Kate knew then that her father must have something momentous to tell her. He rarely used any form of endearment when speaking either to her or to her mother, and he had modified his tone from that of a courtroom judge in an obvious attempt to sound fatherly.

‘What is it, Papa?’ Kate sank down onto the padded leather seat. ‘Please tell me.’

‘I only hesitate because I know how fond you were of my brother.’ Sir Bartholomew tucked his thumbs under the lapels of his jacket and began to pace the floor. ‘I received a missive from Delhi this morning.’

‘From Uncle Edgar?’

‘Not exactly. I’m afraid it’s bad news, Kate. Your uncle died in the uprising.’

‘Oh, no!’ Kate buried her face in her hands as she tried to assimilate the dreadful news.

‘Edgar was well aware that there was going to be trouble, and he entrusted his will into my hands, to be opened only in the event of his demise.’

‘Please, Papa, don’t address me as if I were in court. What has this to do with me? All I can think of is poor Uncle Edgar. He was always so good to me.’

‘Evidently,’ Sir Bartholomew said drily. ‘He thought so little of me, his only brother, and so highly of you, a mere niece, that he has left you his entire fortune. You are a very wealthy young woman now, Kate.’

‘Are you certain that Uncle Edgar has died, Papa? Could there be a mistake?’

‘I had a letter from Sir Robert Audley, my dear. I’m afraid it is true.’

‘How did it happen?’ Kate asked faintly. She was devastated by the loss of her much-loved uncle, but Ash had been part of his personal guard, and she was desperate to learn of his fate. Surely if he had died she would have felt something – she would have known, wouldn’t she?

Perry filled a glass with water from a carafe on the desk and handed it to her. ‘Sip this slowly, Kate.’

Her hand shook as she held the glass to her lips and she drank a little, but set it aside almost immediately. ‘Are you absolutely sure, Papa? Might there not have been a mistake, considering the circumstances? I remember what it was like when we fled.’

‘I think you should go home and rest, Kate. I had no idea you would take the news so badly, especially as your uncle has seen fit to make you the sole beneficiary of his fortune. I still find it hard to believe that he would bypass me, his only brother, in favour of you.’

Kate was quick to hear the note of bitterness in her father’s voice and she gathered her scattered wits with difficulty. ‘I think I will go home, Papa. The walk will clear my head.’