Page 39 of The Highland Heist
“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 keepyousafe.”
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.
