Deirdre sat beside Sean rather than her husband.
"Why were you asked here?" Corinna whispered to Sean.
He looked pale. "I wish I knew. I assumed—"
"Ladies and gentlemen," the solicitor interrupted. "Although the eighth Lord Lincolnshire requested your presence, I feel compelled to inform you at the outset that you did not all receive bequests. Alas, while he was well-known for his generosity, Lord Lincolnshire's largesse did not extend quite that far." He paused while an amused titter ran through the room. "Rather, Lord Lincolnshire asked you here to stand as witnesses to his final wishes."
Now a speculative murmur circulated the room instead. Mr. Lawless waited for that to die down before continuing.
"Let us begin." A suspenseful hush fell as he raised a large document. "'I, Samuel Hamilton, eighth Earl of Lincolnshire, being of sound mind and failing body, declare that this is my last will and testament. I revoke all prior wills and codicils. I wish to thank everyone who has assembled to bear witness to my wishes. I have instructed Mr. Lawrence Lawless not to schedule the reading of this will until my nephew, John Hamilton, has arrived in London and presented himself as my heir, which I hope will prove to be sooner rather than later. I assume that doubtless scandalous event has by now taken place.'"
Shocked whispers buzzed around the room, accompanied by a few more titters. Corinna and Sean exchanged wary glances.
"'I imagine it came as a surprise that an impostor has been posing as my nephew. It certainly came as a surprise to me. What may come as a larger surprise indeed is that I also discovered my true nephew, John Hamilton, was responsible for the deceit. He demanded another man impersonate him and made certain said man did so by means of blackmail.'"
Gasps filled the room, and John Hamilton jumped from his seat. "I object to that slander!"
Griffin stepped forward. "This isn't a trial. You have no right to object to anything." He shoved the man back down. "Stay, Lincolnshire," he ordered as though the new Lord Lincolnshire were a misbehaving dog.
Which he was, of a sort.
Mr. Lawless cleared his throat and continued. "'Needless to say, I was disappointed to learn my nephew is as immoral as the reputation that precedes him. For him I wish all the censure he deserves. Contrarily, I wish everyone to know that his impostor, whom I am now identifying as Mr. Sean Delaney, proved one of the best men I've ever had the privilege to meet. He treated me better than an uncle—indeed, better than a father—and were I to be granted one impossible wish, it would be to have had such a man for my son.'"
Corinna's heart had stuttered when Sean's name was read off, and it was racing now. An expectant silence filled the room as Mr. Lawless lowered the document and looked around as though making sure everyone had heard his words. He nodded slowly before raising the will once more.
"'And so, my dear friends, I have summoned you to this event in order to beseech you to treat Mr. Delaney as I believe he deserves to be treated. Rather than persecuting the man, I beg you to accept him into our circle. I will remind you that you've all claimed numerous times that you'd do anything for me, and this is my most fervent request.'"
The solicitor glanced up again, this time looking directly at Corinna and Sean.
"'In addition…'"
At the significant pause, everyone sat up straighter.
"'In addition, although I will not put any conditions in this will stipulating the matter, as I believe such decisions are best left to those whose hearts are involved, I wish to publicly convey my hopes that Mr. Delaney will propose marriage to Lady Corinna Chase.'"
If Corinna thought everyone's gasps were loud before, the ones they emitted now sounded like nothing less than a roar. And the loudest gasps of all came from her family. Meeting Griffin's eyes first and then those of her sisters, she reached for Sean's hand.
"And now, for the bequests…"
She hardly heard what came next, at least not at first. She felt faint. Her blood was thundering in her ears. Sean's hand felt warm in hers, and when she squeezed it and he squeezed back, she feared her heart might burst.
She glanced back to her family. Griffin's mouth was open in shock, Alexandra nodded approvingly, and Juliana's grin was smug beyond belief.
The last, at least, was no surprise.
And the reading wasn't yet finished.
"'… only my title as required by law and the small amount of entailed property that goes along with it,'" Mr. Lawless was saying. Given the indignant huff to Corinna's left, she guessed that was the new Lord Lincolnshire's punishment. "'The balance of my fortune will be held in trust, the income to go to charity. I name Mr. Sean Delaney as trustee to oversee all investments and distribution, because I know him to be a man who has no need for the income himself, a man with an excellent head for business, and most important, a man who is eminently fair and makes decisions for the right reasons.'" The solicitor paused for effect. "'Unless…'"
Skirts rustled and shoes shuffled. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats.
"'Unless,'" he repeated, "'my errant nephew, John Hamilton, grants Deirdre Hamilton a divorce, in which case he shall receive half the income of the trust in perpetuity.'"
John Hamilton stalked out of the room as Deirdre collapsed in a swoon.
FIFTY-SEVEN
