Page 127 of Harpy of the Ton
Trelawney sipped his port. “Do you know what a trusteeship is?”
Lawrence shook his head.
“It’s when assets are placed under the guardianship of others. The beneficiary of the assets has little to no control over them. Instead, the trustees are responsible for any decisions.”
“Are you saying I should place my earnings in a—a trust?”
Trelawney arched his eyebrows. “You’ve not understood my meaning.”
Which came as no surprise—the man spoke in riddles.
“Mr. Crawford was a trustee of the fortune of an orphaned girl.” Trelawney paused, as if expecting a reply, but Lawrence said nothing.
What the devil was he rattling on about?
“As an only child,” Trelawney continued, “and afemale, she couldn’t inherit her father’s title, nor his estate. But her father had the foresight to establish a trust in her name, which would be released on her marriage, or when she came into her majority.”
“Majority?”
“When she reached the age of twenty-one,” Trelawney said. “The father was, by all accounts, an excellent man—educated, well traveled. He doted on his wife and daughter—took them with him when he toured the continent. He was particularly fond of Rome, so Stockton said. Quite unlike his heir who is, I gather, something of a wastrel.”
“His heir?”
“A distant cousin. On hearing about his inheritance, he couldn’t claim the estate quickly enough, and he sent the child away. Of course, with a substantial fortune in trust, most would envy, rather than pity, the girl. And envy breeds great evil, does it not?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Lawrence said, swallowing the discomfort pricking at his skin. “I’ve never envied anyone in my life. I’m a believer in the rewards to be reaped from hard work.”
“Then you’re a better man than most. Better than Crawford and his client.”
“What does Crawford, or his client, have to do with me?” Lawrence asked.
“The conditions of the trust stated that one of the trustees should be a partner in Allardice, Allardice, and Stockton. When Crawford became a partner, he took over the role from the elder Mr. Allardice, but he appointed his client as a fellow trustee.”
Lawrence drained his glass. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because Crawford’s been exposed as a fraudster,” Trelawney said. “Stockton told me he nearly ruined the firm’s reputation when the full extent of his activities was revealed—trusts breached, clients overcharged, funds misappropriated. He came to reassure me that my affairs were in order.”
“And you believe him?” Lawrence asked.
“Completely. He discovered Crawford’s deception and acted swiftly. You see, when the beneficiary of the trust went missing, Crawford tried to release her fortune to his client. When Stockton discovered what he was up to, he promptly dismissed him. Crawford’s currently residing in Newgate awaiting the assizes, and Stockton’s taken over as trustee.”
“So, the criminal was brought to justice and the fortune is safe.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not.”
Bloody hell—what was the man on about?
“Why are you tellin’ me this, Mr. Trelawney?” Lawrence asked.
“Because I fear the client won’t stop until he has his hands on the girl’s fortune. They were engaged, you see.”
Lawrence’s stomach clenched. Surely Trelawney wasn’t referring to…
“E-engaged?”
“She was set to marry him, at which point her fortune would transfer to him. But she disappeared. Without trace. After her disappearance, Crawford tried to seize her fortune. Now his plan’s been thwarted, his client has only one course of action left.”
“Which is?”
