Selina shuddered. ‘I would rather hire myself out as a scullery maid,’ she said. ‘I would marry if I could find someone I could live with—but Cousin Joshua? Would you wish to live with him, Amy?’
‘No!’ Amy made a wry face. ‘He might let us stop here for a while if you were nice to him, Selina. He likes you.’
‘He is angry with me at the moment because I refused his offer of marriage. It is unfortunate that he is our only relative on Father’s side. The elder of Papa’s brothers, Sebastian, and his son, Simon, were drowned ten years ago. I believe they might have allowed us to stay here, for Uncle Sebastian was always kind to us, but Cousin Joshua is different. Mama had only her aunt Mabel, who died two years ago, as you know. She left Mama what she had but it was very little—just that pearl necklace and a thousand pounds, which is what has paid for our clothes this past two years—yours, mine, Mama’s, Millie’s and the servants’. I daresay there isn’t above two hundred pounds left in Mama’s account.’
‘Well, we shall soon know.’ Amy glanced at the beautiful mantel clock. ‘Mr Breck will be here in an hour, and he will tell us how much we have to live on now that Mama …’
Once again Amy almost dissolved into tears.
‘If we have to sell some things, that mantel clock should be worth several guineas—enough to keep us for six months, I daresay,’ Selina said thoughtfully.
‘You cannot sell that, Selina.’ Amy was shocked. ‘It was one of Mama’s favourite things. Her father gave it to her for her last birthday before he died.’
‘I know that.’ Selina sighed. ‘I want to keep all Mama’s things when we move, but if we do not have enough to live on …’ Her words died away as she heard the sounds of a carriage drawing up outside.
Amy went to the window of their small parlour, then turned to look at her. ‘It’s Cousin Joshua.’
‘Oh, no, why did he have to come today? Surely he cannot be so impatient to move in? He has a perfectly good house of his own.’
‘Which is why he may sell this one.’
‘Yes, I know. He did speak of it.’ Selina drew her shoulders back as the parlour door opened and the housekeeper announced the arrival of their visitor. ‘Good morning, cousin. How pleasant to see you. Will you not come to the fire? I am sure it is cold out.’
‘Thank you, Selina.’ Her cousin nodded and moved to the fire to warm his hands. ‘I knew you were expecting your father’s lawyer this morning. I have some news for you myself, but I shall wait until the lawyer has had his say.’ He paused to clear his throat. ‘You must not expect good news, cousin. Sir Richard had little left but this house and a few fields, which I understand bear a mortgage. Since the house and what remains of the estate are entailed, I fear they come to me, which means I must provide for you in some way.’
‘You are very kind, cousin,’ Selina said stiffly. ‘But Mama had a little money of her own, and I hope it will not be necessary for us to become a burden on your purse.’
He had the grace to look awkward as he said, ‘I know you girls are of an independent mind, but I’m not short of a bob or two—neither am I insensitive to your grief. I should certainly not ask you to move out of this house for at least a month—and even then you know you may all have a home with me.’
‘But that means we must leave before Christmas!’ Selina exclaimed, and then turned away before she could lose her temper.
‘You are so very kind,’ Amy said, because Selina was still turned away, her hands clenching at her sides as she struggled against her emotions. ‘But truly Selina speaks for us all—we shall be independent if we can.’
‘If you can, of course,’ he agreed, much mollified by Amy’s sweet smile. ‘I am not made of stone, Miss Amy. I could not see my cousins starve or be deprived of all their precious things. I know some of the furnishings belonged to your mama, and I’ve already told him he will have to furnish part of the house himself.’
Selina turned, her eyes wide and startled. ‘Whom do you mean? Have you already let the house to a tenant? It is only a few weeks until Christmas. I did not think you would expect us to move so soon, cousin.’
‘Well, I shouldn’t, of course—except that I think you would all do better staying with me for the festivities. This house is expensive to keep up, you know. Your mama could scarcely afford it these past few months, and some of the necessary repairs have not been done.’ There was a hint of reproach in his voice. ‘I did offer to do them for her, but she said she would not trouble me and intended to see to them herself—though we both knew she could not afford the iniquitous prices these builders charge. Ladies will have their way, but now that the house has passed to me, I shall, of course, be sending someone to do the repairs quite soon.’
Selina looked at her sister. Neither said anything, but they both knew that this was their cousin’s way of making it impossible for them to stay in the house, despite his earlier claim that they could remain for at least another month. Selina was about to reply when the housekeeper announced the arrival of their family lawyer. He was early, but being a punctilious man had no doubt set out early lest the roads were bad.
‘Well, at least we shall know the truth now,’ Selina said, but her heart sank as the lawyer was announced, and she saw from his face that the news was far from good.
‘Good morning, Mr Breck,’ she said, and went forward to meet him with outstretched hands. No matter how heavy her heart, she would not forget her good manners. ‘It was so very kind of you to come out on such a cold day, sir.’
‘It is cold for the time of year, though we have less than two months until Christmas, Miss Searles. I must tell you at once that I have been looking into your dear mama’s affairs, and the outlook is not good—but I think I may have solved one of your problems at least temporarily.’
‘Oh … I think you must tell us what you mean,’ Selina said. ‘Please, come and sit by the fire, sir. You have been a good friend to Mama, and we shall not stand on ceremony, even if you are the bearer of bad news.’
Mr Breck flicked out his coattails and sat on a substantial chair close to the hearth. He had chosen their late father’s chair, and the sight of a man sitting there brought a lump to the girls’ throats, but neither of them said a word. They were breathless, their eyes betraying their fear as they waited.
‘As you know, your father had secured the house to your mother for her lifetime, but he was never able to break the entail, which would have cost him too much of his slender capital. That part of the estate which was entailed bears a mortgage, and all the land your father owned personally was sold before his death to pay his debts.’
‘Yes, sir. You told Mama when Papa died,’ Selina said. ‘But Mama’s jointure was safe, and we think she had a little money of her own—is that not so?’
‘Yes, she did have a little of her own, and she was left a thousand pounds by her aunt, but most of that has been spent. The dear lady honoured me with the care of her slender funds, as you know, and I did manage to invest a small amount, which will bring you in two hundred pounds a year, but besides that you have only seventy-five pounds in capital …’
Selina gave a little gasp. ‘So little …’ She swallowed hard as she saw her sister’s stricken expression. ‘We had hoped it might be two hundred pounds or so.’
‘Your dear mama spent quite a bit on clothes and the things she wanted to give you and your sisters. Of course all her furniture and jewels belong to you, and I daresay they may fetch a thousand or two—if you care to sell them.’
‘We may have to if we are to find ourselves a new home,’ Selina said, and glanced at her cousin, who had the grace to look ashamed. ‘We are determined to be independent