Page 101 of The Danger of Desire

Warren lifted his gaze to Hart. “It’s asuntattoo.”

Hart shrugged. “I crossed the equator a couple of years ago, and my chums in the navy dared me to get one like the sailors do. We were drunk and—”

“You were in London last year.” Warren couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. His own brother was the sharper Delia had been looking for.

No, Hart would never cheat anyone.

But he could. He knows how.

“Did you go to Dickson’s while you were in town?” Warren demanded.

Hart turned instantly wary. “Why do you ask?”

A new voice came from the doorway—a wounded, bitter voice Warren knew only too well. “Because that’s where a lord with a sun tattoo cheated my brother at cards.”

Delia came into the room, already fully dressed and heartbreakingly beautiful in that yellow gown that made her look like a sunny day.

Except that no sun shone in her face this morning. She faced Hart down. “It wasyou,wasn’t it? You were the one who ruined my brother.”

Bloody, bloody hell.

Twenty-Four

Delia could tell from Warren’s face that he was as shocked as she was. ShelikedHart, for pity’s sake! And he was the one who’d driven Reynold over the edge? Oh, Lord, how could he be the one? Her husband’sbrother, of all people!

“Delia,” Warren said hoarsely, “I swear I didn’t know.”

That jerked her up short. “Of course you didn’t. How could you?”

Even as relief spread over Warren’s face, Hart snatched his arm free of his brother’s grip. “What are you two blathering about? I’ve never cheated anyone in my life. Well, other than my cousins. And my brothers.”

“You aren’t helping, you damned arse,” Warren bit out.

Hart glanced to Delia. “Who the devil is your brother, anyway?”

She stared him down. “Reynold Trevor.” When Hart paled, she knew for certain that he was the one. “You cheated him. You took everything from him!”

Hart jumped to his feet. “Yes, I won everything he wagered. But it was only to protect Niall.”

That caught Delia by surprise. “Lord Margrave was there?”

“Of course not,” Hart said. “That’s the point. My cousin was still hiding out on the Continent, and your brother kept asking questions about where he was, how to find him... rot like that.” He cast Warren a desperate look. “I figured that her brother wanted to hunt Niall down and bring him to justice because of that damned duel.”

Delia just gaped at him. This was about Lord Margrave? Warren looked as mystified as she.

“I assumed Trevor was a relation of the man Niall killed,” Hart continued, “so I couldn’t let him go searching for Niall, damn it. I figured if I took enough of his money at cards, he wouldn’t be able to afford a trip to the Continent to look for our cousin.”

Muttering a curse, Warren stood. “You’re saying that Reynold Trevor lost everything at the card tables because you were trying to keep him from hunting for our cousin.”

“Exactly.” Hart frowned. “Wait, what do you mean, lost everything? I only won three thousand pounds off him.”

“Which he got by mortgaging our already debt-ridden estate to the hilt!” Delia cried. “My brother is dead because of you! Because of the money you cheated him out of.”

The blood drained from Hart’s face. “Your brother isdead?”

That caught her off guard. “You didn’t know?”

“How could I? I’ve been on James Island off the coast of Africa for the past year. The last time I saw him was right before I left town, when he showed up with the money he owed me. I never dreamed—”