The Unexpected Heiress

by Kaitlin O’Riley

  It was then that Parkins, the Devon House butler, announced that Mrs. Remington had arrived. She should have been there a little earlier, and Meredith had been growing concerned about her aunt’s tardiness. Phillip turned to see Delilah Remington hurry into the library, fairly bubbling with nervous excitement.

  “Good evening, everyone!” she called.

  “Aunt Delilah!” Meredith called.

  “I am ever so sorry I’m late. I know I was supposed to be here more than half an hour ago,” Mrs. Remington announced to the room, her eyes wide, her expression flustered. “But I’ve received some news.” She turned to look at her niece, with her hand over her heart. “Meredith, you simply won’t believe it.”

  “Come, Mrs. Remington, please sit down and rest for a moment first, won’t you?” Colette said, ushering the rather agitated woman to one of the leather sofas. “Then you can tell us all about it. Can we get you a drink?”

  “Yes, please,” Delilah Remington said most gratefully. “I do believe I could use a drink.”

  Lucien Sinclair handed Mrs. Remington a crystal flute filled with champagne, as Phillip and the others took their seats as well. Phillip held Meredith’s hand in his and sat beside her on the opposite sofa, facing her aunt.

  “What is it, Aunt Delilah?” Meredith asked, a touch of nervousness in her words and her delicate brows drawn together in concern.

  “I just received a letter from our lawyers in New York.” The woman took a sip of the champagne, her eyes wide with incredulity. “Something has happened.”

  “Well, you must tell us what it is, Auntie . . .”

  Delilah Remington sat upright on the sofa. Her cheeks were pink and her voice somewhat breathless as she explained what was in the letter she had received that afternoon.

  “Meredith, that land your father purchased with my husband in Texas just before they died . . . it seems everyone else was wrong, and the Remington brothers were right. That land wasn’t worthless after all. The Remington Oil Company is apparently back in business now, because they have struck oil on that very land, which the company still owns and managed to hold on to. They’ve struck a lot of oil. Quite a lot of it, in fact, judging from the numbers in their letter. Millions of dollars in oil.”

  One could have heard a pin drop in the Devon House library. For a moment, no one uttered a single word, and a silent hush filled the room. Phillip glanced briefly from Meredith to his parents and back to Meredith in stunned surprise.

  Finally, Phillip managed to find his voice and asked the question he knew they were all thinking, “Mrs. Remington, are you saying that Meredith is an oil heiress after all?”

  She fairly beamed with pleasure, and her voice shook with emotion. “That is exactly what I’m saying. We are both worth millions of dollars.”

  Meredith still sat there, unmoving, too shocked to speak.

  “My goodness!” Colette exclaimed. “What an unexpected turn of events!”

  “After everything that happened, with the scandal and becoming outcasts, we are worth millions. I simply can’t get over it,” Delilah said in utter disbelief.

  Looking as shocked as everyone else in the room, Lucien Sinclair, the Marquis of Stancliff, cleared his throat. “Do you happen to have the letter with you, Mrs. Remington? Might I have a look at it?”

  “Yes, of course. I would appreciate that, actually. I need someone else to confirm that I read it correctly, for I still can’t quite believe my eyes.” She reached into her reticule and produced some folded pages. She gave them to Phillip’s father with shaking hands.

  While Lucien perused the letter that changed everything for Meredith and her aunt, Phillip still held Meredith’s hand in his. She had not yet said a single word about the momentous news. He gave her hand a light squeeze.

  “Meredith?”

  She turned her eyes to him, a dazed expression on her face. “I am simply astonished.”

  “As we all are,” he said, giving her a half-smile. “None of us expected this to happen.”

  “Well, it is truly incredible,” Lucien announced, returning the letter to Meredith’s aunt. “You have read the letter correctly, Mrs. Remington. It seems the two of you have been quite fortunate. The land in Texas is worth over six million dollars, and that is a low estimate from the company. It is most likely worth far more than that.”

  “Good heavens,” Delilah Remington murmured with wide eyes.

  “This is quite wonderful news,” Simon began, grinning broadly at Meredith. “I am so happy for you. You must be relieved to know that your father hadn’t been wrong about the land.”

  Meredith looked up at Simon and nodded her head slowly. “Yes, I’m sure he’d be happy to know that he did provide for me after all.”

  Phillip wondered about Meredith’s father and wished he had been able to meet him, as well as Meredith’s mother. Those two people created this wonderfully special person who changed Phillip’s life for the better. He owed them a huge debt of gratitude. He gave Meredith’s hand another light squeeze and she squeezed him back.

  “What are you planning to do now, Mrs. Remington?” Colette asked. “Will you still return to New York?”

  Delilah looked at a loss. “I haven’t had a moment to think about it or make any decisions yet. I have no idea what I shall do. I’m just so very relieved that our futures are secure. I don’t have to worry anymore, and my children won’t have to worry. Meredith is safe. My life is my own again, and I’m not dependent upon my sister, Lavinia.”

  “Yes, I’m certain knowing that your family is protected is a huge relief,” Colette said.

  Delilah continued to grow a bit agitated. “And when I think that all my suitors dropped me like a hot potato when the scandal started, including the sweetheart from my youth, and they believed I was worth nothing, I get so angry. They’ll all be sorry now, won’t they? They should have married me when they had the chance.”

  “Now you’ll see how quickly you’re back in their good graces, so beware, Mrs. Remington,” Lucien advised kindly.

  Colette smiled in sympathy with her. “You certainly found out who you can trust during all this.”

  “It turns out, there is no one!” cried Delilah with great indignation. “But now that I don’t need to depend on a man’s money anymore, perhaps I won’t remarry again. At least not yet anyway. Two husbands were more than enough for me. I’ll need to look after the money for Harry and Lilly now.”

  “I think that sounds like a sensible idea,” Colette said. “Look after yourself and the children first. If you happen to find a man that you love and want to marry, then that would be wonderful. But there is no need to rush to the altar now.”

  “I agree with that sentiment,” Delilah said with a satisfied smile.

  “It would make me very happy if you and Harry and Lilly stayed in London,” Meredith said to her aunt. “I would hate to be far away from you all.”

  “To be honest, Meredith dear, I would rather stay here. Aside from being able to be with you, I should hate to take that journey across the Atlantic Ocean one more time,” Delilah said with a shudder. “I’m content to stay on dry land and not cross it ever again.”

  “I’m so glad you’ll be staying, Aunt Delilah.” Meredith grinned.

  It was then that Phillip’s Hamilton relatives began to arrive at Devon House for the celebration. First it was cousin Mara and Foster Sheridan, followed quickly by Aunt Paulette and Uncle Declan. Aunt Yvette and Uncle Jeffrey came next. Then Aunt Lisette and Uncle Quinton. The last four to arrive were Aunt Juliette and Uncle Harrison, with cousin Sara and her husband, Christopher Townsend.

  As the exciting and unexpected news of Meredith’s massive inheritance was explained to everyone, Phillip began to grow a bit anxious.

  “Well, this is a surprise! You are an heiress after all!” Sara Fleming Townsend exclaimed with glee. “You can throw over my cousin now and do whatever you like, Meredith.” She gave Phillip a teasing look.

  “Ignore her, Me
redith,” Mara said sweetly. “We know this money changes nothing between Phillip and you.”

  Phillip heard his cousins’ banter, but looked worriedly at Meredith who hadn’t seemed like herself since she heard the news.

  Yet Meredith laughed at Sara’s teasing remark. “I’ve no plans to leave your cousin. Ever.”

  “Thank God,” Phillip said. And not caring that the entire room was filled with his relations, he pulled Meredith against him and kissed her firmly.

  Meredith colored prettily, her cheeks turning a soft pink at his grand display of affection, but she did not pull away from him. In fact, she stayed right by his side. Phillip’s happiness was unmatched. This incredibly loving and talented woman would be his wife. There were times when he didn’t think he deserved her.

  “Of course, you know that we are thrilled everything worked out so well, and that the two of you will marry after all,” Sara added with an impish smile. “And it happened even without having to hit Phillip over the head, although I was rather looking forward to doing that.”

  Phillip laughed at his cousin. “I think we can agree that we all had a bit of drama on our roads to the altar, can’t we?”

  While the library was crowded with all of his aunts, uncles, and cousins enjoying champagne and buzzing with various conversations, Phillip noticed a familiar gentleman quietly enter the room. He was not announced by Parkins, the butler, which was quite unusual. He just walked in on his own, looking more than a bit nervous.

  At first, Phillip couldn’t quite place who the tall, blond, and finely dressed gentleman was, but then he recalled that he was a good friend of Simon’s from their days at Oxford. Yes, that was it! Robert Fields. Phillip had met Robert numerous times over the years. He was a fine fellow and quite smart. Still, Phillip found it odd that Robert Fields would arrive at Devon House during a private family gathering.

  Phillip glanced over at his mother to see if she was aware of their unexpected guest. He saw that Colette was whispering something to Simon.

  His younger brother’s face lit with surprise, then joy, as he noticed the presence of Robert Fields. It was quite obvious that Simon was not aware that his friend would be joining them, but apparently his mother was. Simon quickly hugged his mother and then made his way over to greet his friend. The two men stood smiling at each other.

  Phillip gave his mother a questioning look and she simply shrugged her dainty shoulders and turned to whisper to his father, who appeared as confused as Phillip felt. Colette brought her husband over to where Simon stood with Robert Fields and the four of them chatted together. Phillip then looked toward Meredith, who was watching the entire scene unfold with a very contented air. It seemed the Sinclair men had been left out of an important development within the family that day, but the women had not.

  A few moments later, Simon escorted his friend over to them and seemed surprisingly calm.

  “Phillip, you and Robert already know each other, but Robert, I would like to introduce you to my future sister-in-law, Miss Meredith Remington, an unexpected heiress.” He gave Meredith a little wink. “My brother found the good sense to marry her.”

  Phillip watched the handsome, blond-haired gentleman shake hands with Meredith, while she favored him with a warm and welcoming smile.

  “Simon has spoken quite highly of you, Miss Remington,” said Robert Fields. “It is my great pleasure to finally meet you.”

  “I’m thrilled to meet you, too, Mr. Fields,” Meredith remarked. “Simon has told me so much about you as well. I think we shall become good friends.”

  Phillip was more than a little surprised by Meredith’s words. Up until now, he had not considered that Simon and Robert Fields were anything more than chums from school. Realization was beginning to dawn on Phillip about his younger brother, not only about Simon’s private life, but also about the depth of Simon’s friendship with Meredith.

  Excusing himself, Simon then walked Robert Fields around the library, introducing him to the rest of their family. Phillip watched his Hamilton aunts, uncles, and cousins welcome Simon’s friend with an effortless grace and warmth, as if it were the most natural occurrence. It surprised him, yet it did not. His family had always been different from any other family he knew.

  Phillip turned to Meredith, who still stood beside him.

  “What was that?” he asked, still unsure of what he just witnessed.

  “Exactly what you think it was,” she said with an enigmatic smile. “Why shouldn’t Simon have someone special here if he wants?”

  Phillip paused, and the answer came to him without any reservation. “There is no reason that I can think of.”

  And for the life of him, Phillip couldn’t think of a reason why he would deny Simon this. Seeing his brother with Robert Fields suddenly made sense and answered the questions that he’d had for some time now about Simon. Why shouldn’t his brother be happy? It was Simon’s life to live. The societal ramifications were not lost on Phillip, but he would protect his younger brother with every fiber of his being. However there, within the confines of Devon House and with the support of the Hamilton family, Simon was safe.

  “I think it’s wonderful,” Meredith added, looking up at him and gauging his reaction.

  “It is wonderful.” He gazed at her pretty face. “And I think you’re wonderful, Merry.”

  He was still a bit in awe of the fact that this incredibly beautiful woman was now his once again.

  Parkins entered the library, and in his usual dignified manner, grandly announced that dinner was served. As each of the couples began to file out of the library to make their way to the dining room, Phillip watched Simon walk out with Robert Fields. He felt oddly proud of his younger brother.

  Phillip held back leaving, until they were the last to remain in the library. When they were finally alone, he turned to Meredith.

  “Are you sure you want to marry me still? Now that you have your millions, you can have your freedom, Merry. The freedom we always talked about. You don’t need me anymore. You don’t need anyone. You are a wealthy, independent heiress. You could live on your own wherever you want and you could write and do all the things we talked about.”

  “Yes, I could,” she said thoughtfully, looking away from him.

  Phillip stared at her, his heart racing. Her circumstances had entirely changed, and now Meredith had the freedom to do anything she wished. She could go to Paris and write books to her heart’s content. She could return to New York. She could sail around the world. Because of her fortune, she now had the ability to do anything she could possibly want. She didn’t need to depend on him or any man for that matter. She was an independent woman.

  She could leave him if she chose to.

  The thought of losing her again left him unable to catch his breath.

  “Yes, I can do anything I like now that I’m an heiress again,” she repeated, staring up at him. “And to be honest I’ve thought of nothing else all evening.”

  Phillip still could not quite breathe, waiting for her to continue, as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes.

  “But I don’t want to ever be away from you. I told you from the start, Phillip, that for me it was never about your money. It was about you. Yes, I can go anywhere in the world if I choose. But I don’t want to go anywhere without you. Wherever I go, I want you to be with me. In spite of what you may believe, I do need you in my life. I love you and I want to be your wife. And I want to write.”

  “I adore you, Merry, and I want you to write. I’ll never stop you from doing anything you want to do.” He leaned down and kissed her.

  She kissed him back so sweetly. How had he gotten so lucky as to have this beautiful, intelligent, wonderful woman in his life?

  “I love you, Merry.”

  “I love you, Phillip, and I love your family, and I always want to be a part of your life.”

  “I want to marry you,” he whispered, his heart filled with love for her.

  She smiled up at him.
“Then let’s get married.”

  “I think we should join the others for dinner first,” he teased.

  She giggled at him. “I suppose we should.”

  He took her hand to lead her from the library. But she stopped and looked at him with a playful glance.

  “Wait a minute.... How do I know you’re not just marrying me for my money?” she asked flirtatiously, with an impish expression.

  “That’s true.... You don’t know that for sure now,” he retorted with a wicked grin. “I could be a dastardly fortune hunter, or a fiendish rogue, or a scoundrel with nefarious intentions who is only after your millions.”

  “My goodness! Should I call off our wedding then?” she questioned playfully.

  “No, you should not call off the wedding,” he said, turning serious and pulling her closer to him. “I am just a man who needs you, Meredith Rose Remington, and I don’t care if you have millions of dollars or only possess mere pennies to your name. Do you want to know why?”

  “Tell me why . . .” she said breathlessly.

  “Because I love you, and I want you more than anyone I have ever known. I don’t think I could live without you, my unexpected heiress.”

  “And I couldn’t possibly live without you, my pompous English lord,” she whispered, rising on tiptoes to kiss him.

  Epilogue

  The End

  September 1895

  London

  Phillip and Meredith Sinclair, now the Earl and Countess of Waverly, had just returned from their extended honeymoon in Scotland, where they spent their days wandering through quaint villages and visiting beautiful and imposing castles, and they spent their nights wrapped in each other’s arms.

  When they finally arrived back at Devon House, which was now Meredith’s new home as well, a letter was waiting there for her. Colette handed it to her at almost the same moment they walked in the front door.

  Now Meredith sat in Colette’s morning room with both Colette and Phillip.