“He’s not, so ... my story, the condensed version.” Eunice dabbed her forehead again. “IwasMiss Eugenia Howland for the first twenty years of my life, which I spent in Butte, Montana. There is no Mr. Holbrooke, and Iamthe only grandchild of James. W. Mason. TheW, if you’re curious, stands for Wyatt, a name he abhorred. Also, I didn’t run away because my grandfather wanted me to marry Arthur. I was oblivious to that plan, although Arthur does play a role in why I disappeared.”
“Didn’t Arthur say you were sitting on a horse named Wyatt, a name your grandfather apparently abhorred?”
“Of everything I just disclosed, I wasn’t expecting you to zero in on that, but yes, I named my horse Wyatt because I was annoyed with my grandfather at the time we acquired the horse.” Eunice shook her head. “I’d picked out a delightful mare by the name of Clover at a horse auction, but instead of purchasing Clover, my grandfather had Wyatt delivered instead.” She shuddered. “From the moment I met that brute of a horse, we were at odds. Grandfather refused to return the horse, hence the reason behind the name.” She smiled. “I thought naming him after my grandfather was the least I could do to show Grandfather how put out with him I was, not that it swayed his decision. He insisted I keep the beast because he wanted me to overcome what he said was an irrational fear of the horse.”
“Your grandfather sounds charming.”
“Charming is not a term anyone ever used to describe Grandfather. He was a self-made man, a tyrant at heart, and he didn’t believe in coddling me, expecting me to comport myself like the grandson he didn’t have instead of the granddaughter he did.” Eunice tucked her handkerchief into her sleeve. “But because time is short, I’m going to jump to the day my grandfather died. I wasn’t supposed to be on the estate that day. Instead, I was to be at the train station, where I was scheduled to take the ten o’clock train bound for New York City. After arriving in New York, I was then supposed to board a ship bound for England, where I would begin an extensive tour of Europe.”
“That sounds lovely.”
“And I’m sure I would have thought the same if I’d been given the opportunity of time to plan and then anticipate a grand tour. Grandfather arranged the trip on the spur of the moment, which was odd, especially when he’d refused to allow me to take a grand tour with my mother before I reached my majority.”
“Why didn’t your grandfather want you to take a tour with your mother?”
“He thought my time would be better spent learning the mining business, something he’d begun to focus on when I turned fourteen and he fired my governess and hired a tutor for me instead. The tutor was a dreadful and exacting man by the name of Vincent Wagner. Vincent was relentless in teaching me everything there was to know about copper mining. He idolized my grandfather, catered to his every whim pertaining to my curriculum, and even took to having me travel into the mines with him and Grandfather so that I could see different mining techniques.” She scratched her nose. “I loathed those trips into the mines because when Grandfather wasn’t with me, his miners weren’t what anyone could call respectful. Grandfather, however, wouldn’t hear of my abandoning my mining studies, not when he’d made it clear he was going to have me take over his company.”
“It seems to me from what Arthur disclosed,” Daphne began, “that your grandfather had a change of heart about that. Perhaps your grandfather sending you off on a tour had something to do with that decision or...” Her eyes went distant for a moment before she nodded. “Perhaps it had something to do with Arthur not being keen to court you. Maybe your grandfather thought he’d have more success talking Arthur into that courtship if you weren’t underfoot.”
“That would be one odd way of convincing a gentleman he was well suited with a lady, but...” Eunice frowned. “Why would you think Arthur wasn’t keen to court me?”
“He said, and I quote...” Daphne flipped through her notepad. “‘I had doubts she’d agree to marry me even if James had been able to convince me to court his granddaughter.’”
A trace of disgruntlement slithered up Eunice’s spine, one she tried to ignore.
“I find it curious,” Daphne continued, “that Arthur would have needed convincing to court you. I would think, given that you weren’t hiding yourself underneath layers of veils back then, that you were in high demand. You’re a very beautiful woman.”
Eunice smiled. “That’s very kind of you to say, but in all honesty,most of the gentlemen in Butte did not try to procure my affections. Frankly, men have always found me peculiar.”
“Because ...?”
Eunice’s lips twitched. “You lived in the boardinghouse with me for years. I wouldn’t think my peculiarity needs explaining. However, if you haven’t noticed, I’m far too direct, I’ve been dressing in spooky widow’s weeds for seven years, and before that I preferred trousers over skirts, and I’m more proficient with weapons than most gentlemen are. I’m also almost always in the company of Ivan, whom my grandfather hired as my bodyguard years ago. He taught me how to box, a sport that’s not considered acceptable for women, but one I excel in, something Ivan made sure everyone in Butte knew.”
“Ivan’s your bodyguard?” Daphne shook her head. “And here I’ve been thinking the two of you were siblings.”
“Ivan looks nothing like me.”
“He has blond hair.”
“And Gabriella and Nicholas both have dark hair, but that doesn’t make them siblings, and thank goodness for that since they’re married.”
“A fair point.”
“Indeed, but we seem to be getting distracted from what matters most—that being my grandfather’s murder.”
“We’re not distracted at all,” Daphne countered. “This is what’s called backstory, and I need it to fully comprehend your story.”
“And I’ll fill in more of it later, but Arthur is waiting to hear our decision, which is obviously going to be a resounding no to taking on his case.”
“It would be an incredibly easy case for us to solve.”
“True, but considering there’s a possibility Arthur believes I killed my grandfather, I can’t reveal my identity to him, not when that could very well see me behind bars.”
Daphne’s mouth dropped open. “Good heavens, and here I’ve been concerning myself with your backstory when clearly this is something we should have discussed right from the start. Why would Arthur believe you killed your grandfather?”
“Because he found me at the scene of my grandfather’s murder, or more specifically, leaning over my grandfather’s body.” Eunice scratched her nose. “I should also mention that there is a possibility, although I don’t believe it’s a strong possibility, that Arthur killed my grandfather and tried to set me up to take the fall.”
“If either of those two things are true, we’re going to have to get Arthur out of the agency as soon as possible because he’s a distinct threat to your well-being ... but not until we get some answers from him.”
