Ben took out his tobacco, carefully folded the pack open and added a little to the bowl. He looked at Luke from the corner of his eye while the young man seemed to process the information. Ben put the pack away just as his nephew spoke.

If he had known... Aye, Ben could understand what that felt like. How often had he thought that if only he had known where Simon had really gotten that money... Poor Luke. He didn't even have children yet to worry over, and he was already weighed down with family concerns. Yet here he was straightening his back and taking on this new situation as his responsibility as well.

Ben lowered the pipe and put a hand on the young man's shoulder. "It's not yer fault, son. Ye couldn't 'ave known. Just talk to 'er. She may listen to you better than to me. "