The next morning was spent taking a tour of all the public rooms, the bedrooms, and the personal sitting rooms. Even though they left quite a bit of the house for later, the tour still took over two hours. As they went through the house, Mrs. Perkins took notes on what the new owners said needed to be changed. It was an extensive list, since almost all the upholstery and soft furnishings in the house were faded and worn, and the wallpaper was discolored with age. Only a single drawing room, the dining room, and the duke’s chambers had been kept up to date.
In the afternoon, the old duke’s solicitor arrived to go over the will with Mr. Bennet.
Upon being introduced, the duke welcomed Mr. Maxwell. “I am glad you are here so that I can finally know what I have to work with,” he said. “The house itself is in good condition, but the contents need some work, and for that we will need money. I do hope the old duke left us something to work with.”
“Not to worry,” said Mr. Maxwell. “While there has been a bit of confusion, it has already been straightened out. I think it best that you first read the will. Then we can discuss it.”
Mr. Bennet took the document and began reading it aloud. Apparently, the old duke had a great deal of fondness for his servants. Every single one of them, from the lowliest scullery maid all the way up to Mrs. Perkins’ assistant was granted anamount equal to ten times their annual salary. Mrs. Perkins and Mr. Warburton were granted a thousand pounds each.
There were also a few bequests to some friends, but those took the form of items of sentimental value rather than cash. The final paragraph was the one Elizabeth found most humorous.
After having left as much as I should to those who took care of me in my final years, I am aware that there is a great deal more that needs to be disbursed. However, I am out of friends and out of servants to leave it all to, and my family has all been taken from me. Therefore, the rest of my money and possessions can go to the devil. Perhaps it will make him happier than it ever made me.
Before the new duke could ask any questions, Mr. Maxwell said, “As you can imagine that last bequest was difficult to execute. Under ordinary circumstances, when there is property that is unspecified in a will, it either goes to the next of kin automatically, or it goes to the crown if there is no obvious next of kin. In this case, it was debated in the courts during the time they were looking for you. In the end, the crown took a portion, but the vast majority of it is yours.”
“If the crown took a portion, why wasn’t I informed when I spoke with the Prince Regent?” asked the duke.
“I can’t say for certain,” said Mr. Maxwell. “I suspect, however, it is simply because the Prince Regent did not know. The entire matter was handled through the courts by solicitors and secretaries. I can well believe our Prince has not yet been informed, if he ever is informed.”
“I suppose that seems reasonable,” said the duke. “And how much is it that I have inherited, exactly?
Mr. Maxwell gave him a piece of paper while he said, “There were several different types of investments as well as various properties. The Duke of Derby is the owner of most of the property in Derby itself as well as a great deal of agricultural land in the area. Additionally, there is an estate in Cheshire, called Northdale, that is usually set aside for the heir’s support. The former Duke has left money in the funds which currently total over two hundred fifty thousand pounds. Other investments, excluding real estate, total another fifty thousand pounds.”
Elizabeth could see her father was struggling to keep a blank expression when he asked, “Was there any money in a normal bank account that was used for daily expenses?”
“Ah, yes,” Mr. Maxwell replied as he pointed at a line on the paper. “In addition to the estate account, there was also a bank account that is now yours with six thousand pounds in it, ready and waiting for your use. When the steward collects the quarterly rents at the end of June, that money will be deposited in the estate account. From there, most of it will then be transferred into your bank account, leaving behind enough to cover a reasonable amount of unexpected repair costs.”
“And how much will the quarterly rents be?” asked the duke.
“At the current rates, you will receive approximately five thousand pounds per quarter,” said the solicitor. “That includes a little more than a thousand pounds from Northdale. The total varies a bit, depending upon how many of your dwellings are currently occupied. At the moment, you are close to capacity with only a handful of houses in Derby lying empty.”
When Mr. Maxwell was done discussing the situation, he turned to take his leave, but just before he left, he said, “I forgot to mention the family jewels. They are stored in a safein the Mistress’ suite, though they haven’t been used since the late duchess passed away. There aren’t as many as you might think, and none are older than a century or so. Apparently, your grandfather stole most of his mother’s jewelry to fund his escape.”
He then bowed and exited the room. Once Mr. Maxwell was gone, Mr. Bennet turned to his daughters and said, “Well, my dears, what do you think?”
“I think I would be very interested to hear the full tale of how your grandfather came to be separated from his family,” said Elizabeth with a grin.
“I have heard bits and pieces,” said Papa. “Apparently, Brent Smythe, tired of his father’s tyranny, ran away in the company of the duke’s secretary, who made off with a significant fortune. The secretary made his way to the Americas, never to be heard from again, while Brent Smythe joined the navy under the name of Brent Smith, using the money he made from selling his mother’s jewels to ease his way.”
He chuckled. “I am only grateful that my grandfather used a name so similar to his original name, not even bothering to change his first name. Apparently, that made it much easier to verify his real identity.
“In fact, the most significant evidence they found which identified my grandfather as Duke Derby’s son was a file of papers almost a hundred years old, found in this house. They consisted of reports from investigators who had been sent to search for Brent Smythe after he ran away. The investigators quickly learned that Brent had joined the navy. Apparently, the duke simply didn’t care enough to force his son back home. Instead, he pretended he was dead.”
“So, your great grandfather, the tenth duke, knew his son was alive, but he declared him dead anyway?” asked Elizabeth. She couldn’t believe a father could be so callous toward his son.
“Exactly,” said Papa. “At least the duke didn’t chase him down and demand the jewels back, or worse, have his son tried for theft, which would have seen him hanged. I suppose he treated it as though the jewels were the boy’s inheritance and left it at that.”
“Even so, it seems awfully callous,” said Jane.
“Perhaps,” replied Papa. “Dukes aren’t usually known for their generous and forgiving natures, though.”
There was silence for a few moments as each of them contemplated that particular observation. Elizabeth wondered if her father, now that he was a duke, would eventually become so callous and heartless, but she shook the thought away. Her father loved all his daughters. Of that, she was certain.
“Now, back to the subject at hand,” said Papa. “I was asking more what you thought of our situation.”
“I would like to know how much this grand house costs in upkeep,” said Jane. “The numbers Mr. Maxwell quoted sounded like a great deal, but if it is all taken up by simply keeping the house in good repair, then it won’t do us much good.”
“Very wise,” said Duke Derby. “I will spend some time this afternoon with my new secretary, who has been handling the day-to-day affairs since the old duke’s passing. I suggest you two talk to the housekeeper. She should be able to help you understand that side of things. Then, we will discuss it over dinner and make plans.”
