both concluded the duke had not fallen accidentally. In short, Melton Park no longer was of interest to her. She had learned all she probably would ever learn from it.
It thus made perfect sense that she had left. So why was his contentment much diminished now, replaced by a sharp annoyance? He had expected—he wasn’t sure what. A few words at least. A secret smile. If she needed to leave, a note perhaps.
Hell, whom was he lying to except himself. He had expected far more than any of that. Another night, at least. Additional contentment, for both of them. Perhaps talk of even more, once they returned to London. He had no right to expect any of that, but it had seemed to him that one night was not adequate, to say the least.
He looked up to find Nicholas watching him. He set his fork down.
“I am going to make some of my own inquiries of the servants today. I should get to it.” He made to leave.
“Sit a moment longer, if you will. You see, the oddest thing happened while they were leaving. I had handed them both into the carriage, and the young one, Miss Turner, examined the carriage’s appointments with those pretty blue eyes of hers. ‘Oh, my,’ she said. ‘Have you ever seen anything like it, Minerva?’” Nicholas leaned in. “What a coincidence, that Mrs. Rupert’s given name is the same as one of our legatees. The one you have found. It is not a common name.”
“It is not an uncommon name either. If the name were Polyhymnia or Terpsichore, that would be a most peculiar coincidence. Now, I must be on my way, so I can—”
“Not yet. Please, indulge me lest I wonder all day.”
Chase settled back in his chair.
“Was that in fact Minerva Hepplewhite?”
Nicholas would ask bluntly and leave no room for dissembling. “Yes.”
“Ah.”
Chase began rising again. Nicholas again gestured for him to sit.
“Why was she here?”
“She has a pointed interest in Uncle’s death. Understandably, since it affected her so completely.”
“If it was not an accident, she might be seen as a likely object of inquiry herself, I assume.”
“That too. So she wanted to see for herself where it happened.”
“And you arranged that. How good of you. Here I thought you had brought that woman here, no matter what her name, so you might seduce her. I thought perhaps she had not departed this morning so much as run away from your intentions.”
“I do not importune women, if that is what you are saying.” I am not Phillip, damn it.
“No, you don’t. Her contentment, and yours, convinced me that no importuning was involved. I am relieved. I have some responsibility to women under my roof. I’m not sure I like that you are taking up with one of the women from the will, though.”
“I am not taking up with her. She left, didn’t she?”
“She did indeed.”
“Then we are done here.” Chase stood and gave his cousin a quelling frown.
“For someone who conducts inquiries, you do not like one when it is aimed at you,” Nicholas said.
“Is that what you call this? It sounded to me like a drawing room matron’s idle curiosity. Leave the inquiries to me, Cousin. You lack finesse.” He strode out, not at all contented anymore.
* * *
“Are you feeling well?” Elise asked. “You appear sad and have been silent since we left the estate.”
Minerva had been dwelling on the night before, fixing the memories securely in her mind. She was not sad, so much as wistful. She gathered her emotions so she might not show them so much. “Let us pass the time discussing what we learned at that house. You can tell me what you saw and heard.”
“I’d rather talk about the house itself. Such space and luxury. I don’t think I’ll ever see the likes of it again.”
She indulged Elise for an hour, then they retreated into their own thoughts.
She rarely spoke again, all the way back to London over the next three days. She accepted by the first evening that it might take a while to overcome her feelings about Chase, and what she had briefly known and now rejected.
As soon as the coach stopped in front of her home, she sought out her own chamber.
“Are you ill?”
The question pulled her out of a reverie in which her time at Melton Park repeated over and over. She looked behind her to see Beth closing the door. The image proved filmy. She had not even realized she’d been