“I trust you brought witnesses.”

“Of course. I found where they met. I waited until they were together, paid off the innkeeper, and up we went with the key. There they were, doing something he would not want described in a courtroom. He tried to bribe my witnesses on the spot, but they held firm for me. He agreed to a separation a week later. That helped, but not as much as I had hoped.”

“You are uncommonly brave, Minerva. Brave and resourceful and smarter than most men. I have never seen the likes of you.”

She would have given him a kiss if they were not in a public park. Admiration from this man counted for something.

She sensed more questions. He did not speak them, but his deep thought and the vague dismay shading his expression told her what they were.

“Yes,” she said. “What you are wondering. Yes. It all started with that, you see. His anger about his impotence is what turned violent first. Eventually nothing between us, no conversation or any connection, was not touched by violence. The only way to survive was to feel nothing at all.”

He closed his eyes. “If I had known I would have never—”

“You would have never kissed me or touched me.” She did kiss his cheek then. “And I would never have known that he had not completely ruined that part of me.”

He raised her hand and kissed it. “Let us spend the rest of the day doing better things than talking about this. We will go someplace where you can smile and laugh and be Minerva Hepplewhite. Only Minerva Hepplewhite.” He smiled. “I’ll even go shopping with you if you want.”

“I was planning to order a new ensemble. Perhaps you know of a good modiste.”

“I know of one or two, so that is what we will do.”

They strolled through the gardens and back to where he had left his horse. He hired a carriage and tethered the horse to it, then climbed in with her. She hoped that this modiste would take the commission based on her expectations. He appeared so pleased with his idea that she didn’t want to ruin it by being practical, however.

* * *

“It was an exorbitant self-indulgence.” Minerva voiced her thoughts while the carriage took them toward her house. The self-scold could not blight the fun of buying not one, but two ensembles. She smiled whenever she thought about it.

“It was not a self-indulgence at all,” he said. “The owner of Hepplewhite’s Office of Discreet Inquiries requires a suitable wardrobe. It was a pity you did not order that dinner dress as well.”

“It was too expensive.”

“You forget that you are an heiress now.”

“You should not have told Madame Tissot that. It was very bad of you.” The modiste had been merciless after learning that, tempting her with luxuries. Like that dinner dress.