Page 96 of The Mistletoe Countess
“Which means as a widow she’s still desperate to keep her financial status.”
“Widow.” Frederick turned. “Edward’s first will, the one Celia would have known about, provided financially for her and Mother, should the entail end. And when I married you, the will included you as one of the beneficiary widows. No other family member wanted the burden of Havensbrooke.”
“What does that mean?”
“Should I die without an heir, the estate will be sold, and the proceeds split three ways, between the three widows. If only two widows are left, then—”
“The money will be halved.” Grace squeezed close. “Frederick, the car accident? Your attack? Someone’s been after you since you got back from the States. It must be her!”
“I don’t know.”
“I can’t imagine losing you.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and leaned her cheek against the spot. “I’ve only just gotten to know you so well.”
He interlocked his fingers with hers and brought their braided hands to his chest. “I don’t plan to go anywhere if I can help it.”
“What would lead a wife to contemplate such deviousness?” Grace shuddered and closed her eyes. “Is money really that important to her?”
“Money is a powerful taskmaster, darling.” He ran a finger down her cheek. “For good or ill.”
She grinned up at him. “At least in our case, it was for good.”
“Mercifully so.”
But with such illintent, a dangerous weapon. “So how did she kill him and make it look like heart failure? That’s what we must sort out.”
“We can’t be certain Celia did this, Grace. There seem to be a number of unsavory business choices, which could have resulted in—”
“Do you have all of Conan Doyle’s works in the library?” She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder again. “Maybe a book about poisons or poisonous plants?”
“You truly are incorrigible, but I’m afraid the entire situation has become much darker than I expected.” He turned his head so that his lips tipped close to hers. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to stay out of this nasty business, could I?”
Her eyes popped wide. “Why on earth would you want me out of it? I’m your best advocate.” She placed another kiss on his shoulder, peering up at him as she did so. In all honesty, it was a ridiculous question. He wasn’t as well equipped with sleuthing knowledge as she was. “And we’re very good together, you know.”
“I don’t want you to be hurt, Grace.” He slipped his arm around her, bringing her into his lap. “We’re not speaking of pretend ghosts and obscure letters anymore. We’re talking of murder.”
“Exactly.” She snuggled into the warmth and strength of his chest, his arms a powerful force around her. “And I feel certain I know a great deal more about murder than you.”
“I’ll not win this fight, will I?”
She shook her head and grinned. “Indeed, you will not.” With a sigh, she rested her cheek against his shoulder, breathing in the amber scent of his skin. The quiet surrounded them, their breaths a gentle hush into the late morning. The unnamed emotion in her chest pinched deeper as her thoughts spiraled into the idea of someone hurting him.HerFrederick.
His fingers smoothed through her loose hair and down her back, his chin resting against her head. “Is it exhausting to live inside your mind?”
“Oh no, quite the contrary. It’s rather energizing. Though I think living outside my head may be exhausting for others. But since we’re sleuthing partners, as you’ve said, we should have the best of both minds. Your clarity and shrewdness, and my…” She looked up to the ceiling in search of a proper description.
“Imagination and somewhat terrifying fictional ingenuity.”
She laughed and slapped his chest. “Which you mean in the very best way, of course.”
“Of course.”
She sobered. “But you must think creatively too. Is there a place we can go that might provide more information? Somewhere important to your brother or Celia? A secret place?”
He paused, his gaze locking with hers and then turning away. “Well, there are the ruins.”
“The ruins?”
“Celia and I had secret rendezvous there a long time ago, but of more recent note, I noticed an unfamiliar car driving away from the place when we visited the vista.”
