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“I don’t want the inheritance to slip away either, but there are very real dangers right now that we must address. And we’ll know more about the inheritance this afternoon. Mr. Barclay is supposed to meet us at noon and go over more particulars.”

“I’ve kept the very best things from Rutledge House, and they could certainly decorate a new estate. And Scotland? Tony had never traveled.” Lillias’ smile wavered but then brightened. “Mother would have loved knowing we would end up there, wouldn’t she? Home of her grandfather and his family.”

“We hope it all will work out in your favor, Mrs. Dixon, but you and Grace must both arrive together to claim the inheritance, and that will all depend on clearing your name.” Frederick studied her before turning back to Grace. “The sooner we can have direct answers and clarity, the better.”

Lillias sobered and returned to the chair, her body almost shaking. “What do you need to know? If I have a chance for this freedom, I’ll tell you anything.”

Grace and Frederick pressed for details: the collectors she’d dealt with, Tony’s debts, his habits.

“Did he have any particular places he frequented for gambling?” Frederick asked, his chin tilted with a purpose that made him look like one of those detectives in Grace’s mystery novels. All he needed was a fedora tipped just so and a notepad for his observations.

“The Lucky Coin was where he spent most of his time lately,” Lillias admitted, her perfect brow creasing. “There was also mention of a place called the Captain.”

“Are those in Harrington?” Grace asked.

“Yes, but on the far side of town.” Lillias offered a weak smile. “At least, in that way he tried to remain more discreet.”

“Did he ever try to harm you, Lillias?” Grace’s question landed heavily.

Lillias turned sharply to meet her gaze, her pale blue eyes swimming with sudden tears. “No. Of course not. You knew him. He wasn’t the sort.”

Ah. There it was. Grace hadn’t considered it—though she should have, as both a sister and a self-proclaimed sleuth: Lillias hadn’t stopped loving Tony.

For all her misplaced priorities and shallowness, her sister had genuinely cared for him.

Not enough to alter her behavior or curb her desires, but love, in its flawed, messy way, had been there.

And maybe that hurt more than not caring at all.

“Can you think of anyone who may have wanted to harm him?” Frederick’s voice pulled Grace back to the moment. “Or someone who might claim his money?”

“I don’t know,” Lillias said, her sigh laced with exhaustion.

“He owed several people but made an effort to pay them back, except …” She paused.

“He mentioned an altercation at the Lucky Coin a few nights ago.” Her brows knitted.

“Actually, now that I think of it, he hadn’t been to a gambling house two nights in a row after that.

Odd, since he’d been going almost every night for months. ”

“What did he say about the altercation?”

Lillias shook her head. “Not much. Just that he’d met a stranger he thought was dangerous and ended up in a fight. He was thrown out.”

“But not the other man?” Frederick pressed.

“Apparently, the man had too much money for them to expel him.”

“Did Tony mention anything else? What the man looked like or sounded like?” Grace asked.

Lillias’ expression flickered. “Now that you mention it, he did say the man was a well-to-do foreigner. Parks? Clark? I can’t recall.”

Grace glanced at Frederick, but he gave nothing away.

He was infuriatingly good at keeping his thoughts to himself when she most wanted a peek into his mind.

They asked a few more questions before Miss Cox appeared, looking harried with a screaming Thomas in her arms. Lillias excused herself to tend to her son, leaving Miss Cox visibly relieved.

“If I may, my lord, may I take a walk down to the village?” Miss Cox asked, the poor girl in need of some respite, no doubt.

Frederick sent a questioning glance to Grace, who smiled up at Miss Cox. “Oh yes, please do. I believe a walk will be very refreshing for you.”

The woman smiled as she left the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Grace joined Frederick at the window, keeping her voice low. “Do you think the man Tony fought with is our Mr. Clark?”

“It’s possible,” he said, turning back to her. “But this feels like too much for one man to manage.”

“So we should probably consider that Mr. Clark is working along with someone else.” Grace joined him at the window, her curiosity building alongside the bustle of the street below.

He looked down at her, the tension in his face softening, as he rested his palms against her hips to pull her nearer. “The sooner we can solve this case”—he raised a brow—”the sooner we can leave for Scotland and get away from all this.”

She studied him back, a thrill spiraling through her at her dear husband’s excellent mystery-inducing vocabulary choices. “What did you have in mind, my darling sleuth?”

“If you feel safe meeting Mr. Barclay alone with your sister,” he said, “I thought I could visit the Lucky Coin.”

Grace rested her palms on his arms, her lips curving upward. “An excellent idea. But you’re no gambler, are you? Though at one point, I did wonder if you were a pirate.”

“A pirate?” he echoed, his laugh low and warm.

“It was a silly girlish thought, although”—she rose on her toes and kissed the smile she so adored—”you are roguish in the very best of ways.”

His palms tightened on her waist, the kiss deepening until a delightful warmth spilled through her. She hadn’t realized how much she’d longed for his particular affection until he’d so delightfully bestowed it upon her welcome lips.

He pulled back slightly, his thumb brushing her cheek. “I’ve no mind for gambling, but I know how to ask questions.”

“Indeed you—”

“I am very good at gambling.” The small voice startled them both.

Grace turned to find Zahra emerging from beneath a tablecloth like a pint-sized spy. Her greenish-gray eyes were wide with conviction. “Father said I brought him good luck.”

Oh, heavens. Not only had she been wandering the streets of Cairo alone, but her father had taken her to gambling houses?

Frederick sent Grace a look before kneeling down to Zahra’s height. “And what were you doing under the table, my little card shark?”

“I heard you tell Sayyida we must keep our ears open to stay safe,” Zahra explained. “I keep my ears open to keep you safe.”

Frederick chuckled softly, then offered his hand. Zahra studied him a moment before placing her small fingers in his. He led her to a settee and lifted her onto his lap. She didn’t resist, instead leaning into him as though testing the fit of trust. Grace’s chest tightened at the sight.

“I appreciate your vigilance,” Frederick said, “but little girls are not allowed in gambling houses here.”

“Then how are they to trick the dealers?”

Grace didn’t know very much about gambling, but that question alone told her volumes about what Zahra’s father had asked her to do for him.

“Perhaps they use their own wits or fates.” Frederick answered, his voice so gentle.

What a father he made! “But my goal is not to gamble, but to find answers so that you, me, and your”—he looked up at Grace—”your new mother, Grace, can return to Britain and introduce you to your little sister, Elizabeth, as well as your new home at Havensbrooke. ”

Grace almost smiled. Frederick had been resistant to publicly connect himself to his little illegitimate daughter in the past, but perhaps time and perspective had changed those concerns.

Little Lily could certainly benefit from knowing her father loved her enough to claim her as his own for the whole world to see.

Grace joined them on the settee.

“Zahra, lamb, we appreciate your desire to keep us safe.” Frederick’s words tumbled forward in a gentle rumble. “And I’m certain you have a keen mind, but it’s important for you to not put yourself into harm’s way.”

“Though it was very clever to hide beneath a table.” Grace offered. “My usual hiding spot of choice was behind the doors.”

“But right now, with dangerous things happening around us, it’s important that you do as we ask. Do you understand?”

She studied Frederick without assenting.

“Unless it’s an emergency,” Grace added. “Like in Egypt, when you ran back to find Frederick while I was tied up in that burning house.”

Frederick sent Grace a look she didn’t fully interpret, but she had the strangest feeling she might not have been saying what he’d wanted her to say. In any event, Zahra could certainly benefit from the encouragement.

“And for now, it is best if you stay here with Grace while I make my way to the Lucky Coin alone, do you understand?”

She nodded this time. “But I will still keep my ears open.”

Frederick sighed in the same way he’d done with Grace on several occasions. Grace really hoped she was able to give dear Frederick a son, because for some reason, she felt as though a boy might cause much less sighs than he seemed to experience surrounded by females.

“Very well. I feel certain Grace will appreciate your extra set of ears, especially when listening for a little baby in need.” He set her on the ground and nudged her toward the door. “Now, will you run along to see how Miss Cox fares?”

“So you can speak to Sayyida alone?”

Grace grinned. The little girl really was too clever.

Much more clever about interpersonal situations than Grace had been at her age.

“I do.” He gave her a mock-serious look and Zahra’s lips almost tipped, until she dashed out of the room.

Frederick turned back to Grace. “If I’m to get back before Detective Johnson returns, I’d better leave now.” He touched her arm. “Be careful, darling.”

“And you.”

He’d just made it to the threshold of the door when Grace stopped him. “Frederick.”

He turned back toward her. “Yes?”

“Why do you refer to my sister as Mrs. Dixon and not Lillias? She is your sister-in-law, after all.”

He looked away and after a slight hesitation met her stare.

“Don’t know for certain. The way we began and the way in which she almost manipulated the situation into marriage with her, I just can’t force myself into a more intimate level of acquaintance.

” His shoulders slumped as if the admission took some strength from him. “I don’t trust her, Grace.”

At the moment, Grace found it hard to trust her sister too. “You think she’s lying?”

“Not about the facts, but about her motives. She’s desperate, and desperation rarely leads to clear thinking. I hate to say this, especially about your sister, but keep your guard up, won’t you? And use that clever mind of yours.”

Her smile crooked a little at his benedictory tease. “I will.”