A Christmas Affair Read Free Page B

spoken.
    Mrs. Herrick’s cheeks paled, and she averted her head from Amanda’s piercing gaze. “I understand,” she muttered crossly.
    “See that you do,” Amanda said, turning back toward Amelia, who was crying into her handkerchief. “And understand something else as well; there is nothing I won’t do to protect my family. Nothing.” And with that final threat she closed the door quietly behind her.
    “Why didn’t you tell me?” Amanda demanded some three hours later, her eyes dark with fury as she confronted the elderly solicitor who had been appointed her guardian shortly before her stepfather’s death. “Didn’t you think I’d want to know?”
    “Of course, my dear, of course,” Mr. Elias Stranton stammered, mopping his perspiring brow with a snowy handkerchief. “But there didn’t seem to be any need for it. Daniel’s a young lad, after all, with the whole of his life yet before him. I made sure he would survive Mrs. Herrick by a good five decades, if not more.”
    Amanda raised her eyes to the ceiling, mentally calling upon divine help in controlling her temper. “But Daniel is a soldier now,” she reminded him through gritted teeth. “A rather hazardous occupation for a man, don’t you agree?”
    “Perhaps,” the older man conceded reluctantly. “But there is every hope that he will make it through the wars unscathed. Why, my own brother fought the French for ten years or more without so much as a scratch to show for all of it. You worry too much, my dear; it is the way with you ladies,” and he gave her hand a pat.
    That same hand closed in a fist to resist the urge to land a stinging blow to the solicitor’s ears. It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to resist the impulse. “Did Daniel know of this proviso before he enlisted?” she asked, her voice low with controlled anger.
    “We spoke of it,” Mr. Stranton answered with a vague shrug. “That is to say, I told him that should he the without male issue your father’s inheritance would then pass to your aunt according to the terms of your grandfather’s will. It was but a mere formality, you see, and as I told him he —”
    “But did he know about the house? That it would pass on to Aunt Elizabeth?” Amanda pressed, determined to get to the truth before her temper exploded. She’d left the house without lunch, scarcely bothering to change her clothes before setting out for the village. Her aunt’s taunting words had filled her with such apprehension that she knew she couldn’t rest a single moment until she’d spoken with her guardian.
    “As to that I can not say, Miss Lawrence,” came the cautious reply. “We never specifically discussed the matter, but it stands to reason that the manor house is the most significant part of the inheritance. May I ask you why you are suddenly so interested?” he asked, shooting her a worried look. “You’ve not received any unhappy news, have you?”
    “No.” On this point at least she could reassure him. “But neither have I had any good news. I suppose I was just curious.” Despite her extreme dislike of her aunt, Amanda didn’t wish to discuss their falling out with anyone, especially Mr. Stranton, whom she knew to be an inveterate gossip.
    To her surprise the solicitor gave an approving nod. “A wise move, Miss Lawrence, especially in light of your situation. If you like, I can go over your finances with you. I fear they are not as good as one might hope.”
    Amanda felt her heart plummet to the soles of her wet pattens. “What do you mean?” she asked, nervously running her tongue over her lips. “I know we are not wealthy, but what of the portion left me by my mother? Surely that is enough to keep us in some comfort?”
    “For a while, if you practice every economy,” he agreed, perching his glasses on the edge of his nose as he went over the figures detailed on the papers spread out before him. “Your step-father left a small sum for the care of your half