“If you hadn’t moved into the old carriage house, you’d of already been here,” Beth muttered.
“Not that again, Mum.”
“I’m just saying that with you out back we could be butchered in our sleep and you wouldn’t even know.”
“At least he would not be butchered too,” Minerva said. “We did just fine on our own, Jeremy. He didn’t know what hit him until he came to. Now, I want to talk about the legacy.”
Jeremy grinned. “I do too. That’s a lot of money. I was dreaming of a fine pair and a carriage most of last night.”
“I’m glad you were dreaming. I didn’t sleep the last two nights at all. I’ve been too shocked,” Beth said. “Ten thousand is a fortune. And there’s more you said. Even a hundred would be riches I’d never dare pray for. You’ll be wealthier than some fine ladies.”
“We’ll all be rich,” Minerva said. “I am still as stunned as you are. It is too astonishing. All the more so since I never met this duke. I’m sure of it.”
“You must of at some time and just don’t remember,” Jeremy said.
“I’d remember meeting a duke.”
“Maybe he is one of those peculiar sorts who likes to do odd things like give money to strangers,” Jeremy said. “You were just lucky.”
“I have no explanation except that. Yet he knew about me, so it wasn’t entirely random.”
“Knew too much, to my mind,” Beth muttered.
Minerva chose to ignore that. “Someday we will learn how this happened, but I intend to take advantage of the miracle it is. While you dreamed of horses, Jeremy, I was thinking of how we could use some of that money. I have some plans I want to tell you both about.”
“You intend to visit that solicitor and claim it then?” Beth said. “I’m not saying it isn’t tempting. I’ve done some dreaming too the last day. I could use some new pots, for one thing, and a few new caps. But it seems dangerous to me. What if—” She jabbed her spoon into her porridge. “Five years you’ve been safe here. Five years no one knew about your marriage, or about—the rest of it. Now, this could be opening up a door we’d closed and bolted.” She gave Minerva a sharp glance.
Minerva considered Beth her best friend, so she took that glance seriously. Beth had worked for half wages as a servant in Algernon’s home, in order to be allowed to have her young son with her. She had become a mother to the young bride Algernon brought home too. Long before Minerva had found a way to escape that house, these two had become her true family.
“Beth, rejecting the legacy will not change the truth that my past is now tied to my new name. Both names were used in that will.”
“Stop trying to spoil the fun, Mum. Minerva is going to be rich.” Jeremy held up his arms and shook his hands while he laughed. “Rich! RICH!”
“You better tell him the rest, Minerva, before he calls me a crazy old woman for worrying so much.”
“The rest? What are you talking about?”
“Jeremy,” Minerva said. “Yesterday when I told you about Radnor’s visit, I left out a few small details.”
“How small?”
“Not small at all,” Beth said. “Big. Huge.”
“Why not let me decide which it is.” Jeremy had now turned serious.
“The circumstances of the duke’s death were peculiar enough to encourage inquiries.”
“You said he fell off a roof. An accident.”
“That is the most likely way it happened.”
“You mean maybe it wasn’t an accident?” His face tightened. “You should have told me right off. This explains why Radnor snuck in and why he was in your study. He was looking for something.”
“I can’t be certain, but my inner sense says so. If there was a question about how the duke died, it would be natural to wonder about me. I am unknown to the family and I am benefiting from his death. Under those circumstances, it should be expected that Mr. Radnor would be curious. If I were in his place, I would be too.”
“How reasonable you make it sound,” Beth said. “It’s like you’re making excuses for the rogue.”
Maybe she was. If so, it probably had to do with dreaming about Chase Radnor last night. She blamed her parched femininity for that. Naughty dreams had plagued her for several months now, ones in which her late husband, Algernon, mercifully did not put in an appearance. Rather, men who caught her eye did, even if she only glimpsed them. Passing footmen. Handsome shopkeepers. Gentlemen who walked by on the street. They would invade her head until she woke hot and frustrated.
She had assumed that after her experiences with Algernon she would never again have any interest in such things. Apparently, human nature will have its way eventually, even with such as she. Despite the restlessness of those dreams, she welcomed the indication that a dead part of her might be rejuvenating, even if only while she slept.
Last night, with Mr. Radnor, things had progressed further than normal. She still had not purged the dream’s images from her head. In particular she kept seeing his naked legs. Her dream had blessed him with very fine ones indeed.
“Now do you see why I am worried?” Beth said to Jeremy.
Minerva could see Jeremy working it out in his head, and imagined every step his logic took. Her own thinking had followed that same path, after all.
If the duke had been pushed off that roof walk, someone did the pushing. If Radnor or a magistrate started looking for the culprit, those who benefited from the death would be investigated. If deep inquiries were made about Minerva Hepplewhite, someone would learn that when she was Margaret Finley she had been suspected of murdering her husband. Not only would she become an important suspect in the duke’s death, but also Algernon’s death might get another look.
“I say we leave London,” Jeremy said. “It will be hell to give up a fortune, but it will be safer for you this way.”
Not only for her, she knew. For her family too. For Beth and Jeremy.
She reached out both arms, and took Jeremy’s and Beth’s hands in hers, gripping them tightly. “Where would we go? How would we live? We have managed thus far here because I had some jewels to sell, but they are gone now.” It had been a blessing that in the early days of their marriage Algernon had given her his mother’s jewels, and that his creditors could not claim them after his death.
“I’ll find work,” Jeremy said.
“I can too,” Beth added.
“No,” Minerva said. “We are not packing our trunks and disappearing into the night. I promise you, if it ever looks like any of us are in danger, then we will leave England. Hopefully, I will have received some of the funds from this legacy by then, so we will not be doing it with only the clothes on our backs.” She squeezed their hands. “I swear that I will not be swayed by any fortune to remain, if I believe any of us are at risk. But I’ll not run until I have good reason to, and I intend to do what I can to ensure we never have to take that step.”
Beth’s brow puckered. “Ensure how?”
Minerva released their hands and stood. “Come with me and I will show you.”
* * *