ONE
“Darling, what on earth are ‘heirs of the body?” Daisy enquired, frowning at the wad of blue Basildon Bond writing paper in her hand. She had been busy all day and was only now, after dinner, opening the afternoon post.
“Postmortem effluvia?”
“H-e-i-r.”
“Coroners?” Without looking up from the Evening Standard, Alec reached for his whisky, an indulgence usually reserved for celebrating the end of a big investigation. “Undertakers? Worms?”
“Ugh, Daddy, thats disgusting!” Belindas Easter holidays had started just a couple of days earlier, and her father was apt to forget to mind his tongue in her presence.
“What, worms? Just think, if they didnt do their work wed be up to our necks in bodies.”
“Alec, really! In any case, ‘heirs is the important word here. Cousin Edgars coming up to his fiftieth birthday and apparently it dawned on him a few months ago that he hasnt the faintest idea who is heir to the title and Fairacres.”
“Your letters from Lord Dalrymple?”
“No, Cousin Geraldine. Shes frightfully scathing about ‘heirs of the body, but I cant make out why.”
“Itd be because she and Lord Dalrymple have no children. Its just a legal term for legitimate offspring, and their legitimate offspring, ad infinitum.”
Daisy cast an anxious glance at her stepdaughter.
“Its all right, Mummy,” Bel said indulgently. “I know what legitimate means, and illegitimate. Its whether the mother and father are married or not.”
How did children find out such things? Daisy wondered. She was sure she hadnt been aware at the age of thirteen that procreation without matrimony was even possible. Times had changed between 1911 and 1927!
“I read it in a book.” Bel answered her unvoiced question. “And looked it up in the dictionary.”
“Well, darling, Im glad youre using your dictionary. But I was rather hoping you didnt know what it means.”
“Oh, Mummy, how positively Victorian!”
Since Daisy frequently decried the persistent influence of Victorian attitudes in older generations, she was left speechless.
Alec had set aside his paper to fill his pipe. Now, between the vigorous puffs required to get it burning, he said, “Im not really up in all that stuff, but the ‘body bit must mean that step- or adopted children dont count. And the original entail, or patent, or will, or whatever must have specified heirs male of the body. Otherwise, your brother having died, love, I think your sisters eldest son would have inherited the estate and title from your father. Or perhaps Violet first, and then Derek. But dont quote me on that.”
“Derek?” said Bel. “Oh, wouldnt it be fun if he was Lord Dalrymple!”
“A new law was passed just last year, though, and Im not sure what effect it has in a situation like this.”
“Tommy Pearson must know.”
“Hes your cousins solicitor?”
“Yes. Cousin Edgar always felt Fathers lawyer—the old family firm since forever—condescended to him because hed been a schoolmaster, not brought up to his new station in life. He was very impressed with Tommys part in that kidnapping business.… You didnt hear that, Bel.”
“I think Id better go and read in bed,” said Belinda with dignity, “if youre going to keep talking about things Im not supposed to hear.”
“Heavens yes, its after ten. Past your bedtime.”
Belinda kissed each of them goodnight, then said, “Mummy, may I go and see the twins? Just a peek?”
“Of course, darling. You dont need to ask. Quiet as a mouse, though.”
“I know. I just like to ask in case Nurse Gilpin catches me. She cant fuss if youve said yes, can she?”
Alec grinned. “I wouldnt count on it. Every victory over Mrs. Gilpin is temporary.”
“I dont care much if she does fuss. Theyre my brother and sister, after all. Daddy, is Oliver your ‘heir male of the body?”
“He would be if I had a title, pet, but you cant inherit a job with the Metropolitan Police. As it is, youre all my heirs.”
Daisy was not prepared to go into the business of a fathers part in the bodily side of parenthood. “Run along and tackle Nurse, now, darling,” she said firmly.
Looking determined, Belinda left the room.
Daisy sighed. Sometimes life seemed to be a perpetual battle with Oliver and Mirandas nanny, whose Victorian attitude dictated that parents had no business in the nursery.
She returned to consideration of Lady Dalrymples news. However unrewarding, it was bound to be infinitely preferable to the letter that had lurked beneath it in the pile, from Daisys mother, the dowager viscountess.
“Im surprised Pearson didnt find out who the present heir is when he took over.” Alec poked disgustedly at the bowl of his pipe with a used matchstick, then reached for the matchbox and started the flare-puff routine again.
“It may not have crossed his mind. Cousin Edgar probably has a perfectly sound will leaving everything to his wife, and Tommy doesnt go in for aristocratic clients. In fact, I think he does his best to avoid them, because of Madge being Lady Margaret. She told me hes too independent to want to take advantage of her family connections.”
“I expect all he really wants is to avoid the complications of entailed estates.”
“I wouldnt blame him,” said Daisy, trying to make out what Cousin Geraldine was going on about. Her writing was the kind that looks very neat but is difficult to decipher. “Oh, shes complaining about the Dalrymples not being prolific in the production of sons. What cheek, when she hasnt produced a single heir of the body herself, male or female. Besides, it worked to her advantage. If Id had lots of brothers, she wouldnt be a viscountess.”
“What exactly is Edgars relationship to you?”
“Ive never worked it out.” Daisy had next to no interest in the ramifications of aristocratic family trees, unlike her friend Lucy. Possibly as a result, Lucy had married the younger son of a marquis and was now Lady Gerald Bincombe, whereas Daisy had married a Scotland Yard detective. “Some sort of second cousin, I think. Or third. Once removed, Im pretty sure of that. Geraldine says theyre having to go back to my great-great-grandfathers descendents now. That would be my great-grandfathers brothers, I suppose.”
“Great Scott! They must have been born about—lets see—1800, or so.” Smoke spiralled up and Alec sat back contentedly.
“The second brother was Edgars grandfather. Apparently the third never married. The fourth and youngest got a governess into trouble and was shipped off to the West Indies—at least, thats the family legend.”
“Not one either your father or your mother would pass on to you.”
“How right you are. Gervaise told me.” And Gervaise had gone off to war when she was sixteen, so perhaps she had known about unmarried mothers when she was thirteen. “According to the story, the black sheep wrote to his mother when he married, but when he and his bride were not welcomed home with open arms, he was never heard from directly again. A trickle of news came in from travellers. Rumour reported that he had a large family living on the edge of respectability.”
“Who were not listed in the family bible, I take it.”
“I cant say I ever looked, but I suppose not, or Edgar wouldnt be having so much trouble now. My—lets see—my grandfather also had a lot of children, a typical Victorian family, so they must have assumed the direct line was well assured. Geraldine says Tommy started the search by hiring someone to go through all the musty old papers in the muniments room. Oh, I think this says—”
“Is there an end to this story, Daisy?”
“Arent you itching to make the acquaintance of all the skeletons in my familys cupboards?”
“Fraid not.”
“Geraldine does go on a bit. Six pages! Let me see if I can find…” She skimmed through the rest, picking out phrases here and there. “Advertised in newspapers throughout the Empire.… Three claimants responded already—Good heavens! Theyll be at each others throats—Tommy thinks—No! She cant be serious. Or am I misreading?…” She went back to the beginning of the sentence and pored over it word by word.
“‘No what?” Alecs attention was caught.
“I dont believe it! She wants me to be present when Tommy interviews the would-be heirs. Tommy wanted Edgar, as head of the family, but Geraldine says hed be completely useless.”
“Id agree with her there. Unless one of them turns out to be a fellow lepidopterist, in which case hed be biased in his favour.”
“And Geraldine herself is not a member of the family by birth.”
“What about your mother—No, the same applies. Though I hardly think shed appreciate anyone reminding her of the fact.”
Daisy giggled. “Darling, can you imagine either of them in attendance? The poor heirs would turn tail and decide the game wasnt worth the candle.”
“Your sister? No, I suppose not.”
“I doubt if shes ever spoken to a solicitor in her life. If Tommy really considers it necessary, Ill do it.”
“Come off it, love. Dont try to tell me youre not dying to listen in.”
“It might be interesting. And, you never know,” she added persuasively, “I might spot something proving one of the claimants is a fake.”
“I presume thats why Pearson would like a family member present. Dont worry, I shant try to stop you, if hes agreeable. In fact, Id bet he approached Edgar first only as a matter of etiquette and he was really angling for you all along.”
Such a vote of confidence deserved a kiss, which Daisy duly bestowed. The rest of Geraldines screed and the dowagers letter did not get read that evening.
Copyright © 2013 by Carola Dunn