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wouldn’t believe, there were certificates, investment shares for a shipping company. Curious to know their value, I immediately contacted my solicitor and asked him to look into the matter. Well, it turns out the stock is worth a veritable fortune.”
    “Really? H-How much of a fortune?”
    She could see him running calculations in his head, worrying that the found money still wouldn’t be enough to cover the true extent of his indebtedness.
    “Enough to pay off your loan, your entire loan, not just the portion about which you chose to tell me,” she admonished in a stern voice.
    He tugged at his neckcloth. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean that I know. I paid a call on Mr. Pendragon and he told me how much you really owe him, all thirty thousand pounds of it.”
    He scowled darkly. “Jules, what were you thinking to visit such a man? He’s not at all the sort with whom a lady should associate.”
    Shooting up from the table, Harry began to pace. He stopped seconds later, groaning and clutching his head between his fists, no doubt due to last night’s overindulgence. “Oh,” he moaned, “I knew it was a mistake to have told you any of it.”
    “It’s a good thing you did tell me, otherwise you’d be up the River Tick without a paddle. Is your manly pride worth losing your estate over, worth bankrupting the family over?” She huffed out a breath. “Besides, it’s already done. The debt is paid.”
    The pacing stopped. “Paid? You mean the stock certificates were worth that much? Egad, Julianna, did he accept your payment? Is the nightmare really over?”
    She lowered her eyes, thinking of the real payment Pendragon had accepted. “Yes, it’s over. You are a free man and the estate is safe. At least for the present.”
    A shaky smile broke over his face. Rushing forward, he grabbed her in a fierce bear hug. “Jules, Jules, how can I ever thank you? How will I ever repay you? Thirty thousand pounds—it’s a beastly lot of money, but I’ll find a way to return it. I swear I shall.”
    He released her, clearly jubilant. “You shouldn’t have done it, but blister me if I’m not glad you did. Though you ought to have given the money to me so I could have been the one to approach Pendragon. Don’t like the thought of you with him.” He hugged her again, then gave her a smacking kiss on the cheek. “You’re the best sister a man could have, have I told you that?”
    She laughed and pulled away. “Yes, well, you’re welcome, so long as you promise never to do anything of the sort again. You are to stay away from the gaming tables. And if you take out any more loans for the home farm, you are to use the money for the home farm.”
    He laid a palm against his chest. “Oh, I will. I’ll be a regular gentleman farmer, spouting nothing but talk of new cultivation methods and modern agricultural equipment.”
    “Well, you needn’t go that far,” she said on a laugh. “I want you to stop risking your security, not turn into a bore. After all, I shan’t be there to bail you out if you land in the suds again, since I doubt I’ll be discovering another fortune in lost stock hiding in Basil’s office.”
    “Dashed amazing about that. Rather startling, really, since I didn’t even know Basil dabbled in stock investments. He was always prattling on to me about the strength of land and gold, and how a man couldn’t go wrong with those. Shows you never can tell about a person, I suppose.”
    Yes, she thought, that’s exactly what it showed, relieved Harry had so readily accepted her fairy story about the money and her payment of his debt. Perhaps in his distress he didn’t want to question her explanation. Perhaps in his relief, he never would.
    Leaning over, he gave her another buss on the cheek. “I can never thank you enough, Jules. You’re simply the best. And I will pay you back, I promise, though it may take me some time. Still, I’ll find a way to make it right.”
    “The money’s not