The Heiress

The Heiress

Find the Lord's heiress

Chapter 1 by Torg Torg

You are a private detective named John Doe, living in London. You have a small office over a pub that has good Shepherd's Pie and excellent stout on tap. You have a secretary/bookkeeper named Marie, who comes in three days a week to catch up on bills, correspondence, and cleaning. She is a dark-haired beauty, though you haven't made any moves on her. She's only been working there three months. Angela, the last secretary/bookkeeper and a gorgeous redhead, left after the two of you had sex in the office. It was amazing and wonderful. She really enjoyed it, at least it seemed that way to you. And then the next morning, you came into the office to find a resignation letter and a forwarding post office box in the States to send her last pay check. This has kept you from coming on to your new employee, because she's really good at what she does and you don't want to lose her over a night in bed.

One morning you receive a phone call.

"Hello, Doe Investigations. Mr. Doe speaking. How may I help you?"

"I am Lord Bardolf's assistant. Lord Bardolf has a business proposal he would like to discuss with you at his Mayfair house. Are you available to meet for afternoon tea?"

A Lord! This could make for a nice paycheck, if it pans out. You definitely need the money. Divorce surveillence cases don't pay much.

"Of course. I'll be there by three o'clock."

The address he gives you must be a sumptuous place. Mayfair is where the wealthy have their homes in London. Bordering on Hyde Park, it is filled with history, money, and embassies.

You google Lord Bardolf, and find he's in the House of Lords and owns Bardolf Hall, a large manor in Hertfordshire, as well as other properties in England and abroad. He also has business dealings around the U.K. and Europe. This is not a Lord who has lost his wealth.

Before you go, you shower and put on your second best suit. Your best suit is only for weddings and funerals, its somber black is too dark for this. You leave via The Tube.

You arrive a few minutes early. The townhouse must be at least 250 years old and it takes up half a city block. It's five stories tall and covered in baroque ornamentation. You walk to the ground floor entrance and ring the bell.

A pretty young servant opens the door. "May I help you?" she asks in a slight Italian accent. She's wearing a gray maid's uniform with tight bodice and skirt. She has a heart-shaped face, brown hair, blue eyes, and full red lips. Her blouse is well-filled out, and her legs are long and trim.

You smile and wink at her. She demurely smiles, blushing, and giggles girlishly. "Yes, I'm Mr. Doe, and I have an appointment with Lord Bardolf."

"This way, sir. The Lord is expecting you." She turns and you follow her into the opulent townhouse. The maid's ass has a watch movement, swinging back and forth as she walks. It nearly mesmerizes you as you both climb the wide stairway to the first floor. She leads you into a large office with every wall covered in bookshelves and wood. A huge mahogany desk sits to one side. A middle-aged man with graying temples is sitting at the desk. He looks up as you enter.

"Sir, Mr. Doe to see you," the maid says cheerily.

"Thank you, Gina," he says as he stands and walks toward you. Gina turns and nearly bumps into you, gasping in surprise, as she leaves the office. The sudden movement causes her breasts to jiggle in her uniform.

Lord Bardolf smiles warmly, extending his hand. "Mr. Doe, pleased to meet you."

"Good to meet you, too, Sir," you say as you grip his hand. He has a firm grip, but not too tight. You return his handshake in equal measure.

"Oh, please call me William. 'Lord Bardolf' and 'Sir' are just too stuffy. I promised you tea, so let's go to the parlour." He heads out of the room.

"Call me 'John'. 'Mr. Doe' sometimes sounds like I'm a school teacher."

You both chuckle.

As you walk through the house, you see paintings and sculptures conservatively worth several million pounds.

In the parlour, you sit across from William, and he rings a small bell. A butler, a man about the same age as Lord Bardolf, walks out with a tea tray.

"Milk and sugar, Mr. Doe?" he asks.

"Just milk, thank you," you reply.

He pours tea for both of you, adds milk to one and milk and sugar to the other. He hands one to you and one to William. Then he leaves. The two of you settle back in your chairs.

William clears his throat and begins. "About twenty years ago, I was in the States doing business. I fell in love and had a passionate love affair with an American woman. I had to return to England for family reasons, and I never was able to go back. Soon, my father had arranged a marriage for me, and we were wedded. A year later, I received a letter from the woman in America stating that we'd had a child and she enclosed a photograph." Lord Bardolf pulls a photo out of his jacket and hands it to you. A cute baby girl looks out of the picture, naked with a birthmark on her upper thigh. "I knew the child was mine, because she had the family birthmark, as you can see. Being already married, I stayed here and said nothing to my family. I had no contact with the girl's mother."

He paused and sipped his tea for a minute.

"A year ago, my wife died. We never had any children. This daughter is my only descendant and my heir. I'd like you to find her for me."

You look with surprise at the older gentleman. "What do you know about your daughter?"

"Almost nothing, except that her mother's name was Amy, and the photo says she was born March 24th, 19 years ago."

You flip the photo over and confirm the date. "What city did this happen in?"

"Johnstown, New York. I'll buy your plane ticket and give you 2000 pounds spending money. If you find her, I'll pay you 10,000 pounds, plus any additional expenses. Will you find my daughter, John?"

"Yes, William. I will find your daughter."

Your tea has gotten cold as William told you his tale. You drink the last in one gulp and stand. Lord Bardolf shakes your hand. "Thank you. I'll send you the airline confirmation to your email. Gina will show you out."

"I look forward to reuniting you with your heir. Goodbye, William."

You leave the room.

You see Gina down the hallway dusting the picture frames of the paintings. She turns to you as you approach.

"I'll show you out, sir," she says with a slight blush. You follow her to the stairway.

(Author's Note: I've started a tip jar over at Ko-Fi. Drop-in and say hi!)

What happens next?

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