A Lesson in Pride (7 page)

Finally, her thoughts settled on David. There was a man of conviction, dedicated to his cause. Ginny had read plenty of vampire books, but she never thought she'd live in one. Even with the ridiculousness of the premise of the living dead, she'd left a piece of her heart behind in that life.

If she was being honest with herself, and her silent accounting of the past seven lives was supposed to be just that, she had left a piece of her heart with each man for different reasons. She had learned something from every life and she was bound and determined to make sound decisions regarding this life. Alysanne would get her happily ever after, most likely with one Grant Montgomery.

The knock on the door shook her from her thoughts.

“Come in,” she called after clearing her throat.

Maggie entered the room and found her sitting on a chair by the window.

“Mr. Thornberry is here to see you, my lady. He is waiting in the small parlor.”

Ginny blinked. “Mr. Thornberry?” she asked.

“He said you sent for him. He was my lord's attorney.”

“Oh,” Ginny sputtered as she rose from her chair. With haste, she passed her maid and went down the main staircase. Looking around, she realized that Alysanne had never bothered to study her new home. As if seeing it for the first time, which was almost true, Ginny sneered at the tacky furnishings that her dead husband had chosen. For all she knew, it could have been one of the other wives who had made the choices, but she seriously doubted it. Franklin Drake was the worst kind of control freak.

Making her way to the small parlor, the one that was reserved for people of lesser importance, Ginny took a moment to plaster a more reserved look on her face. As much as she could never mourn Drake, she didn't need the world suspecting just how little she cared for the man's passing. Even though everyone with half a brain would come to that conclusion.

Inside the small room, she found a man dressed nicely sitting in one of the overstuffed chairs by the fireplace. With his hat in hand, Ginny saw that he was balding, with his forehead made larger by the lack of hair. Still, he had a charming worldliness about him, like a well-traveled grandfather. He rose to his feet upon her entering and bowed respectfully.

“My lady, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, though the circumstances are not ideal.”

By his tone, Ginny recognized that the man was fully aware of her good fortune and had no wish to patronize her. Ginny managed a small smile, liking the man immediately.

“Mr. Thornberry,” she said, nodding her head in acknowledgment. “It is my pleasure, sir. Shall I ring for tea?”

A look of shock came across the older gentleman's face. Clearly he had never been treated as a guest, only an employee. Sputtering, he nodded and said, “Yes, thank you.”

Ginny walked back to the door and found a footman. After ordering the tea tray, she took her seat across from him. After she was seated, he took his seat and regarded her for a moment.

“You look as though you wish to ask me something, Mr. Thornberry. Please feel free to do so.”

Pulling back, the man's face grew stern. “I beg your pardon, my lady, but I am required to ask. Did you kill your husband?”

Ginny stifled a laugh. It would seem that there were many who probably believed the same thing. Being decisive, Ginny was blunt in her response. “No, Mr. Thornberry. I did not. I was not happy to be marrying the earl, but I assure you that I had nothing to do with his death. His lifestyle was most assuredly to blame.”

Scratching his head, the attorney nodded. “I apologize once again, my lady. It is just so... auspicious for an undesired husband to pass on his wedding night.”

“I am certain that you will not be the only one thinking exactly that, Mr. Thornberry.” Ginny didn't think she could wholly trust the man across from her, but she wanted to open a dialogue with him. She needed him to feel sorry for her, and maybe even go out of his way to assist her. “Perhaps it was the first piece of good luck I've had.”

Searching her face for deception, Mr. Thornberry responded, “I am sorry to hear that, my lady. I am at your service.”

“To be perfectly honest, I am not sure what to do now. I have no knowledge of the workings of this household. I have several stepchildren that I have not yet met. There are apparently many estates that will have to be dealt with.” Ginny paused dramatically, finally drawing a deep breath and finishing, “I am lost.”

It had the desired effect that Ginny had been hoping for. Mr. Thornberry reached over and laid his hand gently on top of hers. “That is what I am here for, my lady. I will make all the arrangements.”

Nodding, Ginny produced a small smile for her company's benefit. She had no desire to manipulate the man, but she was at a loss of what to do, especially considering Alysanne's greedy father. Before she could respond, the tea tray arrived. Ginny went about preparing a cup for her guest as she pondered the irony of burying a second husband and being accused of having killed him. This story was beginning to look too much like her fifth out-of-body experience. What were the odds?

After handing him his cup and taking her own, Ginny waited until he took a sip before asking, “Will you require anything from me, Mr. Thornberry? I'm not completely useless and would like to help if I can.”

The man beamed at her as if she was his own child and he took great pride in the fact. With a puff of his chest, he said, “You are too kind, my lady. Truly, your husband laid out how everything should be arranged if he were to predecease you. As you may know, Lord Essex had some heart issues recently, and it spurred him to make all arrangements for his family should he be taken.”

Be taken? Ginny resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow. The man was a pig and his body finally gave up. She doubted he had ever done even the bare minimum to ensure better health. Regardless, Ginny returned the attorney's smile and asked, “My father told me of certain... requests he had Lord Essex put in the marriage contract. I have to say that I'm not entirely comfortable with those arrangements.”

Putting his teacup down on the small table next to his chair, Mr. Thornberry asked, “Which arrangements are you referring to, my lady?”

“My inheritance, to be more precise. Twenty thousand pounds and five thousand a year.”

“Oh,” Mr. Thornberry responded before looking down. “I assure you that Lord Essex will take care of you, my lady. At least until you remarry.”

“Remarry?” she asked. Of course. Drake would not continue to pay her after she became another man's wife. Was that the story? She would end up married to Grant and her father would have no further claim to her? It sounded just contrived enough to be true.

“Yes, my lady.” Mr. Thornberry turned a shade of pink and looked over her shoulder. Something was clearly bothering him.

“Is there a problem, Mr. Thornberry?” Of course there was a problem. It was a romance novel after all.

Leaning forward in his chair, Mr. Thornberry took on a conspiratorial posture. Placing her cup on the tea tray, Ginny leaned forward as well. The attorney licked his lips, probably trying to put off what he was about to say. Ginny raised her eyebrows in question and it finally sparked the man to speak.

“Your father never read through the final wedding contract, my lady.”

“Didn't he?” she asked, not knowing where the conversation was going.

“No. Lord Essex made some essential changes to their agreement counting on your father to be... inattentive.”

“Changes? How?” Ginny was beginning to feel a ray of hope. Did Lord Essex screw over her father? As wonderful as that thought was, did he also screw over Ginny?

“Your father demanded twenty thousand pounds and five thousand a year, my lady, which Lord Essex did grant. However, there are many strings attached to the money.”

“For instance?” Ginny was beginning to grow a little impatient with the man. Why couldn't he just spit it out?

“You will stop receiving the annual stipend upon remarrying, but I already told you that. The twenty thousand pounds will be placed into a trust to be administered by myself. The trust is very specific in how the money can be spent.”

“Meaning?”

“None of the money can be used to benefit your father in any way.”

A bubble of joy rose in Ginny's throat, and she stopped herself just in time to keep from laughing out loud. Drake hadn't been stupid. He knew that the Thomas family had been playing him for his money. He meant to punish Nigel in the event Drake died first. Brilliant.

“Is that the only stipulation or does that include my brother as well?”

“I am afraid that your brother is also named as not being able to benefit, my lady.”

“How are you to administer it, Mr. Thornberry? Is there any way that my father can get around the stipulation?”

“Not that I can see, my lady. You will be given allowances for clothing and personal needs. All the bills will come directly to me and I will pay them myself. If you wish to give your father your pocket money, I will not be able to stop you, but he will not be able to make any large purchases.”

“I see,” Ginny muttered, looking down at her hands and trying to decide the best way to break the news to her father.

“You must understand, my lady, that Lord Essex was looking out for your well-being. He knew that your father was a...” Thornberry's sudden intake of breath drew Ginny's attention back to his face. “I beg your pardon, my lady. Lord Essex simply worried for you.”

Ginny highly doubted that, but kept that thought to herself. What Lord Essex wanted was to stick it to Nigel Thomas. He would make it impossible for the man to profit from his death. It was about the only nice thing Ginny could say about her now-deceased husband.

“You need not apologize, Mr. Thornberry. I'm glad my husband had the forethought to put such a stipulation in the wedding contract.” Ginny watched the look of surprise draw more blood to the older man's cheeks. His blush was now more intense.

“And if I carry Lord Essex's child?” she asked, just to see if the man had thought of such a thing.

“Oh, well, yes, he will provide for any offspring. Is there a chance that you could be...”

Ginny saw how the topic discomfited the man, so she answered with a simple, “Yes.”

Nodding his head, Mr. Thornberry stated, “That will change things, my lady. If you are carrying and the child is a girl, she will have the benefit of a good home and a lady's education. She will be presented in court and given a Season. And if the child is male, he will naturally become the next Lord Essex.”

“Naturally,” Ginny replied, picking up the teapot, and asking if Thornberry would like another cup.

Chapter 8

Ginny had just sat down to a solitary dinner when her brother and father entered the dining room. Releasing a sigh of frustration, knowing that the news she was about to impart was going to ruin her dinner, Ginny called to a footman to set two more places. Since Ginny had chosen a seat to the right of the head of the table, Nigel sat at the head, looking as lordly as he could.

“Well, my dear, what is for dinner this evening?” he asked, pulling the napkin up that the footman had only just set in front of him.

“I have no idea. The menu was set before I married Lord Essex.”

“Whatever it is, I am certain it will be fine.”

Finer than anything you've eaten in a while
, Ginny thought with contempt. All the memories she'd inherited only made her look with disdain at the man to her left. All the dealings she'd had with him since taking over Alysanne's body hadn't helped with her assessment.

Nigel turned and snapped his finger at the footman. “You, there. I should like some of Lord Essex's finest claret with dinner.”

When the footman looked at Ginny for confirmation, Nigel sneered. “Have you any idea who I am? You need not look to my daughter for orders.”

Grinding her teeth, Ginny stated, “You will not speak to my staff like that, Father.” Her tone was low, so that the footman could not overhear, but it had the desired effect. Nigel turned to her with eyes wide and mouth open.

“Ben, could you please retrieve some claret for my father and brother? Thank you.”

The footman disappeared through a door. When gone, Nigel's expression turned venomous.

“How dare you speak to me in such a way. I see that becoming a countess has gone straight to your head.”

Ginny did not shrink down from his tone, but matched it with her own. “No, that is not how it is at all, Father. I just have no desire to alienate every other human being on the planet. And the truth of the matter is, they are
my
servants. They will look to me for orders. You do not live here, and you do not pay them.”

Nigel sat back in his chair. “Now that you mention it, we need to remedy our living arrangements.”

“If you think you are going to move in here, you could not be more wrong. As a matter of fact, there are a number of things you need to know. I met with Mr. Thornberry today.”

“How dare you, Alysanne? I told you that I would meet with him myself.”

“And he arrived on his own. It seems that when the wedding contract was drafted, you never bothered to read it before you signed it.”