Reckless Wager: A Whitechapel Wagers Novel by Christy Carlyle Read Free Book Online

handout, however freely given. But Kate would try, and she’d make sure ensure Rose knew of other charities, resourceful people and organizations eager to aid and capable of assisting young women when their circumstances grew dire.
    But first she had to get past her irritated brother. Following in their late father’s footsteps as a physician and newly licensed by the Royal College of Physicians, Will had always made her proud. Intelligent, brave, and with the kindest heart of any man she’d ever known, Kate knew Will, a former soldier, took the role of brotherly protector seriously. But she’d never told him about Andrew’s rages, never disclosed a single detail about the injuries and torment suffered at her husband’s hands.
    Before joining the army and serving in Afghanistan, Will had been prone to recklessness. She’d feared what he might do to Andrew if he found out about his cruelty. She couldn’t face losing her beloved brother to the gallows, no matter how she’d longed for someone to end her husband’s violence.
    Turning to Will, she gazed into eyes as cloud gray as her own. He’d so often thanked her for the care she gave him when he’d returned from the war, but she felt an equal measure of gratitude in return. Her brother’s kindness, his quiet strength, had taught her fortitude, even in her darkest moments with Andrew. And Will had no idea what an example he’d set for his younger sister.
    She reached out and offered him a quick embrace.
    “I’ve already explained, and I would be happy to do so again. But not right now.”
    Will seemed taken aback by her show of affection, but signs of irritation still lingered in the narrowness of his gaze and firm set of his mouth.
    “Shall I make an appointment with you, then? When might you fit me in? I never imagined your schedule was so full.”
    Though she sometimes enjoyed their sparring, she’d no time to banter now.
    “Forgive me, but I have an appointment this morning. I will return for luncheon with you and Ada, and Mr. Thrumble.”
    It was an important luncheon. Mr. Thrumble had indicated his desire to speak to Kate alone. He’d propose again today. Then they’d discuss details of their upcoming nuptials, finally set a date. Kate had the sense Solomon would treat the plans for their marriage as a kind of test for her, to judge whether her skills at organizing events and managing the fine points of the ceremony measured up to his expectations for a wife. The notion made her shudder when she pondered it too long.
    “Where is this appointment? Who are you visiting? Is it not early for visiting?”
    A giggle rose up and Kate made no attempt to stifle it. She smiled at Will but read no answering amusement in his expression.
    “You can’t be serious. Do you truly wish me to provide you with every detail of my comings and goings?”
    Andrew was gone. No man controlled her anymore. If she had any say in the matter, no man ever would. Not in the way Andrew had. The thought brought Mr. Thrumble to mind. He'd been clear about his expectations for a wife, and it was an exacting list, a part of why she’d refused his first proposal years before. Was she any more prepared for the bonds of marriage now?
    She allowed her frustration and uncertainty to spill into her voice. “Perhaps you’d like to lock me in my room and throw away the key.” It was a threat their mother would teasingly make whenever she and Will had joined forces for some nefarious childhood mischief.
    A smile, warm and charming and much more familiar on his face than any grimace, lit her brother’s countenance. He took a deep breath, puffing out his chest, then released it on a long sigh.
    “I am merely concerned about your welfare, Kate. Your safety. Whitechapel is a dangerous place for a woman to wander alone. I need not tell you that.” He gestured toward her pile of The Illustrated Police News and other periodicals that chronicled the Ripper’s atrocities. She’d followed the