The Reluctant Earl Read Online Free PDF

FOUR
     
    Mr. Coke acted with dispatch and within a few days he had sent a letter off to the firm of Elbury and Masterson, solicitors for the Jarvis family.  The reply came from Mr. Richard Jarvis himself, the present head of The Jarvis Bank.  He introduced himself as Lord Woodbridge’s uncle and asked for an appointment with Coke, naming the day and time that would be most convenient for Jarvis.  Mr. Coke replied that the appointment time indicated by Mr. Jarvis was acceptable, and he looked forward to meeting the banker on that date.  Next he sent an urgent letter to Liam requesting his presence at the meeting, since he was the person most familiar with Lord Woodbridge’s situation.
    Liam told Elise about the meeting, but said nothing to Claire or Simon.  On the appointed day he hitched up one of his thoroughbreds and set off for Cambridge.  He had given Claire his usual reason for making a trip – going to see a man about a horse – and he knew she would pass the excuse along to Simon.
    Mr. Coke had arranged his office with several comfortable chairs and a table set for tea.  Liam arrived first and Coke had a chance to fill him in on the Jarvis family background.  Richard Jarvis was one of the most powerful men in the city.  He was also one of the wealthiest.  Simon’s grandfather had died some fifteen years before, and Richard had taken over the bank leadership.  There were two other brothers also involved with the bank, but Richard was the man at the top.
    Coke and Liam had just settled into their chairs when Richard Jarvis was announced.  Both men stood up again and turned toward the door.  As Coke went to greet the newcomer, Liam looked him over.  Jarvis was a tall, well-built man with thick gray hair and a nose like a knife.  Lines scored the flesh between his nose and his mouth.  Liam judged him to be in his fifties. 
    When Coke introduced Liam, Jarvis held out his hand.  The banker had a firm grip and he looked directly into Liam’s eyes as he shook.  The impression Liam got from the face and the steady blue eyes was one of razor-sharp intelligence.
    “Pleased to meet you, Mr. O’Rourke,” Jarvis said.
    “Thank you, Mr. Jarvis.  It’s an honor,” Liam replied.
    The three men sat and Coke offered tea.
    “Not just now,” Jarvis said.  “First I want to hear about my nephew.”
    Both men turned expectantly to Liam, who began to relate the story of Simon’s life.  He wanted to be succinct, but he was determined to make Jarvis understand just how neglected Simon had been.  He ended by saying, “The boy knows nothing of his mother’s family.  His father never speaks of them and Lord Woodbridge has just assumed he had no relatives on his mother’s side.  When he learned of this bequest he asked me if I could do a bit of investigation for him.  That is how we came to Mr. Coke.”
    There was silence from Richard Jarvis as he looked fixedly at the space just above Liam’s head.  His hands were gripping the arms of his chair so tightly that Liam noticed his knuckles had turned white from the pressure he was exerting.  When Jarvis finally spoke there was a note of suppressed emotion in his voice.
    “I am sure you must think badly of my family, Mr. O’Rourke, and I am grateful to you for your kindness to my nephew.  Let me assure you that after my sister died, we tried very hard to have contact with Simon, but Welbourne wouldn’t allow any of my family near the child.  When Annabelle gave birth to Simon, Welbourne forced her to cut off all contact with us.  After she died, he absolutely refused to allow us to see her son.  My father tried to go to court to force the earl to let him have access to his grandchild, but …” here his face flushed and his eyes flashed, “Welbourne was an earl and the Jarvises were just middle-class bankers who had tried to jump up in the world by marrying one of their daughters into the nobility.  It was made very clear to my father that Simon