A Little Bit Scandalous Page 0,37
was still useable, and then she’d have to replace the pieces that were too worn.
Of course, none of that would matter at all if Mr. Murdock would not allow her to forego the remainder of the lease. She’d spoken to the solicitor who had originally managed the lease and he’d said the document was legal and binding, which meant that the only way she could prevent Mr. Murdock from retaining residence in her home was to talk him out of it.
“I’ll merely wait for him,” a man’s voice said from the corridor outside of Roe’s study, “if you don’t mind.”
The butler opened the door, then, startled to see her, he bowed. “Miss Jellico, I was not aware you were in here, my apologies.”
Caroline swung her legs to the front of the chair and stood.
“The duke’s solicitor has come to see him and wants to wait,” Grimm said.
“Bring him in, Grimm. I was borrowing this text is all,” Caroline said.
The man who entered the room held his satchel up against his chest. He couldn’t have been too much older than Caroline herself. He smiled shakily at her. “My lady,” he said with a nod. “Many apologies to intrude upon you like this. Please carry on with your reading and do not mind me, I only need to speak with Lord Chanceworth regarding some funds he requested for a charity.”
Was the charity he spoke of the Dover House? Perhaps she could play hostess for a few moments so the man was not alone. Caroline pointed to the two wing-backed chairs in front of the fireplace. The solicitor sat in one. “My name is Caroline Jellico,” she said with a grin. She’d never been much of a flirt, but she knew how to speak to people since she’d never been terribly shy. “And you are?”
“Harold Simpson.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” She smiled at him. “This charity in question, it wouldn’t happen to be the Dover Street Girl’s Asylum, would it?”
His eyes widened and he nodded. “Indeed.”
“I am on that board of directors with Lord Chanceworth. He is my guardian—my legal guardian, that is,” she added awkwardly. “Is there a problem with the funds?”
Mr. Simpson shook his head and frowned. “It is not so much the funds themselves, since His Grace has more than enough. But the instructions he gave me as to where to send the monies…” He flipped through some paper in his satchel. He pulled out one sheet and read over it. “I was told to pay a certain vendor. But I looked into the matter and contacted the vendor myself, first by post and then I even went over to their establishment.” He looked up at her then. “Miss Jellico, I’ve received conflicting information. The letter I received indicated that the vendor had not been used for the Dover Street Girls’ Asylum in over six months. There have been no orders for goods. I went to see them for clarification and the man I saw said that I had been misinformed and he’d have the receipts sent to my office, which he later did. But with the discrepancy, I felt it best to bring this to His Grace’s attention.”
“Well, that’s most peculiar.” Caroline frowned. “Is it standard procedure for you to directly handle the funds for charity payments?”
He took a shaky breath. “It depends. Most of the time I give the monies directly to the charity and they pay their bills as they see fit. But Lord Chanceworth, he asked me to handle this matter directly with the vendor.”
“I see.” Obviously Roe did not trust Mr. Lamb either, which was interesting because he’d never indicated as much to her. Granted, they hadn’t discussed much in lines of the orphanage. Instead, they’d danced around issues. Her house, her playing cards dressed as a man, his former mistress…
Mr. Simpson pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. He nodded as if confirming something, but said nothing to her. They sat in silence for a few moments.
“I must admit that this is a perplexing issue, Mr. Simpson. Perhaps the vendor made an error originally, and they were clearing matters up for you.” Or this could be indication that something, indeed, was going on with Mr. Lamb. “It’s really quite kind and thorough of you stopping by to handle matters yourself. I do wish Lord Chanceworth was home to see to this matter straight away,” Caroline said.
Mr. Simpson sighed. “And you do not know when he shall return?”
“I do not.” She had no