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“You truly want to keep discussing your escapades?” Daphne asked as she put her napkin in her lap.
“Not that conversation,” Phineas responded. “I am referring to the one where you stole my inheritance.”
“I did no such thing.”
“After all these years, why did Grandmother decide now to change her will?” he asked. “What changed?”
“If you had cared to visit, you would have noticed that her health has been declining these past few months.”
Phineas stepped closer to the table and lowered his voice. “I have been waiting for years for her to die, but she is quite stubborn on the matter.”
“Lovely sentiments,” Daphne muttered.
“We both know that inheritance belongs to me,” Phineas said. “When you get married, it will just go to your husband.”
“True, but I am not sure if I will marry.”
“You will,” Phineas replied, “and then another bloke will be spendingmyrightful inheritance!”
Daphne reached for her teacup. “It was Grandmother’s choice to alter her will, not mine.”
“You coerced her.”
“I did no such thing,” she asserted.
Phineas pulled out a chair and sat down. “I don’t intend to leave until I convince Grandmother to change her mind.”
“I wish you luck with that.” Daphne rose and set her napkin on the table. “If you will excuse me, I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite.”
“You have always been one for theatrics.”
She lifted her brow. “You would know that how?” she asked. “You hardly know me, Cousin.”
“I know enough,” he replied. “Although, I misjudged how conniving you were.”
“You are impossible to talk to when you are like this,” Daphne declared.
“You will regret this,” Phineas said as she walked away.
She stopped at the door and spun around. “If you had been listening to anything I have been saying, you would realize that I have done nothing to you.”
Phineas met her gaze. “That is not how I see it.”
Daphne let out a frustrated sigh as she departed from the parlor. She truly hoped her ride would soothe her nerves. If she were lucky, Phineas would be gone before she came back; but she knew that was unlikely to happen.
Guy stood infront of the bank as he waited for Miss Locke. He hoped being introduced to Mr. Burke would be the break in the case he had been waiting for. Despite the townspeople being accommodating, no one would speak to him about the atrocities happening at the coal mine. When he did bring it up, whomever he was speaking to would quickly change the subject.
He needed to send a letter to Corbyn to update him on the status of his case, but he had nothing to report at this time. It was rather infuriating. He was quite proficient at his job, but this case was moving at a snail’s pace.
He saw Miss Locke coming down the road, wearing a lovely blue gown that highlighted her comely figure perfectly. Her hair was piled atop her head, though a few strands had escaped and curled around her forehead and cheeks. A maid and two footmen were trailing behind her at a discreet distance.
She was an undeniable beauty, but it was her charitable heart that fascinated him. He couldn’t quite believe that she was related to Phineas. He was a despicable excuse for a human being and had made Guy’s life at Eton truly and utterly miserable.
Miss Locke came to a stop in front of him and smiled. “It is good to see you, Mr. Stewart.”
“Likewise, Miss Locke,” he replied. “I do worry that your gown may get soiled at the blacksmith shop.”
“That is why I wore one of my sturdier cotton gowns.”
