Matt shifted his weight. “My grandfather was being blackmailed.”
“Blackmailed?” she repeated in disbelief. “Over what?”
“The reason isn’t important.” He wasn’t going to talk about his uncle William. Let the dead have their peace. “It stopped almost two years ago but by then the estate was robbed dry.”
“That’s what happened?” She flipped her braid over her shoulder. “People speculated about why your family had lost their money. Father assumed it was poor investments. He didn’t know what kind. He looked into it.”
“Being cautious, I suppose.”
“When it comes to money, Father is always wary. Money is his purpose in life. So, why did you want to hire the men?”
“The name of the blackmailer is Hardesty. I had some thought to track him down. I would like to have back what we lost. Or at least find justice.”
“And now?”
He thought a moment. “For the honor of the title, I should hunt the man down. It is what is right. However, perhaps everyone is right. Perhaps, I should just count myself incredibly fortunate.”
“Because you have my money.”
There was a clip to her tone, a challenge. Cautiously, Matt said, “It has helped.”
“And now justice doesn’t matter.”
Yes, there was definitely a troubling undertone. “I didn’t mean thatyoudon’t matter, Willa.”
She abruptly came to her feet. “That is all right.” She dusted the dirt and grass from her skirts, not meeting his eye. She swept up her wide-brimmed hat and set it on her head. “We aren’t a love match. Come, we should return. It will take me hours to prepare for my debut as a duchess this evening. Will I truly have to be presented at court?”
“Soon, yes.” Minerva had her secretary making arrangements.
“It seems a great deal of fuss for nothing.” She began walking toward the two-wheeled gig he had hired for the outing.
Matt came to his feet and bounded after her. His long legs ate up the ground between them. He fell into step beside her, shortening the length of his stride. “What is the matter, Willa?”
She didn’t look at him but continued purposefully forward as she tossed out, “Nothing. It’s all fine.”
He sensed it wasn’t.
Matt took her arm. “I’ve offended you.”
A look crossed her face, one he couldn’t decipher. She didn’t answer.
“Willa, please, what did I say?”
She didn’t want to have this conversation. She glanced at the gig only five feet away. The horse was asleep, one hoof cocked. Like any hired nag, it was not anxious to wake.
And that was when Matt gathered his courage and asked, “What if we had been a love match?”
That caught her attention. A calmness seemed to settle over her. She closed her eyes, her dark lashes fanning her cheeks. She took a deep breath and released it before opening her eyes and saying, “I wish we had been a love match.”
“We could be,” he heard himself say.
“If welovedeach other,” she answered carefully.
And here was the moment when he should declare himself to her. He could imagine his sisters watching and silently urging him to do what was right. Except he couldn’t say he loved Willa.
He’d loved Letty, and his feelings had been a constant turmoil. His world had circled around her. When she’d left him, he’d been shattered.
Matt never wished to let himself be that vulnerable again.
