Page 4 of Loving a Noble Gentleman
“William Roberts passed away years ago. We went to his funeral. Do you not remember?”
Iris felt bad, but she did not like to pay too much attention to any funeral these days. Especially as they became increasingly regular with each passing year. Her husband’s funeral was the worst day of her entire life, and she did not like to be reminded of it by the passing of others.
Not that she could explain that to Edmund. He did not have such an emotional view of the world.
“Of course, I am sorry. So please tell me what the letter says.”
“William Roberts left a clause in his will all those years ago that affects me now.”
Iris had to clench her fist tight to prevent herself from snatching the page from her son’s hand. She could not understand why he was being so cryptic with her.
“And this has just come to light now?”
Edmund’s skin paled as he continued to speak. “His youngest daughter, Mary Roberts, has just turned eighteen years of age. He wishes her to inherit the family home, but not without being married.”
“I see.”
Iris did not see why this news was letter worthy, but she was doing her best to patiently wait for Edmund to finally get there.
“He wishes for her to marry me.”
Iris’ heart stopped dead in her chest. She did not expect her son’s sentence to end in that way. Her hands gripped onto the teacup so tightly she feared she might smash it. Yet she could not let go; it was almost as if she had no control over her body anymore.
“You must have made quite the impression for him to make such a will,” she replied in almost a whisper.
“Hedidlike me a lot,” Edmund admitted. “We always got on very well, and he was impressed with my strong work ethic.”
Edmund did not say this part aloud for fear of upsetting his mother, but he liked William Roberts a lot too. He helped him in a way that his father would have, had he been alive. They had a family-like bond. He was utterly devastated when the man died. He did not want his mother to think that he ever wanted to replace his father, though. That was never the case.
“Did he ever mention his daughter to you?”
“He did not.” Edmund shook his head firmly. “But I suppose we were both too young then to even think about marriage.”
“You certainly are not too young now.” Iris cocked her head to one side, examining her son curiously. Now that the initial shock had passed, she could see the situation a lot more rationally. Surprisingly, it made a whole lot of sense for this to happen. “At four and twenty years old, you do need to find yourself a wife.”
“I do not see it that way.” Edmund thrust his arms across his chest. “I do not want a wife I do not know. I want a wife I can love.”
“This Lady has a title and wealth; she is exactly the sort of woman who you should be marrying ...”
“Which is exactly why I do not wish to marry her,” Edmund interrupted. “I have not yet met a Lady who I like.”
“What is wrong with the Ladies you have met?”
“I do not know exactly. They seem dull and uninspiring.”
Edmund could not quite put his finger on it; they just never inspired anything within him. He kept waiting for that exciting moment when he met a woman who would bring him to life and make him realise just what he was looking for. When it happened, he would know it. If there was one thing he felt certain of, it was that.
“I did not know I would love your father when I first met him,” Iris warned as she spotted the dream-like quality in her son’s eyes. “That did not come right away.”
“I understand that ...”
“I do not think you do,” Iris interrupted firmly. “I think you assume that things will happen like they do in a fairy tale, which is not the case.”
Edmund’s entire face reddened and steamed up. He felt utterly appalled by his mother’s comments. “I am not a child,” he hissed back. “I know what the world is like. I just do not wish to have my future dictated for me.”
“Even by a man that you respect?” Iris asked with one eyebrow raised in amusement. “I thought that William Roberts meant a lot to you.”
“He did ...” Edmund did not know where his mother was going with this, and the uncertainty shook in his voice. “But I do not think ...”
