“So you see, Delia thinks I’m dead. But now I need to find her. I want to be sure she’s all right. And I hope she’ll be able to help me get settled in America. I have no one else to turn to.” I chased away a sudden image of Dom.

James threw back his big head and laughed. “Well said, Nora. You’re a colleen after my own heart. I think you’re still hiding a few cards from me. You’d make a good poker player, and I think you’re just the girl I want for my plan.”

I’d told him the truth, but if he wanted to believe I had some other fish to fry, I would let him. It could only stand to my benefit. Confident now that I thought I had control of the situation, I leaned forward.

“You haven’t told me where in Texas they are, so I can still find them in case your plans don’t suit me.”

I had gone too far. He stood up and came close, his eyes narrowed and his face crimson. I shrank back, afraid he was going to lunge at me.

“You’ve a brass neck on you, girl. I have a good mind to throw you out on the street.” He studied me for a long moment, then threw back his head and laughed. “But I like your spirit. You’ll be perfect for what I need.”

I wanted to protest that he wasn’t holding up his part of the bargain, but I didn’t dare.

He sat back down.

“My plan, pure and simple, is to ruin Mr. Aidan O’Hanlon. I want him made penniless, so he’ll have to crawl back to me on his hands and knees. And as his thanks for me paying off his debts, he will bring Lily back here to me.”

I gasped. This man had a taste for revenge that made Ma’s demands look like child’s play.

As if reading my mind, he said, “He deserves every bit of it and more. He killed my Mary.”

He sipped more whiskey.

“Now, about my plan. To begin with, I knew you’d be going to Texas anyway, once I told you that was where they were. Because you were already going to be there, I thought we could join forces. You see,” he went on, “I know something about the oil business. It’s a dirty business. It’s filled with thieves, spies and double-crossers. The way to make money is to drill a well that hits oil. But to drill a well, you must have a lease on the place where you want to drill. There’s fierce competition over these leases.”

I leaned forward in my chair, concentrating on his every word. I was a bit confused, but I was determined to understand. I didn’t want him thinking I was an ignorant git.