a smile that he returned tenfold.
He told her of the escapade in exaggerated language and with so much feeling that she had tears streaming down her face by the end from laughter. When had she ever laughed this hard? She was in the process of catching her breath when he moved his rook and captured her queen.
“Checkmate,” he said with a grin and a wink.
She stared at the board, mapping out his last few moves to see how he’d done it. After seeing the route he’d taken, she raised her head to meet his eyes. “You used that story to distract me?”
“Yes,” he said with a self-satisfied nod. He tossed her king into the air a few inches and caught it in his fist. “I did. Thank you for the game, Lady Sabrina. I am already looking forward to our rematch.”
Sabrina leaned back in her chair, both frustrated and flattered. Yes, Mr. Stillman was someone she was going to have to keep her eye on.
Elliott was in his study when Brookie brought him a letter. He recognized the handwriting and took a breath to prepare himself. Harry’s letter from almost two weeks ago had been short and to the point. He’d been badly beaten and was recovering at the home of a friend but would need a place to go in a few weeks. Could he count on Uncle Elliott to care for him after his current placement could no longer keep him? It had not been arrogant, but neither had it been humble. Elliott and Amelia had crafted a simple response. Yes, they would help with his recovery; please send additional information.
Harry only ever came to Elliott when he needed something, and as soon as Elliott had stopped taking care of the need—which had always been financial until this last letter—Harry had ignored him. The last time they had spoken in person had been last year when Elliott had gone to London to see both Harry and Timothy; Harry had been insulting and rude before storming out of the pub where they had met for breakfast.
Elliott braced himself, broke the seal on the letter, and read. When he finished Harry’s surprisingly humble letter of apology and contrite regret of his former behaviors, Elliott blinked and read it again.
Could this really be from his nephew? Elliott retrieved the letter from a few weeks ago to compare the handwriting just to be sure. A lump formed in his throat. If he trusted the words and tone of the letter, it seemed Harry had found the redemption Elliott had been praying for.
When he joined Amelia for tea a few hours later, he passed the letter to her. As she read Harry’s words, he spread butter and jam on a slice of her homemade bread. They always had bread for tea.
“Well,” Amelia said when she finished reading, setting the letter aside and picking up her cup of tea. “That is an unexpected turn.”
“Indeed. What do you think of Harry’s apology?”
“If his words can be believed, it’s remarkable.”
Elliott nodded, more confident of his impressions now that Amelia shared them.
“He still hasn’t said where he’s been recuperating, though, has he?”
Elliott nodded. “I noticed that too. Odd that he has not told us. I shall ask him directly.”
“Excellent idea,” Amelia said with a nod. “I worried after that last letter, afraid of what we might be getting ourselves into, though we certainly had to help him. This letter”—she waved at the paper on the table—“gives me hope that he might actually be on a better path. The only thing that could be more helpful would be if he could find himself a good woman.” Amelia leaned forward for her own slice of bread.
Elliott laughed and shook his head. “And to think you were so very against my campaign.”
“This is nothing to do with the campaign, only that the right woman can give a man purpose enough to change his behavior. If the right sort of woman could cross Harry’s path at this time in his life, it could put his future into a new perspective. ”
Elliott thought about how often he wore blue because Amelia said it looked well with his eyes and how he no longer removed his shoes when he was lounging in the study. He walked every day because Amelia said it was good for a man his age to be active, and he had not smoked a single cigar since the night before his wedding. She had certainly changed him for the