with her brunette hair and aquamarine eyes.

“Well! That’s a relief,” Dorothea said with a wave of her hand. “And what of the diamond set?” she wondered, directing her query to the solicitor.

Mr. Hammond returned his glasses to his face, adjusting them so they were perched on the very end of his nose. “The remaining jewelry, which Lord Norwick supposes is in the vault at Norwick Park as well as some he mentioned would be in his jewelry box or in his wife’s jewelry box, is to be distributed as follows.” At his point, the solicitor took a deep breath, sure that whatever he said would be unfavorable according to the dowager countess. “The diamond set, which includes a necklace, earrings, bracelet and ...” He looked up. “I quote,
a damned huge diamond ring,
unquote, are bequeathed to my mother, Dorothea Norwick.”

At this, the dowager countess let out a long sigh. “David was always my favorite son,” she murmured, a comment that had Clarinda glancing over at her in stunned surprise. The woman’s face positively glowed, as if just the thought of diamonds was enough to bring her happiness. She didn’t dare look at Daniel.
Poor man!
Just a few moments ago, Dorothea had referred to him as ‘favorite son’, although she’d done so when she was in a snit.

The solicitor cleared his throat. “The pearl set, consisting of a necklace, earbobs, bracelet,
obscenely expensive coronet
...” Mr. Hammond sighed and added, “His words, not mine,” before continuing, “Three rings, two brooches and two hair combs are bequeathed to my beautiful wife Clarinda. A garnet pendant and a sapphire pendant along with a gold chain are also hers.”

Clarinda raised a hand to her mouth, stifling the sound she might have made at her surprise.
Pearl coronet?
When had David acquired a pearl coronet?
And why?

The solicitor picked up the last page and continued. “Any jewelry in the earl’s bedchamber, including the miniature of Clarinda Norwick, an emerald signet ring, and the, and I quote,
monstrously large and very green emerald cravat pin and matching cuff links
, unquote, are bequeathed to my brother, Daniel Fitzwilliam. All other possessions belonging to me may be distributed according to his direction.” Mr. Hammond lifted his head and regarded the three people before him. “Those are David Norwick’s final wishes,” he stated, a hint of relief sounding in his voice. “Are there any questions?” he asked, almost afraid of what might be asked.

The solicitor had warned the earl that some of his assumptions might cause problems, that some of his language might be inappropriate for such a document as a last will, but the man seemed quite sure of himself as he dictated his wishes.

“Was anything mentioned as to the size of the allowances that should be provided for my mother and my sister-in-law?” Daniel asked, his brow furrowing so that the little fold of skin between them appeared. He wanted to be sure to ask the question before Dorothea had a chance to do so.

Mr. Hammond shuffled back through the sheets of parchment, finally lifting the very first one so he could peruse it in detail. “According to your discretion, it seems,” he replied, feeling a bit sorry for the brother.

Daniel cursed to himself, annoyed at David for not having been specific as to an allowance for their mother. He would see to Clarinda, of course. “I will be sure they are at least as much as they are used to receiving,” he said carefully, making sure to watch his mother’s expression. When she didn’t show disappointment, he felt relief. “Thank you for your time today, Mr. Hammond,” he said as he stood up. “I’ll escort you to the door.”

The solicitor nodded, gathering his documents into a single pile and shoving them into his leather case. “Thank you, Mr. Fitzwilliam. I’ll see to it you’re provided with copies as soon as they’re made.” He bowed to the ladies and took his leave of the study, his exit causing several maids and one footman to suddenly scatter through the hallway and disappear into adjoining rooms.

Turning to Dorothea, Clarinda heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s that, I suppose,” she said, taking her time to stand up. She had to resist the urge to stretch her arms and yawn.

Dorothea sighed as well, a grin of satisfaction showing on her face. “Yes. I’ll instruct my maid to pack for the trip tomorrow,” she said, getting up and moving to the door. “I do hope you’ll honor David’s wishes,” she added in a quiet voice.

Before Dorothea could step over the threshold, Clarinda furrowed her brows.
What wishes?
“What wishes might those be?” she wondered. The will hadn’t provided any specific instructions for her, other than to ask for a new horse when it became necessary.

Dorothea sighed while placing a hand on her bosom. “Why, to marry my other son, of course,” she replied, as if the will had contained those very instructions. She departed the room in a swish of silks, leaving Clarinda staring into the hall and feeling every bit as stunned as she must have looked.

Chapter 15

The Nudes in the Cellar

Daniel returned to the study just as Clarinda was about to take her leave of it. “My lady,” he said with a nod, his eyes not quite making contact with hers. “I was about to make my way to the cellar and wondered if ...” He allowed the sentence to trail off, not sure how he should ask Clarinda if she intended to join him.

Since David had never mentioned being a patron of the arts, Daniel had no idea his brother had a collection of paintings. Daniel had been keeping track of the expenses associated with the earldom for several years, and if the paintings had been done by any of the Old World masters, he rather doubted David could have easily hidden their purchase. Perhaps David had acquired them with his winnings from gambling – David had always been quite lucky when it came to card games. Or, more likely, the paintings could have been his winnings. Daniel had no idea what to expect.

Clarinda ducked her head, knowing red splotches were probably developing on her cheeks. “Although I must admit I was not aware that David collected paintings, I can assure you none of the ones in the cellar are depictions of me,” she said in a lowered voice.

Tempted to express sadness at this news, Daniel straightened. He was thinking how memorable his next birthday would be should Clarinda bestow him with a painting in which she was depicted as the goddess Venus. He could just imagine her standing in an open clam shell, her wavy brunette hair flowing over one shoulder and curving around a breast tipped with a succulent nipple. He had only a faint idea of what that nipple might look like, indeed, of how her entire naked body might look like, but he intended to find out that very night. He intended to wait until the household was asleep, make his way to her room, crawl into her bed, and pull her into his arms. And then he intended to hold her body against his until dawn. Perhaps, if she was willing, he would even kiss her. He wanted to this very minute, but she was gazing at him with a look of expectation.