The Irish Bride

by Marina Oliver

  *

  Chapter 15

  'Can I believe it?' Brigid demanded when she and Sophia had returned to the house on the Steine.

  'His father was your grandfather's attorney, and while the man should not have discussed a client's affairs with a son who is not part of the business, he may well have done so,' Alex said. He had been dragged into the discussion when they had reached home, and the four of them sat in the drawing room trying to make sense of this information.

  'That explains why they were so desperate for Colum to marry you,' Alex said. 'The law is quite unfair to wives. All their property becomes, on marriage, the property of the husband. Even a wife's clothes and personal possessions, such as books, belong to him. I suspect they have been enjoying the income from your grandfather's estate, illegally, and planning that if ever they did meet you, Colum would marry you and they could disguise the fact they have been cheating you ever since your grandfather died. The attorney should have made an effort to find you, but it seems he did not, so they were able to benefit.'

  'If Patrick O'Keef is correct,' Brigid said. 'I just cannot believe it. How could my uncle behave in such a fashion?'

  'You saw how eager they were for Colum to marry you, and we none of us could understand why he should go to such lengths. Now we have the explanation,' Sophia said. 'He would gain control over your inheritance, and you would never know the truth.'

  'It would be Colum who would have control, if I'd married him.'

  'Can you imagine his father permitting him to exercise that control?' Matthew asked. 'Colum was completely under his father's thumb.'

  *

  Matthew lay awake wondering how best to defend Brigid. He did not trust her uncle, and was not convinced the man had left Brighton. Perhaps Colum, despite the threat of the law hanging over him, hadn't either. Now she had made it so plain she would never marry Colum, she was probably in more danger that before. Colum had shown he was prepared to commit murder simply to avenge a perceived loss of money to a cheating card sharp. How much more motive was there to gain what could be a big inheritance. Would he or his father consider the risk worth while?

  What would happen to that inheritance if Brigid died? He needed to see the will, to check whether Brigid's grandfather had made provision for his fortune if Brigid died without making a will of her own, or if she could not be found.

  He needed to discover the extent of the inheritance. Brigid had not thought her grandfather was wealthy, but the O'Neills had implied there were several properties in Ireland. Had they been exaggerating to appear wealthier than they were in fact?

  Patrick O'Keef would probably have some notion. He would seek out the man and try to discover, then perhaps he ought, on Brigid's behalf, travel to Ireland to talk to the attorney there.

  Eventually he slept, but woke from a panic-stricken dream in which he had found Brigid's lifeless body inside one of the bathing machines. The matter needed to be dealt with, and he would seek out the O'Keefs that very day.

  *

  At breakfast Brigid said she wanted to go to the library, and did not wish to have Samuel accompany her.

  'It surely isn't necessary now my aunt and uncle have left Brighton,' she protested when Alex insisted Samuel was to be with her.

  'They say they have left, but we have no proof,' Matthew said. 'Even Colum may still be hiding somewhere close by.'

  'Why should they? Surely you are being over-cautious. They know I will always refuse to marry Colum, and there is nothing they can do to persuade me.'

  'They could kill you, and hope to claim the inheritance as your next of kin,' Matthew said bluntly.

  'Kill me?' She was visibly shocked. 'Surely they could not even think of doing that!'

  'Colum has already killed, without the incentive of a fortune,' Matthew said. 'And it was done viciously, for revenge. If he thought he could get away with murdering you, and thereby gaining a fortune, what do you think would stop him?'

  'No, Matthew, I simply do not believe he would harm me.'

  'Then I suggest you make a will today, and let it be known you are leaving whatever your inheritance is to someone else.'

  'Make a will?' That really startled her. 'But I don't even know if what the O'Keefs said is true! And if it is, and I have inherited Grandfather's money, it cannot be a great deal.'

  'If O'Keef was correct, and we have no reason to disbelieve him, and every reason to think that is why the O'Neills want you under their control, you are currently the legal owner of whatever your grandfather left you. However small it may be, the O'Neills want it. If you died, without having made a will, they could probably claim it. Don't you see, since your aversion to marrying Colum, this gives them a motive to kill you? In fact, knowing Colum was not sincere when he professed his regard for you, do you think you would have stayed alive for long in their Irish castle?'

  Brigid was distressed, shaking her head. She could not believe her aunt and uncle would treat her in such a fashion, actually condoning murder. Reluctantly she accepted they would connive to gain her money through marrying her to Colum, but once they had achieved that surely she would have been safe?

  Alex looked sympathetically at her.

  'It is hard to have to believe such evil of your relatives,' he said. 'Go to the library, but take Samuel. Meanwhile Matthew and I will find the O'Keefs and discover more of what they know. Then, please do as Matthew advises and make a will. I have an attorney here in Brighton, and I will ask him to come to the house this afternoon for that purpose.'

  Listlessly Brigid agreed. If she accepted what Matthew said, she could see the sense of trying to protect herself by letting the O'Neills know they had nothing to gain if they attacked her. She did not believe they would, but this would make sure of it. Unless, and she sighed at the thought, Colum killed her from spite. If he had murdered Charles Twyford for revenge, he might be even more tempted to retaliate when, due to her, he lost a fortune.

  Her grandfather had not left a fortune, she told herself. Whenever her parents had discussed Ireland they had mentioned a tumbledown castle with only a couple of habitable rooms, a farm that produced more weeds than crops, and nothing else. How could Colum and his parents covet that?

  *

  It was late in the morning when Alex found the O'Keefs, staying in a modest inn on the outskirts of the town. When he explained what he needed of them, and asked them to come back to the house on the Steine with him, they readily agreed.

  'I liked Brigid,' Cecilia said. 'It's deplorable that her family did not seek her out to tell her of her inheritance. They have always been rather strange.'

  'They were not highly regarded in Dublin society,' Patrick said. 'I have no notion of why the old Mr O'Neill quarrelled with his sons, but I have heard tales of other quarrels he had with neighbours, probably about boundaries. My father said he was for ever instigating lawsuits to claim a few extra yards of land.'

  When they were all settled in the morning room round a table spread with fruit, cold meats and cheese, Matthew asked Patrick what he knew of the properties Mr O'Neill had possessed.

  'Mr O'Neill mentioned several, but we are suspicious, wondering whether he was boasting.'

  'There was the castle, just outside Dublin, which he had let go to ruin, but which he was planning to restore. I don't know how much he had achieved, as I was often in London. He had a house in Dublin, a good one in the best area, and I think he spent much of his time there.'

  'And didn't he have a farm and some other houses in the south, which were leased to tenants?' Cecilia asked.

  'Yes,' her husband replied, wrinkling up his brow, 'but I don't know how many or what income they provided. They were probably leased to Englishmen, many have settled in Ireland since the unification.'

  'Then he was richer than my father believed,' Brigid said, looking puzzled. 'Did he have all these properties then, or has he somehow acquired them since he and my father quarrelled?'

  'I don't know,' Patrick said. 'My father a
lso mentioned investments in the funds, but how much is there I don't know.'

  There was nothing more the O'Keefs could tell them. They said they planned to return to Ireland in two weeks, and if they could discover anything else from their father or brother they would write to Brigid.

  'That will not be of much use,' Brigid said. 'I need to see the will, to prove I am who I say, and claim whatever there is to claim. I am going to Dublin.'

  *

  'When Alex's attorney comes, I shall leave whatever my inheritance is between you and Joanna,' Brigid said later as they awaited the attorney's arrival. 'You are my best friends, and have both been so good to me.'

  'But you are not going to die,' Sophia said in alarm. 'And neither of us need or want your money! Brigid, from what Patrick O'Keef said, your inheritance could be substantial.'

  'Do you suggest I should leave it to my family? That would certainly give them a motive to kill me!'

  'It's all so horrid!'

  'Matthew seems to believe Colum will be pursuing me for the rest of my life,' Brigid said, trying to laugh and not succeeding. 'Do I have to go into hiding, or become a recluse to avoid them?'

  She did not truly believe it, however. Despicable as Colum and his parents were, they could not, surely, be planning murder, and of their only relative. If she did believe it, she would rather hand over the money to them. Then she thought, why should she? It would be foolish, and their campaign to gain control of her, for the sake of the money, would have succeeded.

  'If I were killed, even if it appeared to be an accident,' she said to Sophia, 'surely they would be the first people to be suspected?'

  'That would not bring you back to life! And though there would be suspicion, there might not be any proof.'

  Their discussion was cut short when Jameson came to inform them Mr Robbins, the attorney, had arrived and was waiting for them in the library, together with Alex and Matthew.

  'Come with me, please, Sophia,' Brigid said. 'I have never had any dealings with attorneys before, and for some stupid reason I am nervous.'

  She need not have been. Mr Robbins was a man in his sixties, a plump, fatherly figure with a round face and twinkling blue eyes that seemed guileless, but his questions as he asked Brigid about her family were astute.

  'Mr Langston has explained the situation to me,' he said, 'but I need to clarify it with you. Your father, and then his brother, quarrelled with their father, so he disinherited them both,' he said.

  'I know he disinherited my father, and I've been told he also disinherited my uncle.'

  'There is another grandchild, your uncle's son. You have heard, though this is only on the word of a man who should not have been privy to the information, that your grandfather left everything to you. Why should he do that? Why not leave it to his male grandchild?'

  'He did not know Brigid, but Colum, her cousin, lived in Ireland and presumably he had plenty of time to see what sort of man he is,' Matthew said.

  Brigid laughed. 'You mean I am the only member of my family never to have quarrelled with my grandfather, because I never met him!'

  'Do you know the extent of his fortune?' Mr Robbins asked.

  Brigid shook her head.

  'I have been told he owned a castle and several houses, but I cannot say if that is true. Also, I am told, he has money invested in the Funds.'

  'Do you have any other assets, an inheritance from your parents, for instance, which you can dispose of in a will?'

  'No. My father had nothing but what he could earn, and his employment was spasmodic. When they died, he and my mother had only a few pounds.'

  Mr Robbins nodded. 'Then we must word the will you wish me to make carefully, simply mentioning whatever assets you may own, from whatever source, at the time of your death.'

  Brigid shivered. 'It's unbelievable, to be talking of my possible death!'

  'But if you are the owner of substantial property in Ireland, as seems possible, it is only sensible to make appropriate provision. Of course, when you marry, the property will be transferred to your husband, unless you have made provision for trusts, but without knowing how much you have at your disposal, it would be difficult to draw up a satisfactory deed.'

  'I cannot think so far ahead!' Brigid exclaimed. 'It's bad enough imagining my death.'

  'Very well, now let us turn to how you would wish your property to be disposed of.'

  'I want it to be divided equally between Mrs Langston here, and my friend Lady Childe.'

  'The property would have to be sold to release the money. Can I suggest you appoint Mr Langston and Mr Childe to see to that?'

  It seemed to take hours, but eventually Mr Robbins was satisfied he had produced what Brigid wished for. Jameson and Samuel were called in to witness her signature, at which point Brigid wondered whether she ought to make provision for legacies to the servants.

  'As you don't know whether you own thousands or nothing, I suggest you do not complicate matters,' Mr Robbins advised. 'We can hope you will outlive both of those gentlemen.'

  'Of course.' Brigid realised that during the past hour she had been considering her death a certainty, and shuddered. She must not give way. She would defeat her aunt and uncle and Colum. How, she did not yet know, but defeat them she would.

  *

  Sophia came into Brigid's bedroom on the following afternoon to find her packing a small valise.

  'I wondered where you were. What are you doing?' she demanded.

  Brigid smiled at her.

  'I am hoping you will release me from my duties here, for I intend to go to Dublin to sort out my affairs.'

  'Dublin? But Brigid, do you know how far it is? And how can you travel there on your own?'

  'There are stage coaches, and where they do not exist there must be horses for hire. I can travel to Holyhead, and from there go by ferry to Dublin. Sophia, don't look so worried. I have travelled on my own before. I am not afraid of the journey.'

  'You might be afraid of what the O'Neills would do to you.'

  'They will not expect me to be coming. And Alex and Matthew suspect they may still be in England, planning an assault on me. If so I will probably be safer in Ireland. But Sophia, will you lend me your pistol?'

  After some time of arguing Sophia accepted she would not change Brigid's mind.

  'Have you sufficient money for the journey?' she asked.

  'I have arranged with Mr Robbins to borrow against the fortune I am expecting to acquire.'

  When her plan was announced that evening at dinner, Alex was disapproving, and offered to pay for Samuel to travel with her, an offer Brigid laughingly refused.

  'What would that do for my reputation?' she asked.

  Matthew was furious and shouted at her so fiercely that Jameson hastily sent the footman from the room and discreetly vanished himself.

  'What idiotic, foolhardy notion have you taken into your foolish head?' he demanded. 'I thought you were sensible, but of all the nonsensical, asinine and dangerous exploits, this is the craziest start I have ever encountered! If you are attacked by highwaymen and have your throat cut it will be no more than you deserve! I thought you were sensible, but to set out on such a journey, on your own, when you could employ an agent to go on your behalf, is the height of folly!'

  'Have you finished?' Brigid asked, white faced. 'You have no right to tell me what I may or may not do, no more right to control my actions than Colum or my uncle had. Forgive me, Sophia, but I cannot sit at the same table as this man!'

  She stalked from the room before Alex could rise and open the door for her, heedless of Sophia's anxious pleading. Jameson was hovering outside the dining room, but she ignored him and made herself walk slowly up the stairs, when she most desperately wished to run up them as fast as she could and hurl herself onto her bed. She reached her room, carefully locked the door, and only then gave way to her emotions. The tears came, angry hot tears that she could not control.

  How could Matthew be so unsympathetic?
He had helped her all the time, been so dear a friend. She had thought he would want her to settle this wretched Irish inheritance, and the only way she could see to do so was to go and speak with the Irish attorney directly. So far he had helped her, but at this last hurdle he had failed her, and hurt her so deeply she never wanted to see him ever again.

  At last the tears stopped, and she finished packing her valise with the few necessities she thought she would need. She had sewn a pocket into her gown and secreted most of the money Mr Robbins had provided into it. She then sat down to write a note to Sophia, apologising for not saying farewell, but feeling unable to face more argument. She would slip out of the house early the following morning and catch the first stage coach to London. Then she could be well on her way by nightfall, on the long road to Holyhead.

  *

  Chapter 16

  It was Betsy who alerted Sophia to Brigid's disappearance, when she brought her mistress her early morning tea.

  'I'm sorry, Madam, I should have let you know sooner, but Lennie, the boot boy, only just told us he saw her slipping through the kitchen hours ago.'

  Sophia groaned. 'Was she carrying anything?'

  'A little valise, and a cloak, he said. He thought it odd, but the loonie didn't have the sense to tell anyone till he came in for his breakfast.'

  Though it was probably far too late to catch her, Sophie pulled on a wrap and went to find Alex. He and Matthew were in the breakfast room, and she brushed aside their comments on her informal attire.

  'It's Brigid. She left the house some hours ago. She's going to Ireland, I know she is.'

  'The little idiot!' Matthew exclaimed. 'Doesn't she realise how dangerous the O'Neills can be?'

  'She'll be on the way to London now,' Alex said. 'I assume she'll make for Holyhead?'

  'And I'll be right after her,' Matthew said. 'She'll have to spend a night in London, at some inn. Don't worry, I'll find her and bring her home tomorrow.'

  He left the room and Sophia sank into a chair and wordlessly held out a cup. Alex poured coffee.