222
Jacob Stanford was ever sograteful to finally see London come into view. He’d been on the passenger ship from New York to London for the last six weeks. They had endured some treacherous March storms on the high seas that had threatened to capsize the ship, and he was more than eager to walk on solid ground again.
It took more than an hour for him to disembark, collect his belongings, and hire a hackney to take him to the solicitor’s office. When they reached the address, he stepped out of the carriage and turned to the driver. “Please wait. I shall not be long.”
The driver frowned and started to protest until Jacob flipped him a gold coin, which he grabbed out of the air. “My pleasure, mate. Stay as long as you like.”
No matter what country he was in, money spoke volumes. As he looked at the solicitor’s building, a shiver ran down his spine. His hands were clammy, and his heart was beating nearly out of his chest. He had no idea why,all of a sudden, he would get a case of nerves. It’s not like this meeting was going to change his life. He was merely here to understand this whole inheritance situation.
Jacob walked into the solicitor’s office and was greeted by the young man at the front desk.
“May I help you, sir?”
“Yes. I’m here to see Mr. Haggerty.”
“I’m not aware of any appointments for Mr. Haggerty today.”
After traveling for six weeks, Jacob wasn’t about to be turned away. He reached into his jacket pocket, pulled out the letter he’d received from Mr. Haggerty, and handed it to the clerk. “I do believe he’s expecting me.”
The young clerk read the text and blanched. “Oh, I’m so sorry, my lord. I’ll let Mr. Haggerty know you’re here.”
Jacob nodded and watched the young man scurry toward the back of the office. It didn’t take long for an older gentleman with graying hair and a bit of potbelly to greet him.
“Lord Fletcher, I’m so pleased you were able to make the journey. There’s much to discuss. Would you care for some tea?”
“Coffee, if you have it,” Jacob said.
“Of course. William will see to it.”
The clerk nodded as Jacob and Mr. Haggerty made their way to the solicitor’s office.
“How was the crossing?”
“Long and tedious.”
“I can imagine, although I have no direct experience with that myself,” Mr. Haggerty said. “Please have a seat, and I’ll get the file.”
“I still don’t understand how you’ve concluded that I’m the heir to the Fletcher title,” Jacob said.
“We’ve been looking for a long time and had to go back several generations to uncover the connection.”
“My father never mentioned anything about us being related to the aristocracy.”
“He probably didn’t know. These connections can be quite complicated.”
“Can you explain how I’m related?”
“Of course. Your great-great-grandfather was the second son of the baron, and evidently, he wanted more out of his life than merely waiting around to see if his brother died without an heir. So he moved the family to America for a fresh start. I don’t have any information on how his name became Stanford unless there was a recording error when they first arrived in America.”
William brought in a steaming cup of coffee and set it down in front of him.
“Thank you. This is much appreciated.”
William nodded and exited the office.
“Well, that is interesting, as no one in the family had ever mentioned that my relatives originally came from England.”
“These things happen, I’m sure. Would you like to hear what the estate entails?”
