A Brother's Price

descendants through the female line inherit before sisters-in-law, but there are none in this case, and it doesn’t state which sisters-in-law inherit first. Living blood is stronger than a dead brother, especially one who didn’t father any children! We’re comparing a living Wakecliff descendant versus a—a—a burned chair!”
    “How dare you say that in our hour of grief?” Dun-wood howled in rage, and leaped at the older woman. Court guards moved in, setting up a barrier between the scuffling women and the princesses first, and then breaking up the ensuing fistfight.
    Ren winced, trying to ignore the scuffle and focus on the properties at stake: One of the names suddenly leaped out at her: Tuck Landing. She’d forgotten about the notorious anchorage point located within the Elpern Bank holding. In truth, Ren didn’t care which family received the money. Tuck Landing, though, she would be loath to hand over to any of them. A hundred years before, in what was tantamount to outright theft, the ownership of Elpern Bank and its anchorage had changed from the crown to the Wakecliffs. Since that time, it had become a major weakness. Both invasion forces that landed on Queensland soil had originated at Tuck Landing. Collusion was suspected but never proved in both cases.
    “We are the current sisters-in-law!” Dunwood was shouting. “Listen to the words! By law, we are Eldest Wakecliffs sisters.”
    Lethridge was not to be outdone. “My family is sisters-in-law to Mother Elder, which makes us your mother, and mothers inherit before daughters.”
    “We are the blood of Wakecliff!” Stonevale shouted, shedding some of that blood from a broken nose.
    Even as Ren realized that this squabble over the es-tate provided the crown a chance to take back Elpern Bank, it dawned on her that she might have stumbled onto the true reason the docket had been changed. Lylia certainly wouldn’t have the experience to spot the inclusion of vital real estate. Trini might have missed it. They would have judged the case, and the chance of regaining Tuck Landing would be lost.
    Still, she couldn’t act without her sisters’ agreement, and she didn’t want to discuss it in front of the assembled nobles. “Have we heard enough?”
    Her sisters nodded.
    “Well, I haven’t had breakfast.” Ren announced to the courtroom. “Bailiff, recess the court for an early lunch. We’ll announce our decision after lunch.”
    “All rise!” the bailiff shouted.
    The crowd came to their feet, respectfully silent. Ren led the way to the judges’ chambers. As the door closed behind Lylia, she heard the bailiff shout, “This court is in recess! Court will adjourn in one hour!”
    Out of the public eye, Trini and Lylia greeted their sisters with hugs along with cheeky remarks on Lylia’s part. The far hallway door opened, and Raven entered the chambers, escorting the lunch servers. “I thought you might want to discuss this in private.” The lunch table was wheeled in, and then the servers bowed out. “I hurried the kitchen for you.”
    “You’re a true gem,” Ren said, the smell of food making her suddenly ravenous. “Did you find out who tampered with the docket?”
    Raven shook her head. “In a few more days, I might be able to question the clerk staff closely enough to crack it, but not in this short time. There are several families serving as clerks, and quite a bit of bickering between them. I’ve got a surplus of suspects.”
    “I want whoever took the bribe and made the changes found,” Ren said. “I want them out. I will not have my court manipulated like this.”
    “Yes, Your Highness.” Raven bowed and left them to deliberate.
    “Wow, Ren, that was so queenly,” Lylia breathed.
    Odelia grunted, settling down to lunch. “Why is that when I talk like that, people call me bitchy?”
    “Because you only talk about your supper and baths in that tone,” Trini chided quietly. “Ren is demanding respect for higher causes.”
    Odelia stuck out her tongue, ate a bite of lunch, and then asked, “So, what made you go to point like a bird dog?”
    Ren opened her binder and tapped at the property list. “Tuck Landing. It’s part and parcel of Elpern Bank. Wakecliff tore down the watchtower and built their manor with the stone. This is the crown’s chance to get the landing back. Once we recover it, we can build a garrison and a war harbor, and we protect the whole southeast as it was protected for a thousand