That was a terrible joke. Luke threw his uncle an unamused, please-be-serious look before he realized that he was, unfortunately, being serious.

“She wouldn’t,” she would. It made all too much sense, as much of a shock to his system as it was to hear such a thing. Lory had always been difficult, as far as Luke was concerned, and of course she’d say she was in York and sell herself off at the Diamond Pony instead.

That mental image was burned into his brain now. He felt sick to his stomach.

Luke fell back against the wall like all the air had been knocked out of him. Why, Lory, why? He didn’t even know how to react, except to accept that it was truth and move on. Otherwise he would storm right over there.

“’Course Elijah’s bein’ difficult,” he grumbled, “he’s soft. What’s he expect? T’ men down there to be just as soft on her? She’s lucky she ‘asn’t been killed!”

No! Luke knew plenty of men that frequented the Pony and he didn’t trust a single one of them, especially not with his sister. “How’d ye find out?”