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“Yes, I made certain to withdraw mine this afternoon while you two were off playacting as detectives.” She added a derisive sniff for good measure. “Why you can’t leave this ugly business to professionals is beyond me. Meanwhile, I’ve had to manage the stress of this wretched situation alone.”

Alone? Grace frowned, agitated heat climbing her neck.

Lillias had a much bigger flare for dramatics than Grace did, and that was impressive.

Miss Cox, Zahra, and the doctor had been here all afternoon.

Of course Thomas couldn’t be counted—he was hardly useful as an infant.

Mrs. Lindsay was unconscious, and Mrs. James might well be a suspect, but alone? Hardly.

And playacting as detectives? Grace sat a little straighter at the offense. Jack Miracle had praised their work, even inducted them as detectives in their own right. How did Lillias always manage to make her feel so insignificant? It seemed deeply unsisterly.

“Our playacting, as you so charmingly call it, likely kept you alive.” Frederick’s sharp tone cut through the air, pulling Lillias’, and even Grace’s, attention.

“Had it not been for our help, I sincerely doubt you’d have gotten those funds or the information about the inheritance as quickly as you have. ”

The words landed like a hammer, and for once, Lillias faltered. Her gaze dropped. Grace blinked at Frederick in astonishment. No one had ever come to her defense where Lillias was concerned, let alone stood up to her sister with such measured ferocity.

Frederick, all affronted dignity, was an even more magnificent sight than usual. Grace realized that, although the elder sister, Lillias Dixon may not very well be the stronger, cleverer, or more resilient of the two of them.

And that thought was completely new to Grace.

It somehow made her want to smile a little.

Which would have been inappropriate considering the circumstances, but it still didn’t stop her from wanting to.

“So much good your detective work has done us,” Lillias muttered, breaking the spell. “The will is destroyed. And even the funds Mother left will run out eventually. I’ll need to find someone.”

The murmured words barely made it to Grace’s ears, and she wasn’t fully certain she comprehended them. Find someone else? Grace shot Frederick a look, and even his brows rose in surprise.

“Find someone?” Grace echoed, brow furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“To marry,” Lillias snapped. “What else can I do?” She turned back to them and marched to the tea table, pouring herself a cup with a hand shaking as badly as Grace’s ever did.

“Father has no money, Tony is … gone”—her voice wavered on the word—”and I have a child to provide for.

I must find a husband willing to take us in. ”

“I don’t know how long Mr. Barclay may remain unfit to travel or when all your affairs will be in order so we can do so.” Grace stood, almost as much in surprise at her sister’s statements as in the need to solve this dilemma. “But the inheritance isn’t lost to us yet, Lillias.”

Lillias froze, teacup halfway to her lips. “What?”

“There’s another copy of the will at Mosslea,” Grace explained. “Mr. Barclay mentioned it. If we get there within three weeks, and if he’s well enough to travel, he can help us find it. “That is, if we want to continue with seeking to claim the inheritance at all.”

Frederick raised a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching upward in a way that seemed to question her very use of the word if. Grace nearly smiled back. It was true—wasting Tony’s sacrifice, the faint chance of another will, and the excitement of another mystery seemed downright reckless.

The teacup clattered onto its saucer as Lillias stared. “Another copy?”

“Don’t you remember? Mr. Barclay told us this afternoon.” Grace nodded. “He said there was a safeguard—a second copy—hidden somewhere in the castle. And he seemed to know exactly where.”

“And if Mr. Barclay isn’t fit to travel,” Frederick added, his gaze meeting Grace’s with an approving glint before shifting to Lillias, “will you allow us to playact a little longer to help find it?”

“There’s clearly no time to waste.” Lillias sent him a glare and placed her cup on the table with a decided clink. “I say we leave for Scotland in the morning.”

“In the morning?” Not that the idea didn’t sound thrilling, but how on earth could they do it?

Grace frowned. It seemed rather strange to be the one advocating for reasonable thinking.

“Lillias, we’re hardly in a position to set out immediately.

Mr. Barclay isn’t conscious, your cook is wounded, and there’s Tony’s …

arrangements to consider.” Grace softened her tone. “We need at least a few days.”

“If Mr. Barclay cannot accompany us, we will need all the time we can to search for the hidden will,” Lillias shot back.

“So not only must we travel across the ocean and find Mosslea in Scotland, but we’ll also have to search a castle for a will hidden somewhere in its walls.

” Lillias pressed a hand to her forehead and dissolved into the nearest chair.

“Oh, heavens. I sound like I’m quoting the plot of one of your ridiculous novels. ”

It really was sad how unappreciated good novels were in her family.

Frederick, however, took up the mantle with a grin.

“Precisely why you should be reassured. Grace has an uncanny knack for using fiction to solve real-world problems.” He stepped to Grace’s side, the playful glint in his eyes softening as he addressed Lillias.

“We’ll do everything in our power to secure the inheritance—and to keep you safe.

But this only works if we cooperate, Lillias. ”

The use of her Christian name landed stiffly from his lips, but Grace saw the effort. He didn’t trust her sister—Grace couldn’t blame him—but he was trying, and that was something.

A knock at the door interrupted the moment, and Grace turned to see the last person she expected.

Mrs. James. The sight of the housekeeper threw Grace’s assumptions into a whirl.

If the will was destroyed and with that any possibility of Grace and Lillias signing it on this side of the Atlantic, then why would Mrs. James still need to serve as housekeeper while working for Clark?

The young woman looked from one person to the next and dipped her head. “I’m sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Dixon, but the doctor is on his way out and refused to leave without speaking with one of you.”

Lillias sighed as if exhausted by the request, so Grace moved to the door.

“I’ll see to him, and perhaps you could help Lillias with the necessary arrangements in the meantime?

” She paused, her expression softening as she addressed Frederick.

“I have no idea how to plan a funeral, but I’m afraid you’ve had an unhealthy amount of experience with them. ”

Lillias sent a look to Frederick, and Mrs. James’ brows rose before Grace followed her out, plucking up her parasol on the way out of the room.

“She has the very best heart, I am sure, but I can’t imagine having to live with her and not become exasperated every day.” Lillias sighed, studying Frederick with those pale blue eyes of hers.

He’d once contemplated those eyes would belong to his future wife.

Once hoped a real romance would grow between them, even if they’d been resigned to an arranged marriage.

But God had chosen better for him. He’d never have contemplated marrying Grace. She’d been too much outside the realm of what he thought he’d needed for Havensbrooke and his legacy.

But she’d been everything God had known Frederick had needed for his heart, soul, and future. And he was profoundly grateful.

“I’ll be happy to assist you in any of your funeral plans, if I can,” he said, curbing the sudden edge in his voice. “I’m sure you must be feeling overwhelmed.”

His distaste for her previous statement didn’t go unnoticed. One of Lillias’ golden brows arched. She didn’t speak, but her silence was heavy as she walked back to the tea table, warming her cup with another pour of the amber liquid.

“It seems neither of us got what we wanted for our futures,” she remarked.

“I settled for a poor banker and ended up a widow, cast out from polite society.” Her voice wavered slightly, betraying emotions she clearly wanted to suppress.

“And you’re stuck with my silly sister—her fictional whims and her lack of refinement, which I’m sure, have already blighted your social standing. ”

“Refinement?” Frederick choked out a laugh. “Is that truly the greatest concern you have about my marriage to your sister?”

“Oh, I cannot even imagine what you’ve had to endure with her disposition.

” Lillias shook her head and offered a look of mock sympathy.

“An earl of all things! She may have a sweet heart and, at times, engage in interesting conversation, but as a meaningful life partner for aristocracy?” Lillias waved her hand toward Frederick and scoffed.

“She’s a disaster. A child. No wonder you regret what’s happened. ”

“Regret?” Frederick face went hot. “I’ve never regretted anything less in my entire life.”

His statement brought Lillias’ gaze up and put her body to a stop.

“If that’s the sum of your thoughts on my wife,” Frederick continued, deliberately lingering on the word my to emphasize his connection and acceptance, “then you never really knew her at all.” A fire smoldered in his chest, deepening his voice.

“Grace may be unconventional and naive at times, but she is far from silly. Her lack of refinement is the least of my concerns because she is not only a willing student to learn new things, but her kindness has overcome many of the social obstacles placed before her. You not only dismiss her advice but underestimate her intelligence and strength of character—qualities I value deeply.”