BooksBarbecue
Back A Man of Honour Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. PART ONE
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. PART TWO
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. PART THREE
  38. THIRTY-THREE
  39. THIRTY-FOUR
  40. THIRTY-FIVE
  41. THIRTY-SIX
  42. THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. THIRTY-NINE
  45. FORTY
  46. FORTY-ONE
  47. FORTY-TWO
  48. FORTY-THREE
  49. FORTY-FOUR
  50. PART FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. FIFTY-THREE
  60. PART FIVE
  61. FIFTY-FOUR
  62. FIFTY-FIVE
  63. FIFTY-SIX
  64. FIFTY-SEVEN
  65. FIFTY-EIGHT
  66. FIFTY-NINE
  67. SIXTY
  68. SIXTY-ONE
  69. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  70. Keep Reading …
  71. About the Author
  72. Also by Barbara Taylor Bradford
  73. About the Publisher

He glanced at the letter in his hand, and recognized the handwriting of his cousin Lady Henrietta Fitzgerald Chandler. Turning the letter over, he saw the family crest above the red beeswax seal. He managed to remove the seal, and opened the letter.

My dearest Robert,

By the time you are reading this, I will be dead. I have a malign growth and the doctors have lost all hope of curing me. I accept my fate.

Many years ago, you promised me and my dearest Johnny that you would take care of our child, Moira. She is grown up now, but, nonetheless, I ask you to keep an eye on her and help her if needs be.

Moira has an inheritance. This is my jewellery collection. I am afraid it has been a little depleted over the years. I have had to sell pieces to pay for our living needs. But it is still very valuable.

The jewels are in a safety deposit box in the Montague Brothers’ Private Bank in Piccadilly. Those who have designated access to the box are myself, Moira Aherne, and you, listed as Lord Robert Lassiter, Earl of Harding. The small key enclosed in the pages of this letter will open the box.

I gave Moira the spare key for safety’s sake. You must accompany Moira to the bank to access the box and sign, along with her, for the contents you both remove, in order to sell or auction them.

The managing director of the bank is Mr Ethan Montague. He is an old friend and knows all the circumstances of the situation. He will assist you both in whatever you need. He is pleasant to deal with.

I repeat what I’ve just said, the jewellery collection is valuable, if a trifle depleted. Mostly it is composed of diamond pieces, and every piece was given to me by Moira’s father, the Honourable John Clairemont, who eventually became the Duke of Lowencester, after the death of his elder brother, who was childless. As you know, Johnny died accidentally in an uprising in India some years ago, when he was there on family business.

The jewels were always intended for Moira. It was the only way Johnny could provide for her future security, because of the circumstances of his private life and his family.

You are a good man, Robert, and I know you have great integrity. I trust you completely. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my dearest cousin and true friend. May you live a long, fruitful and happy life. God bless you.

With love from your cousin,

Henrietta Fitzgerald Chandler

Robert put the letter back in the envelope, then placed the key in a drawer of his desk and locked it. The letter had touched him deeply, and for a moment he could not speak, felt choked up.

Looking across at Moira, he spoke at last. ‘Would you like to read the letter?’