“I’m certain I want you to keep your guard on Caine’s back,” she replied. “He’s the one in danger. I’ll be back in an hour. And Matthew? Don’t set anything else on fire while I’m gone.”
Matthew gave her a wide grin. “It did the trick, didn’t it now?”
“Aye, Matthew,” she answered, not wishing to injure his pride. “It did do the trick.”
She left Matthew smiling after her and arrived at her destination a half hour later. After leaving her horse in the woods adjacent to the property line, she quickly made her way to the front door. The house was monstrous, but the lock was puny by any thief’s standards. Jade had it unlatched in bare minutes. There was enough light filtering through the windows for her to make her way up the winding staircase. Sounds radiated from the back of the house, indicating that the kitchen staff was already at work.
Jade was as quiet as a cat as she looked into each of the numerous bedrooms. The Duke of Williamshire couldn’t be found in any of them, however. She had assumed he’d be occupying the largest bedchamber, but that giant’s room was empty. A blond-headed, rather attractive elderly woman who snored like a sailor occupied the adjacent bedchamber. Jade guessed the woman was the Duchess.
At the end of the long corridor in the south wing, she found the library. It was an out-of-the-way, unusual place to house the study. Caine’s father was inside. He was sound asleep in his chair behind the mahogany desk.
After locking the door against intruders, Jade studied the handsome man for a long while. He was very distinguished looking with silver-tipped hair, high, patrician cheekbones, and an angular face very similar to Caine’s. There were deep circles under his eyes. The color of his skin was sallow. Even in sleep he looked as though he was in torment.
Jade couldn’t decide if she should blister him with a stern lecture or apologize for causing him such needless pain.
Her heart went out to him, though. He reminded her of Caine, of course, though the father certainly wasn’t as muscular. He certainly had the height, however. When she touched his shoulder, he came awake with a start and bounded out of his chair with a quickness that surprised her.
“Please don’t be alarmed, sir,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“You didn’t?” he asked, imitating her low tone of voice.
The Duke of Williamshire slowly regained his composure. He ran his fingers through his hair, then shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“It doesn’t matter who I am, sir,” she answered. “Please sit down, for I have important information to share with you.”
She patiently waited until he’d obeyed her request, then leaned against the edge of the desktop close to his side. “This grieving must stop. You’ve made yourself ill.”
“What?”
He still looked confused to her. She noticed, too, that the color of his eyes was the exact shade of gray as Caine’s. His frown was similar as well.
“I said that you must stop grieving,” she stated again. “Sir Harwick thinks you might well be dying. If you don’t stop this nonsense . . .”
“Now see here, young lady . . .
“Do not raise your voice to me,” she interjected.
“Who in God’s name are you? And how did you get into . . .”
The bluster went out of him and he slowly shook his head.
Jade thought he seemed more incredulous than angry. She decided that was a good beginning.
“Sir, I simply don’t have time for a lengthy discussion. First, you must give me your promise that you’ll never tell anyone about our conversation. Do you give me your word?”
“You have it,” he replied.
“Good. Now, I believe I must apologize to you, though in truth I’m no good at it. I hate apologizing to anyone.” She shrugged, then added, “I’m sorry I didn’t come to you sooner. You’ve been caused needless grief, and I really could have spared you. Do you forgive me?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but if it will make you happy, I shall forgive you. Now tell me what it is you want from me.”
“Your bark, sir, is just as irritating as your son’s.”
“And which son is that?” he asked, a hint of a smile coming into his eyes.
“Caine.”
“Is this visitation concerning Caine? Has he done something to offend you? You might as well know now that Caine’s his own man. I won’t interfere unless there’s real cause.”
“No,” Jade answered. “This isn’t about Caine, though I’m happy to know you have such faith in your eldest son’s ability to make his own decisions. By not interfering, you show your pride in your son.”
“Then who is it you wish to discuss?” he asked.
“I’m a friend of Colin’s.”
“You knew him?”
She nodded. “I know him, yes. You see, he’s . . .”
“Dead,” he interjected, his tone harsh. “Pagan killed him.”
Jade reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. “Look at me, please,” she commanded in a soft whisper when he turned his gaze toward the windows.
When Caine’s father did as she ordered, she nodded. “What I am about to tell you will be difficult for you to believe. First, understand this. I have proof.”
“Proof?”
She nodded again. “Pagan didn’t kill Colin.”
“He did.”
“I’m sick of hearing about Pagan’s sins,” she muttered. “Colin . . .”
“Did Pagan send you to me?”
“Please lower your voice,” she returned. “Pagan didn’t kill your son,” she repeated. “He saved him. Colin’s very much alive.”
A long minute elapsed before the Duke reacted. His face slowly turned a blotchy shade of red while he stared at her. His eyes turned so cold, she thought he might cause frostbite.
Before he could shout at her again, she said, “I told you I had proof. Are you willing to listen to me or is your mind so set . . .”
“I will listen,” he returned. “Though if this be some sort of cruel jest, I swear I’ll hunt Pagan down myself and kill him with my bare hands.”
“That is a fair exchange for such cruelty,” she agreed. “Do you remember the time when Colin had climbed up a giant tree and couldn’t get down? He was four or five years old then. Because he was crying and feeling very cowardly, you promised him you’d never tell anyone. You also convinced him that it was quite all right to be afraid, that fear was not a sin, that . . .”
“I remember,” the Duke whispered. “I never did tell anyone. How did you . . .”
“As I just said, Colin told me that story. Many others, too.”
“He could have told you these stories before he was killed,” the Duke stated.
“Yes, he could have, but he didn’t. Pagan fished Colin out of the ocean. Your son was in sorry shape. Do you know the physician, Sir Winters?”
“He’s my personal physician,” the Duke muttered.
“Don’t you think it odd that he disappeared?”
The anger was slowly easing away from the elderly man’s expression. “I do think that odd,” he admitted.
“We took him,” Jade explained. “He was needed to tend to Colin. I thought it important that your son have his family physician. He was in terrible pain, sir, and I wanted him to have as many familiar comforts as possible.”
Jade nibbled on her lower lip while she contemplated another way to convince him. He still looked disbelieving to her. “Colin has a birthmark on his backside,” she suddenly blurted out. “I know because I took care of him until Jimbo and Matthew could take Winters captive. There! Is that proof enough for you?”
In answer to that question, the Duke slowly leaned back in his chair. “Proof was sent of Colin’s death.”
“By whom?”
“The War Office.”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I sh
all explain after Colin comes home,” Jade answered. “Will you explain something to me before I continue to try and convince you?”
“What is it?” he asked, his tone weary.
“Do you happen to know why Colin would make me promise not to tell Caine he was alive? I’ve learned to trust your eldest son, and I don’t understand the reason behind this promise. Colin was half out of his mind at the time, however, and perhaps his mumbling about the Bradley brothers wasn’t . . .”
Caine’s father bounded out of his chair again. “Colin is alive.”
“Please lower your voice,” she ordered. “No one must know.”
“Why? I want to shout it to the heavens. My boy is alive.”
“I see I’ve finally convinced you,” she countered with a smile. “Please sit down, sir. You look faint to me.”
She waited until he’d resumed his seat, then asked, “What was it that made you realize I was telling the truth?”
“When you said that Colin didn’t want Caine to know . . .” He stammered to a stop, then whispered. “Lord, the Bradley brothers. I’d forgotten that incident.”
Now it was her turn to look confused. “Why?” she asked, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. “Doesn’t he trust his own brother?”
“Oh, no, you misunderstand,” he replied. “Colin idolized Caine. I mean to say, he idolizes him. My God, this is difficult to take in.”
“But if he idolizes Caine, why would he make me promise not to tell him? You’ve still to explain. And who, pray tell, are the Bradley brothers?”
The Duke of Williamshire let out a deep chuckle. “When Colin was just eight or nine years old, he came running home with a bloody nose and cut lip. Caine happened to be home. He demanded to know who’d done the damage, and as soon as Colin said that the Bradley brothers were responsible, Caine went charging out the door. Colin tried to stop him, of course. He hadn’t told him the number of brothers, you see. A half hour later, Caine came home as bloody as his brother.”
“How many brothers were there?” Jade asked.
“Eight.”
“Good heavens, do you mean to say all eight brothers attacked Colin and . . .”
“No, only one went after Colin, a boy named Samuel if I remember correctly. Anyway, Samuel must have known Caine would retaliate, and he raced home to get his own reinforcements.”
“Caine could have been killed,” she whispered.
“Actually, my dear, your sympathy should be for the Bradley brothers. Caine was only going to put the fear of God into the boy who’d hurt Colin, but when they came at him in force, he gave them what for! My boy gave equal measure.”
Jade shook her head. She didn’t find the horrid story the least bit amusing. Yet Caine’s father was smiling like a proud papa.
“And so you see, my dear, it isn’t out of mistrust that Colin made you give your promise. It’s just that Colin knows Caine very well. Colin must be thinking to protect Caine until he can explain the full situation to him. He doesn’t want him charging into another group of Bradleys again. Of the two, Colin’s always been the more cautious. Caine didn’t know Colin was working for our government,” he added. “As to that, I didn’t know either. I never would have allowed it, especially when I learned that Sir Richards wasn’t his superior.”
“Richards,” she whispered. “Yes, he was Caine’s director, wasn’t he?”
Caine’s father looked surprised over that statement. “You’ve gathered quite a bit of pertinent information, haven’t you? I cannot help but wonder how you came by it. Will you tell me who gave you such secrets?”
She was a little insulted by that question. “No one gave me anything,” she said. “I found out on my own. I’m most resourceful, sir. My brother, Nathan, was helping Colin sort out a rather complex problem for the government. Someone didn’t want them to succeed, however. A trap was set. The only reason they’re both still alive is that . . . Pagan became suspicious. The pirate was able to intervene in time.”
“Does Colin know who is behind this treachery?”
She shook her head. “We only know that it’s someone high up in the War Office. Nathan and Colin are safe only as long as they are believed dead. I cannot tell you anything more. When Colin returns . . .”
“Will you take me to see him?”
“He should be home in just a few more days, sir. He cannot stay here, of course, unless you’ve cleaned your house of the servants . . . the details will have to be worked out.” She paused to smile at him. “I wonder if you’ll recognize your son. His hair has grown way past his shoulders. Both he and Nathan look like true pirates now.”
“That must please Pagan.”
“Oh, it pleases Pagan very much.”
“Were their injuries severe?” he asked.
“They had been bound and gagged, then shot and tossed into the waters. Their enemies knew they weren’t dead yet.”
“They left them to drown.”
“No, they left them for the sharks. The waters were infested with the predators and the fresh blood . . . drew their notice.”
“My God . . .”
“The sharks didn’t get them, though I will admit there were several close minutes. Pagan lost a good man in the rescue.”
“Pagan went into those waters with this other man?”
“Yes,” she answered. “Pagan is the strongest swimmer. Besides, the pirate would never ask others what . . . he could not do himself.”
Jade started for the door, but was stopped by his next question. “Are you in love with my Colin?”
“Oh, heaven’s no,” she answered. She unlocked the door, then turned back to her new confidant. “When we next meet, you must pretend not to know me. I’m keeping Caine occupied for the present. As you know, he’s determined to track down Pagan. The hunt has put him at risk, but that soon will be resolved.”
“But Pagan wouldn’t . . .”
“Pagan’s protecting Caine,” she said. “The pirate has been blamed for killing Nathan and Colin. Your government put a price on his head. Caine, as you probably know, has doubled that amount. Now consider what would happen if Caine were able to find Pagan and talked to him before he . . .”
“Pagan might be able to convince Caine he didn’t kill Colin.”
“Exactly,” she replied. “Do you see? Whoever is behind this treachery wants to make certain Pagan isn’t found.”
“Or have Caine killed before he hunts down the truth.”
“Yes.”
“My God, Caine is at risk. I must . . .”
“Do nothing, sir,” Jade announced. “As I’ve explained, Pagan is watching out for Caine.”
“Good Lord, Pagan isn’t our enemy,” the Duke whispered. “I owe the man a debt I shall never be able to repay. Dear lady, is there nothing I can do for you?”
“I must take care of Caine for now,” she answered. “He’s a very stubborn man, but a protector by nature. He’s occupied by thinking he’s taking care of my problems now. When Colin comes home, then the three of you can decide what’s to be done.”
“Pagan sent you to Caine then?”
“Yes,” she replied with a smile.
“Caine won’t give up,” he interjected. “I pray Colin returns soon.”
“Don’t worry so,” Jade said. “If you tell Caine to quit his hunt, he’ll only try harder to succeed. He’s too determined to stop now.”
“Then you must confide in him.”
“I cannot, sir. I have given my word to Colin. Besides, we’ve only a few more days before the truth is revealed.”
“What if your brother and Colin are delayed?”
“Then we’ll have to form a new plan,” she announced with a nod.
“But what specifically . . .”
“We’ll have to find a way to take the prey away from the hunter. Caine will be furious, but he’ll be alive. I must consider this carefully,” she added as she opened the door.
“When will I see you again? You mentioned th
at I must pretend not to know you, but . . .”
“Oh, I’m certain you’ll see me again,” she answered. “And there is one little thing you could do to repay me,” she added. “You did say you would do anything,” she reminded him.
“Yes, anything.”
“Caine is your eldest son and if there must be a favorite, then he should be the one.”
The Duke was clearly astonished by her remarks. “I love all my children. I wasn’t aware that I favored one above the others.”
“Sir Harwick believes Colin is your favorite,” she said. “He also said that Caine keeps himself separate from the family. Don’t allow this to continue, sir. Caine needs your love. See that he gets it.”
The door closed.
The Duke of Williamshire sat at his desk a long while before his legs felt strong enough to hold his weight. Tears of joy streamed down his cheeks. He said a prayer of thanksgiving for this miracle he’d just been given.
His Colin was alive.
Henry was suddenly ravenous. He went in search of breakfast. It was going to be difficult, for the Duke wasn’t a man given to trickery, but he would have to control his smiles. None of his staff must suspect the true reason for his recovery.
He felt reborn. It was as though someone had reached down into his lonely black abyss of despair and lifted him all the way up to the stars.
The young lady he now considered his savior had the most unusual green eyes. Pagan must have named his ship after the beautiful woman. The Emerald. Yes, he decided with a nod. He was also certain he now knew the pirate’s true identity, but he vowed he’d go to his death before revealing that truth to anyone.
He wondered, though, what Caine would say when he found out that the woman he was sheltering was actually Pagan’s little sister?
There’d be fireworks aplenty, and his only prayer now was that he’d be there to protect his savior when Caine’s temper exploded.
The Duke of Williamshire was certain he had it all figured out.
He was filling his plate with a second helping of eggs and kidneys when his wife, Gweneth, came rushing into the dining room. “Cook told me you were eating,” she stammered out.