seems there wasn’t as much money as we were led to believe, and what they did have . . . well, frankly, they spent it all. The Remington brothers put every last penny they had into buying all that land in Texas, just before . . . the accident.”
The words “the accident” hovered ominously in the air around them.
“The accident” had turned their world upside down.
The deadly explosion in a muddy oilfield in Texas had taken Meredith’s father from her just weeks ago. The words “the accident” had been whispered and murmured in hushed tones since the day they received the dreadful telegram bearing the news that John Remington and his younger brother, Joseph, the founders of the Remington Oil Company, had been tragically killed in an oil rig accident while exploring the vast tract of land they had recently purchased.
“I . . . I simply don’t understand.” Meredith stared at her aunt in disbelief.
How could her father have left her with nothing?
Her dear, sweet, handsome father, whom she loved desperately but, in actuality, did not spend much time with, had always been a wonderful and generous provider. Meredith had lived entire her life in ease and comfort, never wanting for anything.
John Remington had doted on Meredith, his only child, and she had adored him in return. Her father loved her and had even encouraged her writing . . . when he’d been home. He filled her head with promises of all the wonderful things they would do together when he came back home. Every sentence always began with, “When I get back . . .”
For as much as he loved Meredith, the main focus of John Remington’s life and his time had been the creation of the Remington Oil Company. Meredith hadn’t even seen her father in the last three years, so busy had he been travelling the country with his brother and buying up all the land they thought would bring in oil.
Her father and her uncle Joseph had been fairly successful too. Up until the accident in Texas.
The accident. It had changed everything for them. Apparently more than Meredith even realized. She looked at her aunt.
Delilah’s usually sweet face grew hard with consternation.
“I don’t quite understand where all the money went either, my dear. But Joseph’s lawyer laid everything out for me in no uncertain terms. My husband and your father, God rest their souls, have left us practically no funds. In fact, we even owe some money, Meredith.”
The ugly truth felt like a slap in the face.
How could they have no money? Nothing left? Meredith had never thought about money before.
She had been fortunate enough not to have to wonder where the money came from. She had always lived in this lovely brownstone house in New York City, and had always had enough for her pretty dresses and whatever else she wanted. She never even had to ask for what she needed. Everything had always been provided for her without question.
She and Aunt Delilah hadn’t lived extravagantly by any means, but they had always been more than comfortable. They certainly had not been part of the Knickerbocker social set, but their lives had been quiet and peaceful. Her aunt was occupied with raising Harry and Lilly, and Meredith was content with her writing and her own devices. They mostly waited in limbo for when the Remington brothers would return home after they struck millions in oil.
Money had never been a concern for Meredith before. But now that she thought about it, she was overcome with guilt. Who was she to have never given a second thought to the cost of things? To have never worried if she had enough money for her food and shelter? She had all of this security simply by virtue of being born to a well-off family.
Then a frightening thought occurred to her.
What would her life be like now, without her father’s money to keep her safe and in comfort? What about Aunt Delilah? And Meredith’s two little cousins, Harry and Lilly? What would become of what was left of their little family? Meredith’s heart began to beat faster. For the first time in her life, she was truly worried about her future.
“Well, what shall we do?” she asked her aunt helplessly.
Delilah gave her a pointed look, her eyes intense. “I’ve come up with a plan. But it involves a bit of deception once we arrive in London.”
Puzzled, Meredith shook her head trying to make sense of what her aunt was saying. “Why on earth must we leave New York City?”
“Because there is nowhere else for us to go. I’ve given this a great deal of thought. After paying off the creditors with the proceeds from the sale of this house, we will have just enough to get by for a short time. My sister Lavinia lives in London. Her husband is away in India, and we can stay with her for a while. Although, to be honest, staying with my elder sister is not anything I’m looking forward to. In any case, that’s neither here nor there. I’ve already sent her a telegram with our arrival date. So I suggest you begin packing right away.”
A thick lump rose in Meredith’s throat.
She was to leave New York? The only home she had ever known? To go to London and live with people who were complete strangers to her? Her mind raced with alternate possibilities. She was educated and bright enough to work. In fact, she was certain that she could find employment and support them all somehow.
“Surely there must be another way. . . . Couldn’t we stay here, Aunt Delilah? Perhaps I could get a position somewhere? I could g—”
Delilah interrupted, holding up her small hand to hush Meredith.
“And do what exactly? Get a job writing for a newspaper or a magazine? It’s highly unlikely they would hire a young girl like yourself. You have absolutely no experience, and even if you somehow managed to secure a position somewhere, you certainly would not make enough to support all four of us, and you would not earn near enough to what we would need in order for us to remain in this house. So what other option is there, Meredith? Do you wish to become a lowly governess . . . and have to go live with another family? And what about the children and me? What would we do? No. There is no other option.”
Meredith was about to protest.
Delilah shook her head firmly. “Besides, I wish for my children to finally meet what little family I have left back in England. And since I couldn’t possibly leave you behind, my dear, we must go stay with my sister Lavinia in London. She is Lady Eastwood now, and she will take us in and introduce us around town until we can get ourselves established.”
Hot tears welled in Meredith’s eyes. Her aunt was more than likely right, but Meredith couldn’t help but think there must be another way, although she couldn’t think of one just then.
She certainly didn’t wish to go live with a strange family as a governess and leave Aunt Delilah and Harry and Lilly, who were more like her younger brother and sister than her cousins. She loved them dearly and definitely wanted them all to stay together. After losing her mother when she was so young, and now her father, her aunt and two young cousins were all the family Meredith had left in the world.
Handing Meredith a lace-trimmed handkerchief, Delilah stared at her with kind eyes.
“I understand how you feel, my dear. Truly, I do. I’m quite loathe to leave New York myself. When I first met your uncle, I was a young widow, and I—”
“You
