Jack of Clubs Read Online Free

to England now that he has come into the title, is he not? I heard about the alleged murder, but now that he is elevated to the peerage his name is bound to be cleared.”
    â€œThe barristers are working on that unfortunate matter even as we speak.” Mr. Burquist opened yet another file. “And the new viscount will be sailing on the ship
Speculation
, arriving in England with the spring.”
    â€œExcellent. Miss Harriet can spend the winter at her family’s estate. If you would be so good as to give me the direction, and carriage fare, which I am certain his lordship will approve, we shall be out of your hair in the blink of an eye.”
    Mr. Burquist blinked at the loud thud coming from the other room, but he shook his head. “I do not think that would be a good idea, not at all.”
    â€œWhat, that the child should not reside at her ancestral estate, or that I should not accompany her there? I assure you, if you wish to take on the responsibility for her safe delivery, I shall be happy to leave her to your—”
    â€œNo, no! I am sure you are doing an excellent job of looking after the young lady.” Burquist winced at another thud. “But I cannot think that her father, Captain Hildebrand, would have wanted his daughter residing under his brother’s roof.”
    â€œWould he rather have her out on the street?” Allie wanted to toss a few of the man’s folders on the floor herself. “She has nowhere else to go!”
    The solicitor lowered his voice and leaned across his desk, closer to Allie’s ear. “But, you see, the woman the current viscount was accused of murdering was Captain Hildebrand’s wife, Miss Harriet’s mother.”
    â€œGood grief!” Allie had never once fainted. Now seemed a good time to learn how. Except that Mr. Burquist might toss the glass of water on his desk at her, and she was already chilled to the bone. Or he might call for Harriet. The last time Allie had fallen asleep before the child, she had woken up with her braid tied to the bedpost.
    The solicitor appeared to take pity on her for he said, “You seem like a mature, well-educated lady. Perhaps your family…?”
    If Allie had a kind, loving family, she would not be escorting a miserable, misbehaving little monster halfway across England. Or looking for another low-paying, pitiful, position. She would be sipping tea and reading a novel, her weary feet resting on a footstool. She shook her aching head. “No, my parents are both deceased.”
    Her own lack of other supportive relatives was not the issue. Harriet’s was.
    â€œWhat about her mother’s family?” Allie asked, grasping at straws.
    Now the solicitor shook his head. “They never answered my letters.”
    They must have heard of Harriet, then, Allie thought.
    â€œIrish,” the solicitor added, as if that explained their reluctance to claim Captain Hildebrand’s daughter.
    Allie could not drag Harriet all the way to Ireland, even if she had the funds or the energy, not without a guaranteed welcome at the end of the journey. “What about you, sir? You seem to be taking commendable care of Harriet’s inheritance, so you might as well have the rest of the responsibility. That is, the joy of having a daughter. All the better if you already have children, for Harriet would have playmates.”
    Allie did not know if the lawyer had ever fainted before either, but he seemed on the verge of it now. She eyed the glass of water, just in case.
    â€œA bachelor,” he gasped. “No wife. No children. No. Dear lord, no.”
    â€œThen I suggest you think of an alternative, unless you wish us to sleep in your outer office. I have no other choices.”
    Whether the latest crash from the other room or the thought of having two females sleeping there convinced him, Mr. Burquist frantically riffled through the files on his desk. “Something, there was