Chapter 14

Simone sat in the darkened coach as it traveled down the deserted street. No one was out this late at night- unless they were up to no good.

She sat across from Caleb and tried to pretend that his nearness didn't affect her. But it did. Quite frankly, she couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. He may have only kissed her cheek, but that one simple gesture touched her deeply.

The worst part was that she wanted him to kiss her again.

It didn't matter to her that they were so different. All that mattered was the way that he made her feel. She laughed more freely when he was around, and she even noticed her smile felt more genuine. Not the forced smile that she showed the world.

Simone resisted the urge to groan. This would not do. They were supposed to be married, in name only. She couldn't risk falling in love and pining after her husband for the remainder of her days.

Caleb's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You are rather quiet," he observed.

"I am thinking."

"Anything you would wish to share?"

No.

She didn't dare reveal what she was truly thinking on. So instead, she said, "I was just thinking about Juliette and Victor."

"We will figure out their plan and stop them," Caleb encouraged.

"I know, but I do not like that they included my father in it," Simone said. "He may be brash and inattentive, but he is still my father."

Caleb bobbed his head. "I understand that, more than you know."

Simone smoothed down her simple blue gown. "I know you do, which is why I feel comfortable sharing such things."

"I hope you are comfortable sharing everything with me since we will soon be married," Caleb said.

"Not in every sense," Simone corrected.

A playful smirk came to Caleb's lips. "I would be willing to make an exception."

Simone's back went rigid at his insinuation. "You gave me your word."

"I am just teasing you, Simone," Caleb said. "I would never do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable."

She felt herself relax and she even returned his smile. "I wish you wouldn't tease me so much."

"You'd think you would be used to it by now," Caleb joked. "Besides, I do not think I can stop. It is too much fun."

"You are incorrigible."

Caleb chuckled. "I have been called far worse- by you, actually."

She laughed. "It seems so long ago that we were at odds with one another," she said. "You are not as awful as I once thought."

Placing a hand over his heart, Caleb said, "Your words mean the world to me."

"I doubt that."

Caleb lowered his hand to his side and perused the length of her. "I half-expected you to wear trousers this evening."

"I debated about it, but I thought a dress would do just fine for sneaking into Mr. Frickle's office," Simone said. "I'm hoping this is not a waste of time."

"It won't be."

Simone's lips twitched. "Since when did you become so optimistic?"

"I was recently told that I need more hope in my life," Caleb shared. "I thought I would try it out on you."

"Who told you this?"

"Fredrick." Caleb hesitated before saying, "He expressed some concern about us marrying."

Simone frowned. "Why would he be concerned?"

"He worries that we won't be able to separate our personal lives from being spies, but I assured him that won't be the case," Caleb said.

She bit her lower lip, knowing she had a similar concern. "Do you think we are making a mistake?"

"No," he quickly replied. "Do you?"

Simone grew quiet. "I know I am not the easiest person to get along with, and I worry that you might come to regret marrying me."

Caleb leaned forward in his seat and held her gaze. "You are fierce, compassionate, and unapologetically authentic. What would I ever come to regret?" he asked.

"But you will never fall in love."

A solemnness marked his features. "I am a spy, and my duty is to King and Country. Nothing else is as important to me."

Simone felt a stab of disappointment at his words, but she didn't disagree with him. She felt the same way. She couldn't let emotions get in the way of their assignments.

The coach came to a stop in front of a two-level brick building and Caleb opened the door. After he stepped onto the pavement, he reached back and assisted her out.

Once her feet were on solid ground, she withdrew her hand and looked up at the darkened structure.

"Shall we?" Caleb asked.

They bypassed the main door and went to find a side entrance. Once they located one in the alleyway, Simone removed two slender metal pins from the pocket of her gown and maneuvered them into the lock. The soft click signaling the door's surrender echoed in the quiet alley moments later.

Simone rose and reached for the door handle. "Mr. Frickle's office is 2C," she revealed before she slipped inside. As she headed up the narrow flight of stairs to the second level, she saw that Caleb remained close behind.

Upon reaching 2C, Simone crouched down and retrieved the metal pins. Her second attempt at opening the door proved successful. The door creaked open, granting them access to Mr. Frickle's office.

The small room was laid out with a desk at its center. A lone window adorned the back wall, while bookshelves lined the remaining space.

Simone headed for the desk and started methodically opening its drawers. She needed to find that contract, but beyond that, she wasn't quite sure what she was looking for.

Caleb pulled out the bottom drawer and ran his fingers along the files. His finger stopped on one and he pulled it out. "This file has your name on it," he informed her.

Simone accepted the file and opened it. She saw the contract for her grandmother's estate was on the top of the pile, but she couldn't make out anything. It was too dark, and not even the moon shining through the windows cast enough light to read the small print.

"I can't read anything," she admitted.

Caleb reached for the candle on the table and lit it. Then, he brought it close to the paper in her hand.

"Thank you," Simone murmured.

As she reviewed the contract, she didn't see anything that they didn't already know. The contract was in her name and it had been signed on her behalf. Most likely by her father.

Simone placed the contract down onto the desk and rifled through the other papers in the file. Her hand stilled on her grandmother's will.

"It is my grandmother's will," Simone said.

Caleb gave her an expectant look. "Are you going to read it?"

"Yes," Simone said as she brought it closer to the light.

As she read it, she could scarcely believe what she was reading. This paper proved everything that her father had told her about her grandmother's estate was a lie.

Lowering the paper, she shared, "My father lied to me. He told me that my grandmother only left me fifteen thousand pounds, but that wasn't true. My grandmother left me everything- the estate, her money, and all of her land."

Simone handed Caleb the will and continued. "My grandmother's estate is worth over forty thousand pounds, and that doesn't include the twenty thousand pounds in the bank."

Caleb's brow shot up. "You are an heiress."

"Yes, but my father kept this from me," she said. "Why?"

"Greed," Caleb replied.

Simone placed a hand up to her forehead. "My father may be many things, but I never thought he would cheat me out of my inheritance."

Caleb reviewed the will before asking, "What do you intend to do?"

"First, to start with, I am going to stop the sale of my grandmother's estate, and claim my inheritance," Simone replied.

"I have a solicitor that can help with that," Caleb said. "He is trustworthy and has been employed by my family for many years."

Simone shook her head. "This won't be an easy feat. I suspect that my father will try to fight me on this."

"Legally, he has no footing," Caleb said.

"It is a large sum of money that he stands to lose."

Caleb placed the will down onto the table. "It was never his money to have," he pointed out. "We will take your grandmother's will so Mr. Frickle nor your father have a chance of destroying it."

Simone was curious about something. "Why do you suppose my grandmother didn't leave her estate to my mother?"

"Does it matter as to the reason?" Caleb asked.

"I suppose not, but my mother shared a close relationship with my grandmother," Simone revealed. "I don't know why she would have been left out of the will."

Caleb gathered the papers and placed them into the file. "That doesn't matter now. We just need to ensure you receive what is rightfully yours."

"You are right," Simone said.

Keeping a tight hold on the file, Caleb blew out the candle and headed towards the door. Simone followed him, being mindful of locking the door behind her.

Neither of them spoke as they returned to the coach. Once the door was closed, Caleb held up the file. "Do you want me to hold on to these until I give them to my solicitor?"

"I think that is wise," Simone said.

Caleb brought the file down and asked, "Are you all right?"

Simone didn't know what to feel, knowing what she knew now. "I had no idea my father would treat me so unjustly. He would have stolen my inheritance had I not searched his office and overheard his conversation."

"It was a good thing that you ran into your mother's lady's maid," Caleb said.

"Do you think she knew what my father had planned?" Simone asked.

Caleb shrugged. "I don't know, but she did warn you not to trust your father. Apparently, she was right in doing so."

Simone acknowledged his words with a nod, then shifted her gaze towards the window. Her father was not the man that she thought he was. She wondered what else he was keeping from her. Was he working with Juliette and Victor?

So many emotions whirled in her head and she wasn't sure what she should feel. Anger. Betrayal. Despite all of this, she still loved her father, but now she knew she couldn't trust him. Not anymore.

As an heiress, did this change anything? Would Caleb still want to marry her? She hoped so because she still very much wanted to marry him.

The following morning, Caleb was about to enter the dining room when his sister slipped out of the door and blocked his path.

"I'm sorry," Anette said with a weak smile on her lips.

Unsure of why she would utter an apology, he asked, "For what?"

Anette stepped out of his way. "You will see soon enough."

Caleb entered the dining room to find his mother and father seated at the table, both wearing broad smiles. His heart dropped. They knew of his engagement to Simone, and now he was dreading this upcoming conversation.

His mother jumped up from her chair when she saw him. "Caleb, come sit and join us for breakfast," she said in a far too exuberant voice for such an early hour. "Anette just told us the wonderful news."

With a glance over his shoulder at Anette, Caleb muttered, "Did she now?"

Anette winced, having the decency to look ashamed. "Roswell told me this morning," she shared. "I had come over to congratulate you and I had wrongly assumed that you told them about Simone."

"I had not," Caleb said.

"Sorry," Anette mouthed.

His mother spoke up, drawing back his attention. "Have you posted the banns yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," Caleb replied. "I only just asked Simone to marry me last night. But I hope to do it soon."

"I will start planning the wedding luncheon at once," his mother said. "Do you know what Simone's favorite flower is? We will decorate the townhouse with an abundance of fresh flowers."

Caleb shrugged. "I do not know what her favorite flower is."

His mother gave him a disapproving look. "You will have to ask her. A man should always know his wife's favorite flower." She paused. "Is she commissioning a gown for the wedding? If so, she needs to meet with the dressmaker at once. That is not something that she can wait until the last minute for."

"I don't know what dress she intends to wear," Caleb said. "Does it matter?"

Her eyes went wide. "Of course it matters!" she exclaimed. "The gown a woman wears at her wedding sets the tone for the whole marriage."

"Breathe, Elizabeth. It is just a gown," his father's calm voice interjected.

Anette approached the table and suggested, "I think it might be best if we do not bombard Caleb with questions since he only just got engaged."

Caleb offered his sister a grateful look, but it was short-lived. His mother was many things, but being patient was not one of them.

His mother waved her hand in front of her. "Unfortunately, that is impossible. We have a limited time to plan the wedding of the Season."

"I just want a simple wedding," Caleb said.

"But is that what Simone wants?" his mother asked. "Her mother had an extravagant wedding and even the queen was in attendance."

The last thing Caleb wanted was such an elaborate wedding, but he would do whatever Simone wanted. "I will ask her."

His mother bobbed her head in approval. "Will you go now?"

"Now?" Caleb asked, glancing at the plate of food in front of him. "I haven't even had breakfast yet."

"Let the boy eat," his father said.

His mother sighed. "Fine. Eat some bread and…"

"Elizabeth, you need to pace yourself," his father counseled, speaking over her. "You can't wear yourself out planning this wedding."

"I won't, I promise," his mother said. "I just want everything to be perfect."

Caleb reached for his fork and knife. "All I want is Simone to stand up with me in the front of the chapel. Nothing else matters to me."

His mother snapped her fingers. "I should go speak to our cook now about the menu for the luncheon," she stated. "Anette, would you care to join me? I could use your opinion."

"As you wish, Mother," Anette said.

After his mother and sister departed from the dining room, his father leaned closer to him and asked, "Why are you truly marrying Simone?"

Caleb furrowed his brow. "I beg your pardon?"

His father gave him a pointed look. "You have been telling us for years that you have no desire to marry and suddenly you get engaged. With no warning. Why is that?"

"It was unexpected, but not unwanted, I assure you," Caleb said.

"Why Simone?"

Caleb placed his fork and knife down and turned towards his father. "Does the reason really matter?"

"I suppose not, but you better be sure," his father replied. "Taking a wife is not a decision to be taken lightly."

"I am aware."

His father reached for his glass and took a sip. As he placed the glass back onto the table, he asked, "Do you love her?"

"Father—"

He cut Caleb off. "Do you love her?" he repeated.

Caleb clenched his jaw, knowing he didn't have a straightforward answer for his father. "I can't explain precisely what I feel for Simone, but I do care for her. Is that not enough?"

"Marriage is hard enough, even when you like the person," his father said. "But love binds you two together. Without it, you both will go in different directions."

"I understand."

His father lowered his voice. "I don't pretend to know how you spend your time, or what you got yourself into, but I do believe it is honorable. You saved me, and this family, from ruination when you helped me out of my predicament." He paused. "I can't help but wonder if Simone is involved in what you do."

"I can't say?—"

His father put his hand up, stilling his words. "I just hope you aren't going about this alone. You deserve someone to love you, and help you, in whatever it is that you are doing."

Caleb leaned forward and said, "I like being alone. I prefer it, actually. But that is how I knew Simone was different, because for the first time, I wanted someone else's company more than my own."

"If that is the case, I am happy for you, Son."

"Thank you," Caleb said, leaning back. "Now about Mother…" His voice intentionally trailed off.

His father chuckled. "I will see what I can do, but you know how she gets."

"I do, and that is what concerns me."

The butler stepped into the room and met Caleb's gaze. "Mr. Morrish has arrived. I have shown him to the study."

Caleb pushed back his seat. "Thank you."

His father gave him a curious look. "Why is our solicitor here?" he asked. "Did I miss a meeting?"

"I had an issue arise with Simone and I was hoping for Mr. Morrish's expertise on the matter," Caleb said, rising. "If you will excuse me, I will return shortly."

Caleb left the dining room, making his way towards the study located at the rear of the townhouse. Upon entering, he saw Mr. Morrish was standing near the hearth. The solicitor was tall, thin, and had a head full of white hair. His sharp eyes held a keen intelligence as they focused on Caleb's entrance.

"Mr. Morrish," Caleb greeted. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Your note said that it was urgent," Mr. Morrish said, adjusting the rounded spectacles on his nose.

Caleb walked over to the desk and retrieved Simone's file. "I need your advice on something," he said. "My fiancée, Miss Simone Delacourt, has found herself in an unusual spot."

"I hadn't realized you were engaged, sir," Mr. Morrish stated. "Congratulations are in order."

"It is a recent development." Caleb retrieved the will and extended it towards Mr. Morrish. "Miss Delacourt came across this will and needs help to ensure her grandmother's wishes are honored."

Mr. Morrish studied the will for a long moment. "Everything appears to be in order. What is the problem?"

"Her father did not tell her about her inheritance and tried to claim it for himself," Caleb said.

"Is your fiancée of age?"

Caleb nodded. "She is, and I do believe her father's intentions were dishonorable," he replied.

Mr. Morrish's eyes held understanding. "With your permission, I will take this will to probate court and we will get this figured out," he said. "I see no reason why the judge won't decide in Miss Delacourt's favor."

"That is what we are hoping for," Caleb responded.

The solicitor pulled out his pocket watch. "I will go to court at once, but I should warn you that it could take a few weeks until the judge hears the case."

"That is not unexpected," Caleb said. "I would ask that you use discretion in this matter, considering Miss Delacourt stands to inherit a large estate."

Mr. Morrish bowed. "Yes, sir. I would have it no other way."

"Thank you," Caleb said.

After the solicitor walked out of the study, it was only a moment later before Anette stepped into the room.

"Have you recovered?" she asked.

"From what?"

Anette grinned. "Mother's inquisition," she said.

Caleb returned his sister's smile. "I do not think Mother can help herself," he said. "I just hope she will let Simone have a say."

Anette approached the desk and sat down. "I am happy for you, Brother. Simone is a good choice and will make a fine addition to this family."

"You are just saying that because you think she is a spy."

"Isn't she?"

Caleb shook his head. "I won't ever say," he said.

Anette tilted her head, scrutinizing him for a prolonged moment. "I thought you were against marriage," she remarked. "Which makes all of this so much more confusing."

"Am I not allowed to change my mind?"

"You are," Anette replied. "Once we are both wed, I fear that Mother won't have a purpose anymore."

"But she will. It will be her grandchildren."

Anette let out a sigh. "Let's hope that won't be for a long time. I am just enjoying being married to Roswell."

The clock in the corner chimed, signaling the time for Caleb to depart. "If you will excuse me, I have an errand that I must see to before I call upon Simone."

Rising, Anette said, "Make sure you ask her what her favorite flower is. If not, Mother is likely to show up on her doorstep and ask her herself."

"Most likely." Caleb walked over to his sister and kissed her on the cheek. "You are lucky that I like you, Sister, or else I would be furious you told Mother and Father about my engagement."

"I am sorry."

Caleb took a step back. "It was a conversation that had to happen. I suppose I should be happy that it is over now."

"So I did you a favor, then?" Anette asked, perking up.

Caleb chuckled. "I think not." He walked over to the door and stopped. "If I had my way, I would acquire a special license and marry Simone today."

Anette's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't dare," she said. "Mother would never forgive you if you did such a thing."

"I care more for what Simone thinks," he responded.

As Caleb headed towards the main door, he realized that he had meant his words. He would marry Simone today, tomorrow, or any day that she was willing to do so. It didn't matter to him when they were wed, as long as they were wed.