She returned to consideration of Lady Dalrymple’s news. However unrewarding, it was bound to be infinitely preferable to the letter that had lurked beneath it in the pile, from Daisy’s mother, the dowager viscountess.
“I’m surprised Pearson didn’t find out who the present heir is when he took over.” Alec poked disgustedly at the bowl of his pipe with a used matchstick, then reached for the matchbox and started the flare-puff routine again.
“It may not have crossed his mind. Cousin Edgar probably has a perfectly sound will leaving everything to his wife, and Tommy doesn’t go in for aristocratic clients. In fact, I think he does his best to avoid them, because of Madge being Lady Margaret. She told me he’s too independent to want to take advantage of her family connections.”
“I expect all he really wants is to avoid the complications of entailed estates.”
“I wouldn’t blame him,” said Daisy, trying to make out what Cousin Geraldine was going on about. Her writing was the kind that looks very neat but is difficult to decipher. “Oh, she’s complaining about the Dalrymples not being prolific in the production of sons. What cheek, when she hasn’t produced a single heir of the body herself, male or female. Besides, it worked to her advantage. If I’d had lots of brothers, she wouldn’t be a viscountess.”
“What exactly is Edgar’s relationship to you?”
“I’ve never worked it out.” Daisy had next to no interest in the ramifications of aristocratic family trees, unlike her friend Lucy. Possibly as a result, Lucy had married the younger son of a marquis and was now Lady Gerald Bincombe, whereas Daisy had married a Scotland Yard detective. “Some sort of second cousin, I think. Or third. Once removed, I’m pretty sure of that. Geraldine says they’re having to go back to my great-great-grandfather’s descendents now. That would be my great-grandfather’s brothers, I suppose.”
“Great Scott! They must have been born about—let’s see—1800, or so.” Smoke spiralled up and Alec sat back contentedly.
“The second brother was Edgar’s grandfather. Apparently the third never married. The fourth and youngest got a governess into trouble and was shipped off to the West Indies—at least, that’s the family legend.”
“Not one either your father or your mother would pass on to you.”
“How right you are. Gervaise told me.” And Gervaise had gone off to war when she was sixteen, so perhaps she had known about unmarried mothers when she was thirteen. “According to the story, the black sheep wrote to his mother when he married, but when he and his bride were not welcomed home with open arms, he was never heard from directly again. A trickle of news came in from travellers. Rumour reported that he had a large family living on the edge of respectability.”
“Who were not listed in the family bible, I take it.”
“I can’t say I ever looked, but I suppose not, or Edgar wouldn’t be having so much trouble now. My—let’s see—my grandfather also had a lot of children, a typical Victorian family, so they must have assumed the direct line was well assured. Geraldine says Tommy started the search by hiring someone to go through all the musty old papers in the muniments room. Oh, I think this says—”
“Is there an end to this story, Daisy?”
“Aren’t you itching to make the acquaintance of all the skeletons in my family’s cupboards?”
“’Fraid not.”
“Geraldine does go on a bit. Six pages! Let me see if I can find…” She skimmed through the rest, picking out phrases here and there. “Advertised in newspapers throughout the Empire.… Three claimants responded already—Good heavens! They’ll be at each other’s throats—Tommy thinks—No! She can’t be serious. Or am I misreading?…” She went back to the beginning of the sentence and pored over it word by word.
“‘No’ what?” Alec’s attention was caught.
“I don’t believe it! She wants me to be present when Tommy interviews the would-be heirs. Tommy wanted Edgar, as head of the family, but Geraldine says he’d be completely useless.”
“I’d agree with her there. Unless one of them turns out to be a fellow lepidopterist, in which case he’d be biased in his favour.”
“And Geraldine herself is not a member of the family by birth.”
“What about your mother—No, the same applies. Though I hardly think she’d appreciate anyone reminding her of the fact.”
Daisy giggled. “Darling, can you imagine either of them in attendance? The poor heirs would turn tail and decide the game wasn’t worth the candle.”