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Had done so from the moment he’d turned from the folly at Highbury House and given her that disarmingly crooked smile.

She hid a yawn behind her hand.

Lord, she’d never been so exhausted, and to think they had at least two more days of this rugged journey ahead of them nearly made her weep.

Nearly.

But she would not.

Not even when the annoying summer cold made her want to curl up in bed and sleep for a week.

You are made of sterner stuff, Beatrice Blossom Carina Fairfax.

If this was what she must endure to free herself from Uncle Cedric’s clutches at long last, then she would travel for a fortnight or longer under these grueling conditions.

“I’ll rent two rooms tonight.” Cassius’s murmured comment pulled her attention back to the present. “You can bathe, eat, and sleep for a few hours.”

A hot bath to wash the sweat and road grime away sounded divine.

He rubbed a hand across his forehead, weariness etched upon his handsome features. “We’ll leave well before dawn. I’ll ask for enough food to last the day.”

Unless Beatrice had needed to use the necessary behind the inns that they’d stopped at to switch teams, she’d remained out of sight in the stifling vehicle. So had the dogs. The coach paused along the route to allow her pets to relieve themselves. The fewer people who saw her or the dogs, the better.

She fingered the ill-fitting gown.

Cassius had burned her other garments during one of their stops for the dogs.

Beatrice didn’t want to contemplate how much he had spent on her behalf.

Of course, she’d reimburse him and pay for the inconvenience she’d caused him as well, even if the stubborn man insisted she need not. When she finally controlled the fortune coming to her, that was.

A little thrill of excitement and hope sluiced through her at the thought.

She was wealthy.

Verywealthy and on her way to claiming her inheritance. And there wasn’t a blasted thing Uncle Cedric could do to stop her from acquiring what was legally hers.

Except prevent her from meeting with her solicitor.

This begged the question, why would he do so?

But then again, why had he lied and sabotaged her for the last couple of years?

Over and over, she’d ruminated about the reasons Uncle Cedric could have had for lying to her about her inheritance. His behavior made no sense. Initially, she’d believed he’d kept her from her bequest out of spite, but then why the sudden urgency to see her married?

Beatrice’s husband wouldn’t inherit either, which made Uncles desperation to see her married all the more confounding. Surely, Uncle Cedric was acquainted with the provisions of his mother’s will and the legacy she’d left to Beatrice.

Nala lifted her head and giving Beatrice a soulful glance, yawned.

The dogs had suffered from the cramped quarters too, though not nearly as much as Cassius with his long legs. He’d not grumbled once, but then she’d learned that much about him. He wasn’t the complaining sort.

“We’re nearly to The Frolicking Fox, Beatrice.”

She almost asked him to call her BeBe, but that seemed far too personal and intimate.

Cassius flicked a paint-stained finger toward her hat. “Lower the veil and keep your head down when we enter.”

He returned his perusal to the road ahead.