The Settling of Scores

Chapter 20

            By the time they'd left Mr. Pottersfield's office it was just after one in the afternoon and Priscilla was fighting a headache from the past few hours events and information. Her father's estate had been worth more than she'd ever imagined it to be. Sir Alex held a bank draft for only a very small portion of it.

            "I think this ledger is all we need to confront the Reid's with," Oliver said holding a blue book in his hand. "It contains the last year's entries of what your father made and spent and according to the ledger he made several investments that should have paid a good return after his death as well. We should be able to make them confess with this evidence."

            "If they haven't spent it already or try and say Mr. Pottersfield made off with all of it," Priscilla replied. "I don't understand why they did what they did, but then greed often plays a large part if what people do, I've learned that over the years."

            "Yes, it does," Devlyn told her. "I think this has shown me my need to keep my children informed. We have a tendency not to want to burden them with things we think they may not understand but should know if something happened to Amanda and me. We have named more than one person as their guardians. Tony, Avery and Alex will decide for our four children."

            Priscilla felt the coach slow then come to a halt.

            "I think we have arrived," Oliver said.

            Priscilla again watched the Duke leave the coach followed by Lord Oliver, who once again helped her down. Priscilla looked up at the strange house they were now living in. "This isn't my aunt and uncle's house," she told him.

            "It is the address I found for them when Devlyn gave me their names," Oliver replied. "But it is also the address of the house your father purchased just before he died."

            "They…they must have moved here after I left," Priscilla said as she took Lord Oliver's arm and slowly walked behind the others up the steps of a beautiful four-story white brick townhouse. Priscilla wanted to cry to think this was the house he'd purchased for her to make her come out from. It was supposed to be another surprise just as the estate next to his was meant to be.

            The door opened before they were halfway up the steps by a butler Priscilla had never seen before. Devlyn gave the butler his name and card, as did Tony.

            "We would like to see Mr. and Mrs. Reid," Devlyn told the man.

            "Come this way please, Your Grace's," he said and led them to a drawing room then left them to see if the Reid's would see them.

            Priscilla looked around at the well-appointed drawing room in exceptional good taste. Oliver drew her back along the same wall the doorway was so that upon entering the Reid's would not notice her at first. As they waited she wondered if this was how the house had been furnished when her father purchased it.

            In about five minutes, both her Aunt Lavina and Uncle Randolph hastened into the room to greet the the two dukes.

            Devlyn made the introductions of Tony, Sir Alex and himself. He left Priscilla and Lord Oliver's names unsaid since neither her aunt nor uncle had noticed them yet.

            "Do what do we owe this unexpected visit, Your Grace's," Randolph Reid asked them.

            "Wolverleigh and I came on behalf of my uncle," Devlyn told them.