“But he thinks I’m one anyway, doesn’t he? You were protecting only yourself, Eden, not me.”
“It wasn’t that way at all,” Eden contradicted sharply. “It’s only that he wants the best for me. When he has the opportunity to get to know you better, he’ll see what a fine man you are.”
Raven shook his head in disbelief. “If you truly think I’m such a fine man, then why are you asking if I’m really entitled to be Alex’s heir? Why can’t you just accept that I am?”
“I can accept it, Raven, but I’d still like to know what would have happened had we not married.”
Raven lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. “Had we not married, I would still be Alex’s heir. Do you honestly believe he would have preferred to pass his title on to a brat he did not live to see rather than to me?”
Shocked that he would refer to her unborn child in so hostile a manner, Eden again pulled away from him. “You promised to raise my child as your own. I’ll not have you calling him a brat.”
“There’s only one way out of this mess,” Raven pointed out caustically. “You realize that, don’t you?”
“And what is that?” Eden asked apprehensively.
“You’ll have to have a daughter!”
Eden’s eyes opened wide, for indeed she had not once considered the possibility her child might not be male. She was in no mood to think about baby girls now either. “No, it isn’t,” she argued, now dreadfully sorry she had brought up the subject of Alex’s title in the first place. She could not take back that question, but she could at least attempt to repair the damage it had done between them.
“You’re right,” she stressed as she reached out to take Raven’s hand. “Alex meant for you to succeed him as earl. It’s Alex’s wishes that ought to be respected regardless of what the technicalities of the law might be. I’ll not ask Mr. Nash, or anyone else about it. You are now the earl and that’s all there is to it. I didn’t mean to insult you, Raven. Please forgive me that I did.”
Although he was relieved beyond measure that Eden had made such a sensible decision, that she had again cited Alex’s wishes as her reason disgusted him completely. Was she never going to appreciate him herself, but instead always rely on Alex’s judgment of him? He gave her hand a perfunctory squeeze, but he was so discouraged his expression was still an obstinate one when they arrived at Alistair Nash’s office.
Raven had been coming there for nearly twenty years, and in all that time the elderly gentleman had not changed one bit. He was barely five feet tall, and had to hook the heels of his shoes on the rung of his chair to prevent his spindly legs from dangling a foot from the floor like a small child’s. His sparse white hair stuck out from his pale head in wispy clumps like a bizarre halo, giving him a comic appearance no matter what his mood, but his bright blue eyes shone with intelligence, and his greeting was sincerely warm.
“I am pleased to see you looking so fit, my lord, and to meet you, my lady. I was badly distressed to learn of Alex’s passing. He was like a son to me, you know, as was his father.”
Eden would not have been surprised had Alistair sworn a similar affection for Alex’s grandfather as well. She was certain he had to be ninety at the very least, and wondered why Raven had not remarked on the man’s advanced age. He had Alex’s will ready to read, and donned a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles for the task. While he and Raven were familiar with the wording, she had to sit on the edge of her chair and strain to understand Alistair’s high-pitched, mumbling recitation. When he reached the end and set the document aside, she nodded thoughtfully.
Still in the foulest of moods, Raven took a perverse pleasure in goading his bride into breaking her word. “Is there anything that’s unclear to you?” he asked. “I’m sure Alistair would be happy to answer any questions you have.”
Eden could readily discern from the taunting light in Raven’s eyes that he was presenting her with a test. That he still did not trust her was unfortunate, but she had absolutely no desire to leap to her feet and challenge his right to be earl. Wars had been fought over which man had the right to a title or throne and she certainly didn’t want any such derisive contest going on in her own family.
“Why no, I’m certain everything is in order.”
Raven still did not smile. Like everyone else, Alistair believed him to be Alex’s nephew. That he had inherited Alex’s title and all his worldly goods was as it should be in the attorney’s view, but as he had on so many occasions, Raven felt like an impostor. He sat up abruptly then, and forced himself into the uncomfortable role of a fine gentleman.
“I’d like for you to draw up a new will for me,” he began. “The previous one left everything to Alex should I predecease him. The new one should leave everything to my beloved wife, Eden, and whatever dear little children we might have.”
“I shall begin immediately,” Alistair promised. “Please allow me to congratulate you on your marriage and offer my hopes that the children you mentioned will soon become a reality.”
When Eden began to blush, Raven’s anger dissolved in an unaccountable rush of fatherly pride. “Do you mind?” he asked her.
“No, go ahead,” Eden encouraged.
“Our first child will be born next spring.”
“Well, that is good news!” Alistair’s smile grew broader still. “You must bring the little fellow to see me as soon as you can. Do you remember coming here with Alex? You were such a solemn child, all eyes it seemed then.”
Raven could recall being that child all too easily. He rose to his feet and reached for Eden’s hand. “We appreciate your good wishes. We’ll be returning to the plantation in a few days. I’ll stop by to sign the new will before we leave.”
“I’ll have it ready, my lord.”
Raven breathed a sigh of relief as they left Alistair’s office. The visit had gone remarkably well, but he could not shake the horrible feeling that if Eden ever discovered he was not really Alex’s nephew, there would be hell to pay.
Chapter Twenty-Two
October 1863