“Do you think this is wise?” Walter asked. “Continuing in trade now that you are wed is neither necessary nor appropriate.”
“Did the family send you to instruct me? If my husband does not mind, why should you?”
“Kevin has never been careful about social expectations,” Felicity said soothingly. “Walter is only trying to help you. Isn’t that right, darling?”
Walter nodded.
“Then you have done your duty.” Rosamund stood. “Now, I have a full day and—”
“Actually, we wanted to talk about something else,” Walter said while he half-rose himself.
Rosamund sat back down.
“Your marriage settlement—How did that address this enterprise of Kevin’s?” Walter asked.
“That is more private than I want to discuss.”
“Did you leave it that he is your heir?” Felicity asked. “I did tell you not to do that.”
“My dear, please don’t divert the conversation,” Walter said. “That is neither here nor there to our purposes.”
“Perhaps you will explain whatishere or there,” Rosamund said.
Walter shifted how he sat. “Here is the thing. When almost a year had passed and you were not found, we assumed you would not be. That you were . . .”
“Dead?”
“Or had moved abroad. America,” Felicity added quickly.
“It was a fair conclusion,” Walter said. “I took it upon myself on behalf of the family to find out what that enterprise might be worth, should the legacy be divided up. I was surprised that while the details of Kevin’s invention are not known, there are those whose estimation of my cousin’s mind is quite high and who would purchase a share of something they knew nothing about, simply because it was his idea.”
Rosamund had been ready to usher them out, but now she was glad she hadn’t. What a stunning thing to hear. “This was a recent discovery, you said.”
“Recent enough.” Walter’s face tinged pink for an instant.
“Perhaps you looked into this earlier. When you thought Kevin might be arrested.”
Walter looked shocked, but not at her accusation. At her guessing what he had done.
“It was a reasonable thing to do,” Felicity said, with unctuous sweetness touched with enough beseeching plea to be irritating.
“Whenever it was done, I don’t see why you need to talk to me about it.”
They looked at each other, then at her, then at each other again. Felicity turned a big smile on Rosamund. “We want you to turn the company back to the estate. Not the money, just the company. Our share of that is far less than the money, but it is something.”
“It would benefit Kevin, because he really is not experienced in business and would be wise to have investors who are,” Walter added.
“I would think it would benefit your marriage too, to remove that partnership from it. It can’t be a good thing to have that between you.” Felicity’s expression turned sly. “And if that was why he married you, well, he is well caught now anyway.”
“Yet you just told me it has value, even without being fully realized yet.”
“Quite small compared to the rest you have,” Walter hastened to say. “It is like a puddle is to an ocean.”
Rosamund forced her mind to step away five paces, so she might see this peculiar visit for what it might really be about. Once she viewed it fully, the oddness started making sense.
“Tell me something. Upon learning about its value, and assuming I would not be found, did you trade on your expectations?”
“What do you mean?” Walter asked.
