“I’m afraid I would get terribly lost if you left me to my own devices,” Emilia admitted.
“Very good, Miss,” Mrs. Harvey responded. “It would be my pleasure.”
Emilia pointed towards a door that was along the far wall and asked, “Where does that door lead to?”
“That was Sir Charles’ bedchamber,” Mrs. Harvey revealed. “It hasn’t been touched since his passing.”
Finding herself curious, she asked, “Was my father happy with Lady Diana?”
Mrs. Harvey pressed her lips together before saying, “I’m not quite sure how to answer that. They both seemed to tolerate each other, I suppose. Quite frankly, they spent more time apart than they did together.”
“Did my father laugh often?”
“No, he was more a solemn man, but kind,” Mrs. Harvey replied. “He would give every member of his staff a Christmas bonus, no matter how long they had been working for him.”
Emilia’s eyes strayed back towards the door, knowing she would need to go into his bedchamber and try to get a sense of who her father truly was.
As she followed Mrs. Harvey into the corridor, Emilia found herself wanting to know more about Lady Diana. “When did Lady Diana die?”
“About five years ago, Miss,” Mrs. Harvey said over her shoulder. “One day she was here, and the next she was gone. The doctor said her heart just gave out.”
“How terrible.” Emilia found herself feeling sorry for Clarissa and Calvin. How awful would it be to not be able to say goodbye to your own mother?
Mrs. Harvey came to a stop at the top of the stairs and shared, “When your father was dying, he kept calling out for Rosie. I have come to realize that this was your mother.”
“She was.”
“It is not my place to say so, but when Sir Charles died, he seemed at peace, as if he had finally found his Rosie,” Mrs. Harvey said.
Emilia wanted to believe that was true. Her mother worked hard to keep a roof over their heads and never complained, but there was a sadness in her eyes that was undeniable. She hoped that her mother was finally happy.
Knowing Mrs. Harvey was still waiting for a response, Emilia said, “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“You are welcome,” Mrs. Harvey responded before she headed down the stairs.
Once they arrived at the study, Emilia saw that Mr. Rymer was sitting on the settee, and papers were set out in front of him.
Mr. Rymer rose and bowed. “Miss Sutherland,” he greeted. “Welcome back. We have much to discuss.”
Mrs. Harvey slipped out of the room as Emilia went to sit across from Mr. Rymer.
The solicitor returned to his seat and reached for a stack of papers. “I will send a coach to collect your belongings from Mrs. Allston’s Seminary for Young Women.”
A thought occurred to Emilia. “Would it be possible for you to collect Miss Lily from the boarding school, assuming she would be willing to travel to London?”
“That would be simple enough,” Mr. Rymer acknowledged.
“May I hire Lily on as my lady’s maid?”
Mr. Rymer smiled. “You do not need my permission. You can hire and dismiss whoever you would like.”
“Then I shall draft a letter to Lily.”
“I will ensure the driver delivers it to Miss Lily,” Mr. Rymer said. “Now, on to your various investments. I suggest you keep your father’s man of business, Mr. Dryer. He is proficient at what he does and helped to grow Sir Charles’ fortune.”
Emilia bobbed her head. “I would concur.”
“As to that matter of where Miss Clarissa Livingston and Mr. Calvin Livingston reside,” Mr. Rymer said. “Sir Charles was in the process of transferring ownership to them but he died before that transaction went through. Since it still belongs to you, it is within your rights to retain the property for your own use.”
