Head in the Clouds by Karen Witemeyer

and tossed them onto the desk. “Yes, finally. The court ruled in our favor. Isabella will remain with you.”
    “Thank God.” Gideon hadn’t really doubted the outcome. He knew they were in the right and stood on solid legal ground. Nevertheless, the result flooded him with relief. “And what of our investigations?”
    “Your man in London turned up enough dirt on Lord Petchey to make me want to take a bath after I read his report. The scoundrel is in debt up to his ears, gambles in the seediest clubs, frequents brothels, and even ran his horse to death once trying to win a bet during one of his fox hunts.
    “I had wondered why Lady Petchey named you Isabella’s ward when the girl had family back in England, but now I understand. Her husband, the late viscount, even wrote his brother out of the family will for the most part. Reginald inherited the title and a tidy sum that would have kept him in style had he curbed his wastrel habits and invested it wisely, but of course he didn’t. Lady Petchey retained control of the rest. No doubt he expected to regain access to the family funds once Lady Petchey fell ill. It must have come as quite a shock to learn she put all the money into a trust for Isabella and named you executor as well as guardian. Contesting the will was his only option.”
    Gideon recalled the last hours he had spent with Bella’s mother onboard ship. Lucinda Petchey had demanded that he send for the captain to witness her will. The ship’s surgeon had assured him she was dying, and all he could think to do was make her as comfortable as possible. Her emaciated body had looked so forlorn lying in that narrow berth, her skin paper thin, her flesh wasted away by whatever sickness had ravaged her.
    He sent for the captain right away, unable to deny her anything that might bring her ease. In the end, she had hung on to life long enough to have her will properly signed and witnessed, as well as to give strict instructions on how to deliver it to her solicitor in London while leaving a copy with him. Once everything had been put in order and she had hugged her daughter one last time, she slipped away, accepting the peace death offered.
    Clearing his throat, Gideon ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I knew Lucinda feared for Isabella’s future. I can only imagine what kind of life the child would have been subjected to once her uncle ran through her fortune. The bounder would have probably tried to marry her off to some rich blueblood before she was out of the schoolroom. He would have sold her off to the highest bidder, no doubt, not caring a whit about how the fellow treated her. Makes me want to tear him apart just thinking about it.” Gideon took several measured breaths in an effort to cool his temper.
    “Yes, well, Lady Petchey was wise to have Captain Harris witness everything.” James’s own expression had turned rather dour. “His testimony to her soundness of mind—along with that of the ship’s doctor—is what swung the court in our favor. Petchey had painted her as a mentally unstable, paranoid woman who had run away from her only family for no reason whatsoever. He nearly succeeded in convincing the court that a sane woman would never have given her only child into the care of a stranger. If not for their testimony, you might have been forced to hand Isabella over to Petchey.”
    “God forbid.”
    Gideon slouched in his chair, glad for the first time since settling in Texas that several thousand miles and one very large ocean stood between him and England. The distance might separate him from everything that was familiar and the family he loved, but it also kept Isabella out of her uncle’s greedy grasp, and that was worth any sacrifice.

Chapter 5
    L ONDON
    Reginald Petchey stormed into his solicitor’s office and slammed the door.
    “This better be good, Farnsworth.” He took a seat in front of the thin man’s desk and glared his displeasure. “You’ve turned up nothing of