question her about her relationship with the duke. The lack of one did not dismay him at all.
“It is possible, of course, that an error has been made. If so, I am abjectly sorry.” He flipped through the pages of the will. “Did you once live in Dorset, and were married to one Algernon Finley?”
“I was.”
“Is there anyone who can support this?”
She told him about Beth and Jeremy. “They lived in my husband’s house, so they knew me then.”
“Do you have family in Dorset still?”
“My parents have been dead for many years. My relatives for the most part emigrated close to eight years ago. Nor did they live in Dorset, but in the county over.”
“Any others who have known you under both names?”
“I don’t think so. Although I visited London with my husband, I did not make friends or participate in society.”
“I suppose a few more notices in the papers here will confirm there are no other Minerva Hepplewhites in London who once lived in Dorset under the name Finley. I think we can go forth on the presumption that you are indeed the woman in question.” He jotted some notes. “I am curious. Is there a reason you changed your name?”
She had prepared for this. “My husband died with debts. More than his estate could pay. I chose to leave the area and change my name so creditors would not continue to hound me.”
“Understandable.”
He wrote again, then set his pen in its inkwell. “I can imagine you were surprised to receive a legacy from a man you say you never met. Actually, it is more common than you think. In all likelihood it was your husband who had known the duke. His Grace, in making his will, felt some desire or obligation to leave the money to him. Since Algernon Finley was dead, it was left to his widow instead.”
It sounded almost plausible. Only she found it hard to believe Algernon had met a duke and not told her about it, repeatedly. He was the kind of man who would hang a sign on his home announcing his connection to such a title.
“How did the duke know I now live in London?”
Mr. Sanders shrugged. “No doubt he conducted an inquiry. Not himself, of course. Now, I need to describe the details of this inheritance.”
To her amazement, that was that. Mr. Sanders seemed not the least interested in her past, her present, or how the two had connected.
Sanders explained the inheritance. The part that captured her attention was when he spoke about possible challenges. “The will has been accepted by the courts as legal and binding. However, someone may still challenge the provisions the duke made to each beneficiary. If a person is named in the will, but does not think he received his due, he may be tempted to do that. If he can claim that he had good cause to think he would receive more due to being a dependent of the duke’s largesse, he may make his case.”
“Is that likely?”
“It is possible. I am confident none will be successful, however. No promises were made to the family members. None qualify as true dependents.” He leaned forward. “I wrote the will, you see. I did so in a way to make such a claim most unlikely.”
“Must I wait to see if anyone wants to challenge it?”
He shook his head. “As his executor, my role is to do as the duke requested and laid out in his will. Now, you received ten thousand, plus a partnership. The ten thousand was put into a trust almost a year prior to his death and cannot be taken. The partnership, however—it would be wise to let that lie for a while, and set aside any dividends or income it may pay. Six months at most.” He smiled. “That is not long to wait before you indulge yourself. The trust has already paid once, so a few hundred or so already is at your disposal, or will be in a few weeks once arrangements are made with the bank.”
“I think I can make do with that for now.”
He chuckled. “Can you indeed? I expect most could.”
He sent clerks to the scribners to pen documents for her to sign. After the preliminaries, Sanders advised Minerva on her new situation.
“I will contact you once the trust has been secured to your access. As for the partnership, the other partners will press to meet with you. Put them off for now. They may offer to purchase