The Reluctant Earl Read Free

Simon.”      “Which one is that?” Simon asked enthusiastically, and for the next five miles they discussed the horse and what specifically Simon would need to do to get him re-trained. 
    They were almost home when Simon brought up the other subject that was on his mind.
    “When I was last at home I had an odd encounter with Mr. Pitt, My father’s solicitor.”
    “Oh?”
    “I was waiting in front of the house for Roger to bring the carriage around to take me back to school – remember you couldn’t do it – and Mr. Pitt came out of the house.  His carriage was already waiting for him and I wished him a safe journey back to London.  But he stopped, turned to look at me, and said the oddest thing: ‘Lord Woodbridge, do you know about the money that will be coming to you when you turn eighteen?’”
    Liam’s eyebrows lifted.  “There’s money coming to you?  Did you know about it?”
    “No, I did not.  Mr. Pitt told me that my mother’s marriage settlement provided a trust for me when I turned eighteen.  That he thought I should be aware of it.  Then he walked out to his carriage and drove away.”
    Liam frowned.  “Sure and that’s a peculiar way to hear about such a thing.  Your father never mentioned this inheritance to you?”
    “No.  And it’s made me think about a lot of things, Mr. O’Rourke.  Do you know that I don’t know anything at all about my mother’s family?  No one has ever told me if I have grandparents or aunts or uncles from her side.  It’s almost as if she was born in a vacuum.”
    Liam’s frown deepened.  “I always assumed they must be dead.  You never mentioned them.”
    “I never mentioned them because I knew nothing about them.”
    “You never asked?”
    “One doesn’t ask my father things he doesn’t want to speak about.”
    “True enough, boy,” Liam said.  “True enough.  And you had the definite impression he didn’t want to speak about your mother’s relatives?”
    “It’s not just her relatives - he never speaks about her!”  Simon heard the quiver in his own voice, and took a deep breath to calm himself. 
    Liam’s soft Irish voice softened even more as he asked, “Do you have any memories of her, Simon?  I know you were only five when she died, but sometimes memories from childhood linger.”
    Simon thought.  “I remember snatches of moments,” he said.  “I remember she always smelled good.  I remember how she would hug me – she’d hug me so tight sometimes that it hurt.  But I liked being close to her.  And I remember she was pretty.”
    “Do you know what she died of?”
    “No.”
    Liam frowned thoughtfully.  “Her relatives must have come to the funeral.”
    “There wasn’t any funeral.  My mother died when she was on a visit to Ireland, and she was buried there.  I always thought that was why my father stopped going to Ireland, that it would remind him of her death.”
    One of the bays began to toss his head and Liam rubbed his back with the whip and spoke soothingly in Irish.  The bay settled down and the pair continued to trot quietly along the road.
    Liam said thoughtfully, “Ireland.”
    “Yes.”  Simon watched the horses’ muscles moving smoothly under their dark bay backs.  He said slowly, “Ireland seems to have come up rather frequently today, hasn’t it?”
    “I was after thinking the same thing.”
    They drove for a while in silence, each preoccupied with his own thoughts.  Then Liam said, “Would you like me to find out what I can for you about your mother’s family?”
    Simon turned to him in relief.  “Would you, Mr. O’Rourke?”
    Liam nodded.  “I’m thinking your father’s solicitor might have suspected you didn’t know about the inheritance and that’s why he told you.   His conscience was bothering him.”
    Simon slowly nodded.  “Perhaps.  He’s a nice man, Mr. Pitt.”
    They drove for a few minutes in silence, Liam concentrating on the horses and Simon