Page 54 of The Duchess Debt

What the devil did he mean by that? “How so?”

“Don’t you remember how Clarissa used to lie to her father about her clothes and accessories?” He laughed into his cognac as he raised it to his lips. “She ordered two or three of everything and had the merchants bill her father in advance for the full amount, only to cancel the extra orders and keep the difference herself. The old earl was clueless, and she made a small fortune.”

“How amusing.”Not at all.Gabe closed the account book and turned to slide it back into place on the shelf.

“Did Clarissa ever do the same with you?”

Gabe froze, the book halfway into place.All the damned time.Before she simply began taking the money outright, that is. “She knew better than to try that with me,” he lied and slid the book into place.

Adam slowly swirled his glass, focusing his gaze on watching the golden liquid sheet down the sides of the crystal tumbler. “Do you think all society women do that kind of thing?” Adam mused. “Lie about receipts to steal money?”

“Do all second sons?”

Adam’s eyes narrowed angrily for just a beat, but then he gave a low chuckle that mingled with the thunder.

“Don’t you need to pack?” Gabe asked bluntly, wanting an end to this conversation. “Better make good use of the rain, don’t you think?”

Taking the hint, Adam tossed back his last swallow of brandy. He pushed himself out of the chair and crossed to the side table to help himself to a refill to take with him. Of course, he reached for the most expensive liquor on the tray.

“If the weather clears tomorrow,” he called out over his shoulder, “I’ll take one of the saddle horses and ride into Canterbury to meet with Bennington. I have some other loose ends to tie up before I leave England. I expect to be gone overnight.”

“Enjoy the taverns there.”

Adam laughed as he sauntered from the room. “You know me too well!”

Gabe let out a low but fierce curse and snatched up his glass, downing his cognac in a single, gasping swallow. Then he raked his trembling fingers through his hair and forced his breath to turn calm and steady.

An angry roll of thunder that suited his gray mood broke over the estate, and the rain that had been trickling against the window now let loose in driving torrents.

He stared at the bill sitting on his desk and tightened his jaw. The numbers were off, and he had no explanation for it. Helena had kept him informed of costs, for both the wedding and the new school, and every one of those bills had come in at the exact right amount. But this one…Christ.

He had no explanation for it. Hell, he shouldn’t have even seen this one at all except that it had gotten mixed up with the bills for the construction. All the dressmaker’s bills should have been paid directly by Helena, from the household money and the allowance Bennington had made available to her. And if it had, Gabe would never have known about the discrepancy.

He snatched up the bill and strode from the study.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“There.” Verity finished tying the sating ribbons at Alice’s waist and stepped back to cast an assessing glance over her great-niece. “What do you think, Alice?”

From the other side of her bedroom, Helena smiled as the little girl twirled around in her pink flower girl dress, the dark pink ribbons at her waist floating at her sides. Her braid was frayed after a rainy day spent playing in the nursery instead of being able to race around outside to burn off all that childhood energy, and her shoes had been discarded hours ago somewhere in the house, leaving her little feet in stockings. But her cheeks were as bright pink with happiness as her dress, and every step she took was a bounce of beaming joy.

Alice laughed at her reflection in the tall mirror and threw her arms around Verity’s legs in a great hug of unabashed glee.

“I think she likes it,” Helena murmured to Mrs. Swenson, who watched the scene next to her. And if she liked her dress this much, Helena couldn’t wait for the second surprise she had for her—a special matching dress for her doll, which would be Helena’s wedding gift to the little girl. She only hoped she could convince Alice to leave the doll with Verity for the actual ceremony instead of carrying it down the aisle with her.

The seamstress placed a garment box on the bed in front of Helena and returned in the same low voice, “Ah, but doyoulike this?”

“What is that?”

With a smile like a cat who’d gotten into the cream, she gestured for Helena to open it. “Something special.”

Helena reached to remove the lid. White tissue paper crinkled as she parted it and revealed—

She gasped. “Oh my.”

“I hope that’s a happyoh my.”

Helena nodded, her eyes glued to the night rail folded carefully in the box. “It is.” She reached hesitantly to touch it, as if it were so delicate she might tear it. “Oh, it definitely is!”