no.â
âSo itâs the fault of the person, not the activity.â
âNo. Itâs much more than that.â
I shrugged. I wasnât going to argue about it. But I couldnât imagine risking all my money on a horse, and it was so easy to avoid doing it. Just donât do it. Donât make the bet. Donât play cards. Or, stop before you risk losing more than you can afford. It seemed to me that blaming gambling for losing your money was like drinking too much and blaming the alcohol for being drunk. Just stop.
I took my first taste of the mulled wine. Rich flavor filled my mouth. I usually didnât like hot wineâit often just tasted sourâbut this was gorgeous. Iâd have to take better note of the location when I left.
Erin stared down at his tankard, suddenly appearing ill at ease. I imagined it was an uncharacteristic look for him. âYou have a great deal of influence over Risa.â
That was news to me, but he stated it as though it were an established fact. âI donât think so.â
âShe talks about you a lot.â
âOh.â How very uncomfortable.
âShe feels you are much wiser than your years would normally dictate.â
âI see.â
âIn fact,â he suddenly chuckled, âshe sometimes complains that you are a little too sensible.â
So it seemed she and Karish had something in common.
Erin sobered. âShe seems really, well, not herself. Have you noticed?â
âIâm afraid not.â Should I have noticed? Was I being too self-absorbed again? âShe seems as she always has to me. But you know her much better than I do.â
âIâm not sure I do. Thereâs almost twenty years between us. Iâd left our motherâs home when she was very young, just a small child. Since sheâs grown weâve seen each other more, but . . .â He waved a hand as though physically cutting off his words. âIt doesnât matter. It just seems to me that thereâs a carelessness about her now. It worries me.â
âThe way sheâs spending money?â Because he wasnât the only one to mention it, and I wasnât a complete idiot. Usually.
âThatâs part of it. But itâs her work, too. She seems to feel driven to work as long as possible, and she seems to be trying to find the most dangerous routes.â
That wasnât something Iâd noticed or heard about, but I didnât see Risa every day. Still, âIâm not sure what I can do about any of that.â
âTalk to her?â
âAbout what, exactly?â Tell her not to spend money? What did I know about that? Not to take on dangerous assignments? That was the very nature of her job. How could she tell her captain she would take only the safe routes?
âJust that she should, you know, calm down. Be more like you.â
I nearly choked on my wine. âAre you mad? Sit her down for a lecture on how she should act like me? How arrogant is that?â
âI donât expect you to say it exactly like that. Shields are supposed to be diplomatic, arenât they?â
I didnât think there was enough diplomacy in the world to make that message palatable to anyone. But Erin still looked uncomfortable, and I didnât want to give him the impression that I didnât care. I did care. I just didnât think there was anything I could, or should, do. âIf a good opportunity comes up to say something, I will. Thatâs the best I can promise.â
His shoulders lowered in his relief. I had to like someone who showed such concern for a sibling. âI feel your promises are worth a great deal.â
Oh, no, that didnât make me feel uncomfortable. âJust because I talk to her doesnât mean Iâll have any sway over her.â
âPerhaps not. But it canât hurt.â
How very optimistic of him. And here, I had thought, solicitors were
Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Mark Henwick, Lauren Sweet