“Look at this one,” Emily said, handing him a bound log. Stephen thumbed through the pages, stopping when he saw the name of one of his ships: The Lady Valiant. It was the same ship whose cargo profits had been stolen. But several pages of the log were missing.

“This was my ledger, not Daniel’s. I wrote these entries.” He frowned, wondering how Emily’s brother had come by the pages. “How do you think it ended up—” He stopped short when a dark-skinned Indian man entered, dressed in flowing robes of beige.

The man was not tall, but he moved with the grace of a tiger, swift and sure. A vision flashed through his mind. This man had raised a knife, delivering a vicious blow against someone…a shattering pain invaded Stephen’s body…and later he recalled the scent of healing herbs pressed against his wounds.

“Mem Sahib,” he greeted Emily. A strange expression crossed the Indian’s face when Stephen was about to introduce himself.

“It is good to see you, Anant.” Emily took the man’s hands in her own. “You look well.”

The Indian returned her smile, and he seemed like an older brother, protective of Emily. He bowed to Stephen, his eyes discerning. “Sahib, I see you have recovered from your injuries.”

From the way the Indian noted the healing, Stephen ventured his prediction. “You were there the night I was attacked.”

“I was.” Regret shadowed his face. “To my sorrow, I arrived too late to save Lord Hollingford’s life. But yours—” He broke off, his gaze flickering toward Emily before he shielded the thoughts.

“What happened to me after the attack?”

The Indian glanced at Emily again. “While I fought your attackers, you escaped…elsewhere, Sahib.”

“Where?”

After a long moment of hesitation, the Indian admitted, “I do not know.”

A vision flashed through Stephen’s mind, of staggering through the streets, blood drenching his shirt. “Why were they trying to kill me? Were they Daniel’s creditors?”

Anant shook his head slowly. “They wanted the profits from your ship, The Lady Valiant.“ A dark undercurrent cloaked the servant’s words, almost as though he resented the loss. “I overheard them arguing about it. They were trying to locate the missing funds and thought that Lord Hollingford knew where they were.”

Emily rubbed her arms and shivered. “Daniel would never steal anything. Why would they suspect him?”

Anant bowed his head. “I regret, my lady, that he had numerous debts.”

“What happened when he went to India with you last year?” Stephen questioned. “Royce told me about a tattoo that Daniel received. Was it Sanskrit?”

Anant looked uncomfortable. “It was Chinese, my lord. But I’m afraid that’s all I know.”