The Masked Heart - By Karla Darcy Page 0,52

head. Drew waited, his eyes gleaming with sudden interest. Eventually, the solicitor came to himself. He leaned forward and his glasses promptly slid to the end of his nose. In annoyance he took them off and laid them carefully on the corner of the desk.

"All that you have heard is basically true. They had a very rough time of it right after the parents' death. The older sister was forced to go out to work while Lady Yates stayed in Wiltshire to care for the children. She has done well by them, don't you think?"

"I agree with you fully, Wesley."

"Val is extremely responsible for such a young boy. He has taken great interest in the estate according to his aunt. And of course Miss Fleur is a most taking little thing. I swear I have never seen such exquisite eyes. The color of violets. I am told her mother's eyes were the same."

"And the other sister Blaine?" Drew asked.

"I have never met the girl. I have heard that she is quite different in looks. Only a half sister, don't you know," Wesley said, as if that explained everything. "Her mother died when she was eight. I have never heard that there was any bad blood between Miss Blaine and her stepmother. Naturally one never knows."

Drew was intrigued by the definite feeling that Wesley Upton did not approve of Blaine Meriweather. Perhaps the girl had been difficult over the suddenness of her father's remarriage. She may have taken a sharp dislike to the children who replaced her in her father's affection. But that was nonsense. Both Val and Fleur seemed to have a great love for their sister so there must be something else that stuck in Wesley's craw.

"Are the girls dowries affected by the trust?" Drew asked.

"Only Miss Fleur has a dowry."

"Devil you say!" Drew said in surprise. "Was Blaine written out of the will?"

"No. No. Nothing so dramatic," Wesley hastened to reassure him. "It was just that no dowry was ever set up for Miss Blaine."

"How unusual."

"These are rather unusual circumstances," he lifted a hand at Drew's sudden frown. "Never fear that there are any irregularities concerning Miss Fleur's dowry, Lord Farrington. I would never permit anything of the kind. The girl will not come penniless to this marriage. It has been growing steadily over the last three years and is now a very tidy sum."

"Growing, Wesley?"

"It is difficult to tell you a great deal about this since it is slightly unusual. I cannot give you any figures unless specifically applied to by Lady Yates." The solicitor took out a snowy handkerchief, wiping his forehead and his scalp which were dotted with perspiration. "Perhaps if I gave you some background it might be helpful."

"I am all eagerness," Drew replied. His words were drawled, making the solicitor squirm under his steady gaze.

"At the time of the Meriweathers' accident, there were no dowries for either girl. My father, who handled things prior to his death, spoke to Lady Yates about this, but the woman's allowance was not enough to give the young ladies any assistance. It was after I took over that I began to receive money to be deposited in Miss Fleur's name. The estate manager, a Mr. Visible... ." Wesley looked up in surprise when Lord Farrington snorted.

"Your pardon, Upton," Drew said, smothering his amusement behind a hastily raised handkerchief. "Just a particle of dust. Pray continue."

"As I was saying, in the estate manager's correspondence, he explained that the older sister, Miss Blaine, had taken employment and wished to set up a dowry for her sister. The deposits have been sporadic but now I am happy to say Miss Fleur will come to the marriage with a satisfactory sum." Wesley folded his hands complacently at the conclusion of his explanation.

"What an enterprising young lady," Drew said. "A laudable deed to take such measures to ensure her sister's future. She has put nothing aside for herself?"

"Nothing, milord." The solicitor's face clearly showed his disapproval of such a thing.

"You have never met Miss Meriweather?"

"I have had the pleasure of Miss Fleur's acquaintance but Miss Blaine has been away from home during my visits."

"If you could hazard a guess, sir, what kind of a person would you suspect Miss Blaine Meriweather to be?" Drew's eyes were intent on Wesley's face and he did not miss the slight flush of embarrassment that tinged the little man's scalp.

"I don't know, Lord Farrington," he answered, his eyes shifting around the room.

"Cut line, Wesley," Drew snapped.