“Why would you want to get out of the carriage?” Ivan asked, pulling his gaze from Judith to settle a frown on Eunice.
“It’s getting a little warm in here.”
Ivan shot another glance to Judith. “I suppose it is. But if we could return to Judith’s role at the agency? I’m in full agreement that she doesn’t belong in the receiving room and should instead be given tasks that are more suited to her delightful artistic nature.”
Eunice’s nose wrinkled. “What tasks would those be?”
“I’ll have to think further on that, but I’m sure we can find something for her to do, perhaps even allow her to try her hand at creating flyers of victims or suspects.”
Judith raised a hand to her throat. “I’m not certain I’m up for the task after seeing the flyer of Eunice that Arthur has in his possession.”
“And I’m convinced you’ll rise to that challenge magnificently,” Ivan argued. “I’ve seen the bowls of fruit you’ve painted, and the apples look so realistic that I find myself longing to take a bite out of them.”
Arthur suddenly coughed behind his hand, although Eunice was relatively certain it was an attempt to disguise a laugh.
She couldn’t say she blamed him because, obviously, things were taking a turn for the interesting within the closed confines of the carriage.
“I never knew you’d given my fruit paintings much attention,” Judith said in a breathy voice as her cheeks turned pinker than ever.
“I’ve stared at them for what must be hours.”
Eunice found herself hard-pressed to not ask the carriage to stop because she was now in danger of laughing as well, what with how she was trapped in a carriage with two people who seemed to be in the midst of a romantic interlude, or perhaps experiencing the eye-opening moment where they’d apparently begun to realize there was some type of spark between them. She cleared her throat and struggled to think of something to say that would break the peculiar atmosphere now settled around them.
“If you’re concerned, Judith, that you’ll be leaving us in thelurch if you don’t occasionally man the receiving room, you shouldn’t be,” Eunice said as a burst of inspiration came to her, though her statement did nothing to interrupt the moment between Judith and Ivan.
Eunice cleared her throat again. “I’ve had the most brilliant idea of who we can hire to become our permanent receptionist.”
That didn’t earn her so much as a blink from the lovestruck couple.
Arthur settled a grin on her. “And who would that be, Eunice?”
She resisted the inclination to grin as well. “Rose Santana, Arthur, and thank you so much for asking.”
“You’re very welcome, and I have to say that Rose Santanaisa brilliant idea. As we conversed on the ferry ride across the East River, she struck me as a very formidable woman. In fact, I bet if she’d been manning the reception room earlier today, I wouldn’t have made it past the front door.”
“Then I’m definitely hiring her.”
“Surely you wouldn’t tell her to turn me away, would you?”
“Without a second’s hesitation. But if you really consider the matter, there’s no reason for you to call on me again. You wanted to find me to apprise me of the situation unfolding in Montana. I’ve now been found and apprised, so you may consider your job done.”
Arthur immediately took to looking grumpy. “My job isn’t done since I’m not comfortable accepting your decision to turn your back on your inheritance without more discussion about the matter.”
“But what more is there to discuss? I don’t want to return to Montana, nor do I want to marry you. End of discussion.”
“We need to discuss the extent of the inheritance your grandfather left you in his will.”
“I imagine he left me at least a twenty-five percent stake in his holdings, dividing the rest between my mother and his vast assortment of relatives and friends.”
Arthur shook his head. “You’re wrong. He made special bequests to numerous people, that money taken from his incrediblylarge bank account, but he left you seventy-five percent of Mason Mines as well as his house and lands, the remainder of the funds in his bank accounts, and the entirety of his stock portfolio.”
“I would have thought he’d leave all that to my mother.”
“Why? He was obviously grooming you as heiress apparent, until he changed his mind because you’re a woman, hence the reason behind his inviting me to Montana. I think he was hoping he’d get us married off well before he died, and if he’d been successful with that, he would have known that your fortune would be in good hands because I do know a thing or two about mining. Truth be told, it’s because of me that geologists were brought in to survey the old Green farm.”
Her eyes widened. “If that’s the case, then it seems to me that it’s your fault my family wants to have me declared dead. I imagine the lure of increased profitability for Mason Mines was too much for them to resist.”
Arthur rubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t actually consider that.”
