Page 118 of A Dangerous Game (Regency Spies & Secrets 2)

Her uncle’s eyes left hers and scanned the drawing room. “I see that you found Lockhart Manor.”

“I did.”

“May I ask how you learned about the manor?”

“I spoke to my father’s solicitor.”

“Ah,” her uncle said, bringing the glass up to his lips. “That is how you learned about your dowry, as well.”

She clasped her hands in front of her. “It was.”

“I must assume that you have questions for me.”

“I do.”

Her uncle gave her an expectant look. “Which are?”

She paused. “Why did you try to deceive me?”

Placing the empty glass onto the mantel, he pointed towards the settee and said, “It might be best if you have a seat for this.”

“I would prefer to stand.”

He nodded his understanding. “This property was never supposed to be left to you,” he shared. “Your father and I fought over Lockhart Manor from the moment our father passed away.”

“Why would my father leave it to me then?”

“Most likely out of spite.”

“That doesn’t sound like my father.”

Her uncle offered her a look of pity. “There is a lot about your father that you didn’t know.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Your father had secrets,” he said. “He hid his true nature from his closest friends and family, but he had a reputation for being a ruthless businessman.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you tried to deceive me,” she pressed.

“Your father owed money to unscrupulous people,” he explained, “and I used your dowry to pay them to leave you be.”

Emmeline pursed her lips. “Who were these men?”

“Your father was a gambler and frequented gambling hells.”

“Mr. Clarke informed me that my father had no debts when he passed away.”

Her uncle let out a sigh. “That may have been true on paper, but the gambling hell, known as The Pauper’s Game, was threatening to ruin your reputation if I didn’t pay them,” he shared. “You must see that I was trying to protect you.”

Bringing a hand up to her forehead, she said, “None of this makes any sense. I never knew my father to engage in gambling.”

“Your father showed you the version of himself that he wanted the world to see, but it was not who he truly was.” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of folded paper. “I have the receipt to prove that I paid off the debt from The Pauper’s Game.”

“You do?”

He extended it towards her. “Would you care to see for yourself?”

Emmeline walked closer to her uncle and accepted the paper. She opened it and reviewed the receipt, which was from The Pauper’s Game for fifteen thousand pounds and dated only a few days after her father’s death.

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