He nods once, solemnly, then crosses to the desk and picks up a single sheet of paper that had been partly hidden beneath a large ledger.
'From what I have been able to determine, Lord Beckett had more interest in keeping up a pretence of your father's return to England than in making any attempt to acquire his assets.' He makes a small gesture with the hand that is not holding the paper, indicating the room they stand in. 'This house is the property of the Crown, of course, but your father owned land on the island in his own right. There is also the income from various holdings and investments in England -- none of which, I hasten to add, appear to be in Company stock -- as well as the money from his most recent yearly salary and from accumulated savings.'
He moves away from the desk, and holds the slip of paper out to Elizabeth. 'I took the liberty of performing some rough calculations. The current amount is circled, and the expected annual income underscored. You are of course welcome to examine the necessary documents yourself, should you wish to check my figures.'
On the paper are two neat columns of figures written in a precise and professional hand. A sum has been circled at the bottom of one column and a second, smaller sum has been underlined twice at the bottom of the other. Royal governors are paid well, and Weatherby Swann was always careful with his finances...but even so, the figures might be higher than Elizabeth ever expected.
no subject
'From what I have been able to determine, Lord Beckett had more interest in keeping up a pretence of your father's return to England than in making any attempt to acquire his assets.' He makes a small gesture with the hand that is not holding the paper, indicating the room they stand in. 'This house is the property of the Crown, of course, but your father owned land on the island in his own right. There is also the income from various holdings and investments in England -- none of which, I hasten to add, appear to be in Company stock -- as well as the money from his most recent yearly salary and from accumulated savings.'
He moves away from the desk, and holds the slip of paper out to Elizabeth. 'I took the liberty of performing some rough calculations. The current amount is circled, and the expected annual income underscored. You are of course welcome to examine the necessary documents yourself, should you wish to check my figures.'
On the paper are two neat columns of figures written in a precise and professional hand. A sum has been circled at the bottom of one column and a second, smaller sum has been underlined twice at the bottom of the other. Royal governors are paid well, and Weatherby Swann was always careful with his finances...but even so, the figures might be higher than Elizabeth ever expected.