'How could such a condition exist?' the Countess shouted. 'My father didn't even know Jessica was carrying a child. He couldn't have known about her. I made certain.'
'Your sister wrote to your father, madam, and told him about his grandchild. I believe she sent the letter when she was staying with you. And she'd also left a message for him. The Earl found it a year after her disappearance.'
'Jessica couldn't have written to him,' Patricia announced with an inelegant snort. 'You're lying. I would have known. I looked through each letter.'
'You mean you destroyed each letter, don't you, Countess?' Henderson asked, matching Patricia's glare. 'You didn't want your father to know about his heir, did you?'
Aunt Patricia's face turned as red as fire. 'You can't know that,' she muttered.
Christina was concerned about her aunt's extreme anger. She walked over to her side and put her hand on the old woman's shoulder. 'It doesn't matter how my grandfather learned about me. The past is behind us, gentlemen. Let it rest.'
Both men hastily nodded. 'A sensible request, my dear,' Henderson commented. 'Now, according to the conditions of the will, we must explain the finances to you in privacy.'
Christina increased her grip on her aunt's shoulder when she saw she was about to object. 'If I request that the Countess remain, will you agree?' she asked.
'Of course,' Borton said after receiving another nod from his partner.
'Then kindly sit down and begin your explanation,' Christina instructed. She felt the tension leave her Aunt Patricia and slowly let go of her.
'A man by name of Captain Hammershield delivered your mother's letter to the Earl of Acton,' Henderson began. 'We have the letter in our file, and the one Jessica left behind in our files, if you wish to challenge this, Countess,' the solicitor added. 'I need not go into the other details of the letters, for as you say, Princess Christina, the past is behind us. Your grandfather fashioned a new will immediately. He had turned his back on you, Countess, and was so infuriated with his other daughter's behavior that he decided to put his fortune in holding for his only grandchild.'
Borton leaned forward to interject, 'He didn't know if you were going to be a boy or girl. There are conditions in both events, of course, but we will only explain the conditions for a granddaughter, you see.'
'What did my mother do to cause her father to change his mind about her? I thought they were very close to each other,' Christina said.
'Yes, whatever did my sainted sister do to turn Father against her?' Patricia asked, a sneer in her voice.
'Jessica humiliated her father when she left her husband. Princess Christina, your grandfather was most upset. He liked his son-in-law and thought his daughter was acting… out of sorts,' he ended with a shrug to cover his embarrassment.
'What you're sniffing around and refusing to say is that my father at last realized Jessica was crazy,' the Countess announced.
'That is the sad truth,' Borton said. He gave Christina a sympathetic look.
'So the money goes directly to Christina?' the Countess asked.
Henderson saw the shrewd look that came into the woman's eyes. He almost laughed. The Earl of Acton had been right about this daughter, the solicitor decided. Henderson decided to rush through the rest of the stipulations, concerned that the old woman would ruin his midday meal if he had to look at her much longer.
'The funds were placed in abeyance until your nineteenth birthday, Princess Christina. If you marry before that day, the funds will be given to your husband.'
'That is less than two months away,' the Countess remarked. 'She will not marry so soon. And so, as guardian-'
'Please listen to the rest of the stipulations,' Henderson requested in a hard voice. 'While the Earl liked his son-in-law, he decided to proceed with caution, in the event that his daughter's accusations about her husband turned out to have a drop of credibility.'
'Yes, yes,' Borton eagerly interjected. 'The Earl was a most cautious man. For that reason, he added further controls to the distribution of his vast fortune.'
'Will you get on with it?' the Countess demanded. 'Spell out the damned conditions before you make me as demented as Jessica was.'
The Countess was getting all worked up again. Christina supported her demand, though in a much softer tone of voice. 'I would also like to hear the rest of this, if you will please continue.'
'Certainly,' Henderson agreed. He deliberately avoided looking at the Princess now, certain he'd lose his train of thought if he paused to appreciate the lovely shade of her blue eyes. He found it amazing that the two women were actually related to each other. The Countess was an ugly old bitch, in looks and manners, yet the lovely young woman standing next to her was as pretty as an angel and seemed to be just as sweet-tempered.
Henderson focused his attention on the desktop and continued. 'In the event you reach nineteen and are unmarried, your father will oversee your inheritance. Princess Christina, your father was informed of the conditions of the will before he left England in search of your mother. He understood he wouldn't have access to the money until-'
'He can't still be alive,' the Countess exclaimed. 'No one's heard of him in years.'
'Oh, but he is alive,' Borton said. 'We received a missive from him just a week past. He's currently living in the north of France and plans to return to claim the money on the day of his daughter's nineteenth birthday.'
'Does he know Christina is alive? That she's here, in London?' the Countess asked. Her voice shook with anger.
'No, and we didn't feel the need to so inform him,' Henderson said. 'Princess Christina's birthday is less than two months off now. Of course, if you wish us to try to notify your father, Princess, before-'
'No.' Christina controlled her voice. She felt like shouting the denial, however, and could barely catch her breath over the tightness in her chest. 'It will be a happy surprise for him, don't you agree, gentlemen?' she added with a smile.
Both men smiled back in agreement. 'Gentlemen, we have tired my aunt,' Christina announced. 'As I understand this will, I can never control my own money. If I marry, my husband will direct the funds, and if I do not, then my father will have free hand with the inheritance.'
'Yes,' Borton answered. 'Your grandfather would not allow a woman to have such power over his money.'
'All this time I believed I would…' The Countess crumbled against her chair. 'My father has won.'
Christina thought her aunt might start weeping. She dismissed the two gentlemen a few minutes later. In a magnanimous gesture, Henderson told Christina he'd release a sum of money to tide her over until her father returned to gain guardianship.
Christina was humble in her gratitude. She saw the solicitors out the front door, then returned to the library to speak to her aunt.
The Countess didn't realize how upset her niece was. 'I've lost everything,' she wailed as soon as Christina rushed back into the room. 'Damn my father's soul to hell,' she shouted.
'Please don't get upset again,' Christina said. 'It cannot be at all good for your health.'
'I've lost everything, and you dare to tell me not to get upset?' the Countess screeched. 'You're going to have to plead on my behalf to your father, Christina. He'll give me money if you ask. Edward didn't like me. I should have been nicer to him, I suppose, but I was so jealous of Jessica's good fortune in capturing him I could barely be civil to the man. Why he chose her over me still doesn't make any sense. Jessica was such a mouse. I was far better-looking.'
Christina didn't answer her aunt's mutterings. She started to pace in front of the desk, her mind filled with the problem ahead of her.
'Were you surprised to learn that your father is still alive?' the Countess asked.
'No,' Christina answered. 'I never believed he'd died.'
'You're going to have to take care of me, Christina,' the aunt whined. 'Whatever will I do if your father doesn't support me? How will I get along? I shall be the laugh of the
'I've promised to take care of you, Aunt,' Christina said. 'Remember how I gave you my word before we left Boston? I shall see my promise carried through.'
