friends on their blind spots.
Thinking of Katherine reminded him of his earlier encounter with Miss Hardcastle, and deciding he’d learned as much as he could from Val, he said, “I left Lady Katherine heading upstairs with Miss Caroline Hardcastle just now. She’s an unusual young lady.”
At the mention of Miss Hardcastle, the other man’s expression turned grim. “If I didn’t know her presence would ease Kate’s mind—and no matter how she will insist that finding Jones’s body was of no consequence, I know it alarmed her—I would have locked the gates to the estate and turned her away.”
Eversham felt his eyes widen. “She wasn’t that bad. A little eccentric perhaps, but—”
Interrupting him, Val said tartly, “The queen is a little eccentric. Miss Hardcastle is a bloody Punch illustration come to life. She is perhaps the most irritating person it has ever been my misfortune to cross paths with. Even her damned cat, who loathes me, by the way, is a better judge of character than Miss Hardcastle.”
“Were we talking about her ability to judge char—?”
But Val hadn’t even heard him. “I tried to do her the courtesy of warning her off a chap who I know for a fact frequents one of the ugliest sorts of brothels in London—you’ll know about those dark corners, Eversham, you’re a policeman after all—and of course I couldn’t tell her why because she’s a damned lady. And do you know what she said to me? Have you any notion what she said?”
Since he didn’t think his response was necessary, Eversham let him continue.
“She told me to mind my own affairs.” Valentine looked as if he wanted to tear his hair out by the roots but settled on running a hand through it instead. “As if I were just interfering with her for my own amusement.”
“That is frustrating,” Eversham said carefully, not sure whether he was expected to comment further. When Val didn’t continue, he offered, “If Miss Hardcastle is anything like Lady Katherine, then I would guess she is rather headstrong.”
“But Kate is a widow and runs her own household.” Val shook his head. “Caro—that is, Miss Hardcastle—might consider herself to be past the age where it matters, but she is still an unmarried young lady, and as such, she should guard her reputation.”
“She cannot be above one and twenty, surely?”
“Seven and twenty,” Val said, to Eversham’s surprise. “Though she behaves as if she’s barely out of the schoolroom sometimes.”
“If she’s still unmarried, should not her family be ensuring she avoids characters like the one you warned her about?” Eversham asked.
“They can’t control her,” said Val dismissively. “Her father works in the city and is rich as Croesus. He’d give her the moon if she asked for it, I daresay. Her mother has tried, but I think she’s given up. So Caro—that is, Miss Hardcastle—does as she pleases. Which makes her vulnerable to the sort of men who only want her for her fortune.”
“You’re a good friend to try to protect her,” Eversham said.
“We’ve run in the same social circles for years. I’d do the same for any acquaintance.”
Eversham could tell plainly it was a lie. He wasn’t sure, however, if Val was lying to himself, or only to Eversham. Either way, it was clear he didn’t dislike the unusual Miss Hardcastle as much as he pretended.
“Of course.” He nodded. “She’s lucky to have you.”
Thinking back to Katherine’s words after they left Green’s office, he noted to himself that he hadn’t clarified which “she” he referred to.
“I suppose I should go make sure she hasn’t caught the eye of Barton,” Valentine said, his jaw set. This time, it was clear enough to Eversham which “she” he was referring to.
As the two men neared the door, Val stopped as if just remembering something. “I wonder if there might be some of Philbrick’s things stored out in the folly.”
Eversham frowned. “Folly?”
“It can’t be seen from the house,” Val explained, “but I know when I first came here, Austen had some of the items that remained in the house stored there temporarily. But it’s entirely possible temporarily turned into permanent.” He shrugged. “It’s not as if it’s actually in use.”
Which meant if there were items belonging to Philbrick there, they’d be undisturbed, Eversham thought with a spark of interest.
“Excellent,” Eversham said. If there was a clue as to the identity to Philbrick’s mystery heir, he’d lay odds it would be in the man’s abandoned belongings.
Chapter Ten
Kate could practically feel the vibrations of curiosity emanating from Caro as