The Romany Heiress Read Online Free PDF

leave, I will forget this ridiculous hoax you are attempting to perpetrate”
    His air of superiority caused something to snap inside
Irina. With that condescending attitude he was suddenly
less than handsome. It lent her the courage she needed.
She had not come here to be dismissed out of hand like
an errant beggar on the back stoop or worse, a twopenny con artist.
    “You haven’t even opened the folder.” She flicked
her eyes to the leather case he held in his hands. “There
is proof inside that I am who I say I am”
    He raised his eyebrows, conveying his skepticism
without uttering a word. He took the chair across from
the one she’d occupied and crossed his booted legs at the
heels, affecting a pose of leisure. “Shall I guess what is
inside? Is it a birth certificate? A will naming you heir?”

    Irina schooled her features to give nothing away. She
realized he was mocking the very items which had sustained her hopes over the long years. She grabbed the
folder from him when it became obvious he had no intentions of opening it. She pulled out the document
concealed inside and pressed it flat on the table between the two chairs. “This is a copy of my birth certificate. It shows that I am the daughter of Celeste and
George Moncrief, Earl and Countess of Spelthorne,
born September 14, 1787.”
    If she had thought to win points in her favor for this
disclosure, she would be disappointed. The earl looked
at the paper and sighed indulgently, his tone still mocking. “My dear, you shall have to do far better than this.
This paper is the kind of forgery sold on the London
streets every day. I hope you haven’t squandered a great
sum on this.”
    “I have spent nothing on it,” Irina pressed. “It is notarized by the village curate here in Spelthorne and signed
by the doctor, William Tallbridge. I doubt a common
forgery would produce those details.”
    “A forger could do so if you provided the names.
Besides, I have nothing against which to match the
signatures of the witnesses. For your convenience, or
inconvenience depending on how you look at it, Dr.
Tallbridge passed on last winter and the curate was promoted years ago to his own parish. Neither is here to
serve as your witnesses.” The earl countered smugly,
tucking his arms behind his head as he stretched in the
chair. Irina almost believed he was enjoying himself.

    She fought the urge to bite her lip in frustration. Those
circumstances were unfortunate. She’d not been able to
ascertain the whereabouts of the two witnesses. She’d
merely hoped one of them would still be about. After all,
life didn’t change quickly or often in the country.
    She persisted. “This is not a forgery. It was given to
me by the woman who accompanied me into exile and
was present at my birth.”
    The earl laughed out loud at that. “Is she dead too?
Does it bother you that all who hold the key to ensuring
the success of your charade are gone? Even the supposed parents are both deceased. There is no one to believe your papers or support your claims.” His tone
became irritatingly deferential as he rose and began
pacing. “You’ve had your laugh. Your little scam is not
going to play well here. If noblemen gave into such
claims every time a bastard by-blow issued a declaration of legitimacy the peerage would be in constant turmoil. I will thank you to take your papers and get out.
Your claim to be a sister of sorts is summarily dismissed
and as such any claim you might have to my home”
    Irina rose to meet him, her voice quiet with its force.
“You don’t understand. I don’t claim to be your sister
by any stretch of blood. Indeed, my lord, I don’t claim
to be any relation at all seeing as you are nothing more
than a cottager’s son bought for a bag of guineas by a
woman who would ensure that her husband had a male
heir at all costs”
    “You go too far!” Spelthorne whirled on her with an
unrestrained roar.

    He