Page 47 of The Danger of Desire

“I don’t blame you for that,” Delia said. “Your father essentially sold you to pay his gambling debts to Papa. Reynold should never have accepted that situation.”

“It’s not as if your brother hadn’t wanted to marry me already, you know. He offered for me even before our fathers got involved.”

“And you turned him down. He should have honored that, instead of letting Papa push your father into arranging the marriage, anyway.”

Her sister-in-law glanced away. “I accepted Reynold’s offer the second time.”

“Because they gave you no choice.”

“That’s not true. I could have said no.”

“And watched your parents go to debtor’s prison. It wasn’t right.” Delia crossed her arms over her chest.

“True, but I don’t blame Reynold for that. I blame my father.”

“Is that why you don’t speak to him anymore?”

Brilliana shrugged.

Delia patted her hand. “Surely you blamemyfather as much as you blame yours.”

“I suppose.” Brilliana forced a smile. “And yet, my marriage to your brother gave me Silas. So how can I regret it? Besides, things weren’t all bad between Reynold and me. He was a good man. We had a rocky start, but we’d begun to find our way—”

“Until he went off to London to gamble.” Delia shook her head. “I’ll never forgive him for that.”

“I’ve forgiven him. Why can’t you?”

Delia didn’t know how to explain it. She just knew that Reynold had thrown all her beliefs about his character into disarray, and she didn’t know how to get back to where she’d been. “The point is, I don’t blame you for not loving him. I truly don’t.”

Seeming to pull into herself, Brilliana went to stand by the window and look out at the rising sun. “There’s more to it than that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing.” She turned from the window to fix Delia with a stern look. “And you’re trying to change the subject. You cannot keep dressing as a man and running about Covent Garden alone. It’s too dangerous.”

“Brilliana—”

“I mean it! I refuse to let you risk your future for the sake of Camden Hall.”

“I’ve made fifteen hundred pounds so far.” Assuming that Warren paid his debt to her.

“Good Lord.” Brilliana dropped onto the window seat. “So much?”

“Yes. It will go a long way toward erasing the debt. At least it ought to delay the foreclosure.” Though not nearly for long enough.

Brilliana digested that in silence for a moment, her expression showing her divided feelings. Then she squared her shoulders. “All the same, you should quit before you’re caught and ruined.”

“Not until I find that card cheat and make him pay back what he stole.”

“How do you mean to dothat?” When Delia explained her plan, her sister-in-law blanched. “That is madness! If you corner this lord and threaten him, he’ll have nothing to lose, no reason not to murder you rather than risk being exposed as a cheater.”

“It will be fine, trust me.”

“I do trust you. It’s the men surrounding you whom I don’t trust.” Rising to her feet, Brilliana stared her down. “And it will be fine, I agree. Because you’re not doing it anymore.”

Delia drew herself up. “You can’t stop me.”

“I can.” Brilliana crossed her arms over her chest. “If the choice is having you end up dead in some street or our having to marry for money, I’d rather the latter. So if you won’t stop of your own accord, you’ll force me to go to Aunt Agatha—and you know perfectly well that she will whisk you right back home, and that will be an end to your activities.”