But her heart hammered so hard that she could barely pay attention as he spoke of his plans for new crops and breeds of livestock and what all. Because she feared that he had somehow guessed she was hiding something. After all, Dom had come by his reputation as a good investigator honestly. Which made it all the more imperative that she not reveal Nancy’s secret until she was sure it had something to do with Nancy’s disappearance. If it didn’t, and Jane broke Nancy’s confidence, Nancy would never forgive her—especially given how Dom was sure to react to the news. After a while, listening to Dom lay out his plans for the estate began to depress her. It reminded her that no matter what happened, one day he would find a wife and have children of his own, and— Lord, she hated to think of that, which in itself was awful. He had a right to marry. She certainly intended to. She’d considered remaining a spinster and just claiming her fortune when she turned thirty-five, when it would revert to her.
