Chapter 54

Alessandra sat in the lawyer's

office, angry at what had been said to her. Silently she wished she

had not told Edward he had to wait outside.

"I do not

understand," she said once more to the short, balding man in front

of her. "You seem to be saying there is no alternative but for me

to accept all of the land that has been in Mr Missinger's family

for generations, and

the dowry he obtained from

his wife's family!"

Mr Hogelby maintained his

patience in determination to not upset the wife and daughter-in-law

of one of his most prestigious client families.

"That is correct, Mrs

Chisholm. The will is iron clad, and there is no deviating from it.

Mr Missinger's mother was his last remaining family member, but

passed away shortly after she received news of her son's death.

There is no other living relative that has been found. I will also

point out to you that it was Mr Missinger's specific instruction

that you - and only you - will be recipient to this fortune. By

that, I mean that he has made sure that your husband and his family

can have no access to it. You - and you alone - will inherit a

considerable amount of land and money."

"But his wife?" Alessandra

asked, not believing what was being told to her.

"He left very specific

instructions not only that you should get everything, but that she

should get nothing. You cannot contest that, I am afraid, as that

aspect of the will does not concern you. She can contest it,

however as yet she has not."

On hearing

that news, Alessandra's

confusion reached a new level.

"I do not

understand. Katherine has not tried to claim … anything? She did

not come back to see you again , and ask that this be put right?"

"No," the man she faced

said. "As yet, she has not appeared to be bothered by the will at

all."

"Then why did she come to see

me? What was the purpose of her visit?" she wondered quietly.

"Mrs

Chisholm, you have to understand that Mrs Missinger was already

very wealthy before she married her husband, and she held onto much

of that wealth through their wedding contract. Her family is one of

the wealthiest in the region. She will still inherit a great deal

of land and fortune from her parents, so it is possible that she

simply does not need

to claim for her husband's

wealth."

Mr Hogelby watched the

young woman before him and certainly understood her dilemma.

Although he had been a lawyer all of his working life, it was the

first time he had met someone who not only was not demanding a

higher inheritance than had been left them, but in fact would

prefer to not receive it at all.

"Very well, Mr Hogelby,

what must I do now?" Alessandra asked, resigned to what she could

only accept and not change.

For the remainder of

their meeting, papers were read through and signed. Alessandra

walked out with the realisation that she was now a very wealthy

woman in her own right, without any input or expense from her

parents, her husband, or Chisholm Manor Estate.

Seeing Edward waiting for her,

she walked into his arms.

"I cannot talk about this at

present, Edward. We will discuss all of this at a later time, when

I have had time to think," she said quietly.

Edward nodded and walked her

out, his curiosity persistent in his thoughts.

~~~~~

When they arrived back at the

manor, Alessandra immediately ran up to the nursery to visit

Elizabeth. She was greeted by Margaret with her usual cheerful

manner, who stood back as Alessandra lifted her daughter and held

her tight against her.

Margaret watched the

interaction, feeling pride in how the young mistress had grown

since her initial awkward arrival at the manor a year earlier.

"Margaret, I believe my

milk is drying up. What shall I do?" she asked shyly, but was

greeted with a smile.

"Miss, I believe the young lady

is old enough now to go onto cow milk."

Alessandra showed her

surprise, but was also relieved. She was glad that perhaps a wet

nurse would not be required. That was something she did not want to

do willingly, as she could not enjoy the thought of someone else

sharing such intimacy with her child.

"She is?"

"Yes, Miss. It is quite normal

by this time for the change to be in place. While you are still

producing some milk, it is a good time to introduce a small amount

of cow milk each day. This will ensure she goes through the

changeover slowly."

Alessandra considered the

information she was being given and nodded.

"Very well, let us work toward

that."

"I will give her a little

tomorrow morning after you have given her a little of your milk.

That will give us the whole day to monitor her and make sure there

are no problems."

Alessandra nodded and settled

herself into the nursing chair in the nursery, willing her milk to

last another few days. Mother and daughter looked at each other

quietly as Elizabeth suckled.

The door to the nursery opened

and Edward walked in quietly, smiling at Margaret and taking in the

view before him.

"What a beautiful sight," he

said quietly, leaning over and kissing his wife. Looking down at

his daughter, he saw her pull away from her milk source and look up

at him. As had become usual routine, he reached down and scooped up

Elizabeth into a close cuddle to allow Alessandra to discretely

restore her gown tidily.

Edward walked around the room,

never letting his eyes leave his daughter's face until he saw her

eyes close as she drifted into her post-feed sleep. Gently he

placed her in her bassinet and tucked her in, before turning back

to his wife and leading her out the door as they headed together

down to lunch.

"I need to go with Father

to visit some tenants after we eat, so I may not see you until

supper time," he said. Curiosity about the morning's visit to the

lawyer was still in his mind, but he would not invade his wife's

privacy, or pressure her to speak.

Alessandra stopped short

of the dining room door and turned to him, moving forward and

providing him with a full standing hug, before kissing him

lovingly. She did not say anything, but Edward felt the fullness of

the depth of love exuding from her before he kissed her

back.