Page 31 of Good Duke Gone Rogue

The solicitor interjected, “You’re the duke.”

Reggie sat.

And he sat. And he sat. And he didn’t think all that much. In fact, very few recognizable thoughts passed through his mind as he let the words sink in.

“I’m not a duke.” That was the one clever thought that made its way to the foreground.

“You are a duke. The Duke of Northfore. In Scotland.”

“But…peerages are inherited through male ancestors.”

“In nearly every peerage, that is the case. Even more so in England. Rest assured, I’m correct in identifying you as the duke, passed through your mother’s lineage. This is a most unusual case though, to be sure. Perhaps even a solitaryexample.” He scratched his bald head. “It’s hard to explain, but the will and the laws are clear. You are the duke.”

“I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” He had friends who had inherited dukedoms. But it had all happened the normal way. Someone died. They had no male relatives, and somehow the peerage was inherited by a distant relative.

“I have also never heard of this happening. It is a peculiar case to be sure.” He shuffled his papers again, as if aligning them would somehow put the disjointed details of this situation in place as well.

“But I’ve had several solicitors review this file. There’s no mistake.”

“The Duke of Northfore, you say?”

“Indeed.”

“Who knows about this?”

“I don’t quite catch your meaning.”

“Who knows that I’m a duke?”

“Well,” he scratched his head again, “I suppose only the solicitors that have overseen this case.”

“And besides that, I’m the first and only person to know?”

“Although we were discreet, I can’t be sure gossip from the servants at Northfore hasn’t spread, but yes, you are correct.”

Reggie leaned back in his chair. As if the last couple of days hadn’t thrown enough at him. Now this. An entire bloody dukedom.

Air rushed out of his lips.

The solicitor interpreted the gesture as a request for more information. “It’s a smaller dukedom, as far as peerages go. But it is thriving. The former duke passed away but left an excellent man of business in charge. Should you like to visit, and I assume you would do so sooner rather than later, it’s not far from Greyshire. And to my knowledge, there’s a new duke there as well. Just recently moved in—”

“Yes. I know him.”

The solicitor tilted his head, “Personally?”

“Yes, personally.” He scowled. “He’s my brother-in-law.”

“Well, how…odd.” That was the crux of it.

“Entirely.”

“It seems a strange play of fate, but stranger things have happened. I think,” he muttered the last two words. “Since you know him, you will have a welcoming neighbor, of sorts, to greet you.” He gave Reggie a quick glance and handed him the file. “I’ll leave this with you then. We have copies. Included is my card should you need to reach me.”

“Thank you,” Reggie dipped his head.

“Your Grace,” and the man turned and left.

A duke. What was he going to do as a duke? He wasn’t ready for an earldom, let alone a dukedom.

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