Not exactly, but I think I have enough here for the next couple of months. I opened up my handbag and showed her the money. She clapped her hands, laughing.
“That's an absolute mint, how much is it?”
“We are going to have to make it stretch, unfortunately.”
The first thing on my list was depositing the money. I was negotiating with the bank. I wanted to keep the estate as intact as possible, but at this point, selling off some land was necessary. Getting rid of some of it would help in keeping the mortgage paid. There was so much and we didn't even use it, I could easily give up some. After that I needed a job. I had a niggling feeling. The number of jobs out there didn't pay enough, but I tried to push the thought from my mind.
This was a fight unfortunately. I was the only person on my side, and I was fighting against years of Russell’s irresponsibility and malice. I wasn't going to run and get the best of me, not now when he was dead. This was a fight I was going to win.
11
Niall
Belshire, it turned out, was about the size of my apartment in New York. I looked out the window driving down what seemed to be the main street. I had never even heard of the place and this was why. It was microscopic. It was a quaint, little village tucked away in the countryside about three hours out of London. I parked my car on the side of the road and got out, looking up and down the streets. It was so quiet. Having gotten used to living in New York City, it was a little unnerving to hear my thoughts clearly.
So, this was where the Baroness lived!
I needed to find her. Now that I was here, I wasn't that nervous about the prospect of locating her. I mean, the place was about as big as the estate that I grew up on. If I had managed to find her twice in London, locating her here would be no problem. The thing about small towns was, everyone tended to know each other. I walked up the street, passing a couple small shops until I came across a pub and walked in. There were a couple of people sitting at the bar. It looked much the same as the old-fashioned pubs in London, but with a homier, warmer feel. I took a seat at the bar. An old man sitting closest to me had a bulldog resting at his feet. Sitting at a table at the far end were a mother and her child, laughing over a board game.
“New around these parts?” the barman asked coming up to me.
“It’s that obvious, is it?” I asked.
“Visitors are easy to spot. What can I get for you?” I ordered a pint.
“I don't suppose you get many around these parts?”
“You wouldn't be wrong,” the barman said handing me my pint. “What brings you here?”
“I’m looking for the Baron's estate.”
A frown crossed the man's face. “You'll be looking for Russell Nicholas? Well, unfortunately, we laid the Baron to rest a few months ago.”
“I heard. It's not him I’m looking for in particular. It's the Baroness, his wife. I don't suppose you've heard about her?”
“Oh, the lady. I've never seen her in here. Not much of a drinker. Her husband, on the other hand, was a frequent customer, unfortunately with women other than her. She's a decent sort. I see her sometime around town, with her little boy.”
I choked on the beer going down my throat.
“I’m sorry, did you say her little boy?” I asked, coughing. I coughed so hard, the man next to me stood up and pounded me on the back. I thanked him when I recovered.
A son? Eddy had a son?
I expected to find out a lot of stuff coming here, but not that. It was yet another thing that she had failed to mention. Thinking about it, I felt foolish. She and Russell had to have been married for at least five years which was plenty of time to have a son. I don't know why it never occurred to me before that she would be a mother.
“You alright?” the barman asked.
I nodded, taking some money out. “You were talking about the Baroness?”
“I can't tell you much more about her than I already have. Seems like a lovely woman. It's a shame she's living out on the estate all alone these days. The way things looked when the Baron was still around, however, that might have been the theme throughout her marriage.”
Small town gossip was dangerous. I wondered how much more the guy would spill if I had more time, but I didn't. I asked him if he could give me directions to the estate. He handed them over no problem.
It would take about ten- or fifteen-minutes driving to get there. I was ten or fifteen minutes away from seeing Eddy again.
I went out to my car and sat in the driver’s seat. One minute ticked by, then another, then one more.
No, no way. I wasn't going there. What the hell was I going to do at the Baron's estate? Visit Eddy and her son? When I thought it was just her, this had been a completely different mission. She wasn't just another socialite who had married rich and ran around attending parties with her connected friends. She was a Baroness raising the next holder of her late husband’s title. No wonder she ran away in the middle of the night. I couldn’t just show up at her place if her son was there.