Flora handed the ledger to Rowan.
Her hands were trembling so badly she nearly dropped it. Rowan reached out and took the heavy book firmly from her grasp. The leather felt cold and slightly damp against his warm palms.
Rowan did not hesitate. He placed the heavy book on his lap and opened it.
He flipped past the first few blank pages. Then, he saw the dark ink. He scanned the neat, precise handwriting filling the columns. He read names, dates, amounts of gold, and locations of hidden warehouses.
Everything was there.
Rowan's eyes scanned down the pages, moving rapidly. All the perfectly covered tracks were there, recorded in Lord Farrington's own arrogant hand. He saw the payments made to corrupt port officials. He saw the massive sums of money exchanged for untaxed tobacco.
And then, his breath caught in his throat. He flipped back a few pages to the older entries.
