If his friend had read him this easily, it didn’t bode well for his chances at the inquiry.
But Halsey was undeterred. “I won’t turn you in, you know. I wouldn’t betray a friend. Did you truly desert?”
“No!” Seeing that this would be an insufficient explanation, Eli added, “The truth is a touch more complicated, but I assure you, I never intended to shirk my duty. It’s best we forget this. I wouldn’t want to put you in a difficult position.”
“I might be able to help, if you let me.”
The offer was tempting. Halsey had always been a decent fellow not the sort to go back on his word. But even so, it was an outrageous risk to run.
Perhaps he could trust his friend with a half-truth. Enough to understand the situation Eli was in, but not enough to put anyone in danger.
“Very well. Thereissomething I’ve left out of the story,” he admitted. “Someone helped me get free of the pirates, but I cannot discuss the circumstances of his assistance or the path I took back to Englandwithout putting his life in danger. You can see the dilemma I’ll face if they ask for too many details at the inquiry.”
“Ah.” Hal required a moment to digest this news, his face grave. “That is a bad spot. What are the odds that anyone could catch you out if you hide your friend’s involvement from the judges?”
“I wish I knew. I don’t think anyone currently in England could expose me, but I can’t say with certainty that no one with knowledge of my actions will everreturnto England.” The crew on the merchant ship to France had seen Geórgios and knew when he’d really arrived at port. He’d tried to stay out of sight in Paris, but his landlady or a handful of others could undo him so long as their memories remained fresh, and the British navy were everywhere. “You know how travelers love to talk about any shared connection they can find.”
“Hmm.” Hal ran a thumb across his beard. “Perhaps the safest option for you is not to testify at all.”
“Refuse to answer?” Eli knew the judges had no power to compel him to give evidence at the inquiry, but he’d dismissed the possibility as likely to invite a court-martial. “Won’t that make me look guilty?”
“Not if you go about it the right way.” Hal jumped to his feet and strode toward the door. “Back in a moment. Let me get some papers.”
He returned with a stack of leather-bound volumes tucked under his arm, which he soon had splayed across the tea table between them.
“I’m certain I’ve seen a case where the accused refused to testify at the inquiry and came out well. Let me just find it…”
Eli craned his neck, struggling to take in the stream of words that flashed before him as Halsey flipped the pages in search of the correct record.
“Ah, here we are. You see? The accused claimed it would be unfair to answer at an inquiry before he even knew what the charges against him would be. The judges accepted this was a valid reason not to testify.”
Eli read over the transcripts, searching the judges’ words for signs of doubt. The case was from quite a few years ago, and he didn’t recognize their names. Still, at least Hal had provided him with an idea. A way to escape a court-martial and save his career without putting Geórgios in danger. “Do you really think this will work?”
“It’s better than committing perjury, isn’t it?”
Eli had to own that it was.
Jane had expected Bertie to pounce on her the moment Eli departed with questions about their progress on wedding plans, but he was curiously absent.
Perhaps he’s hoping that if he leaves us alone long enough, I’ll ruin myself too completely to back out of this engagement.In spite of her uncle’s warnings about the dangers of kissing, Jane had to wonder if he’d somehow contrived this outcome when they’d visited Eli’s town house yesterday. Why else had he been peering in the kitchen window at precisely the right moment?
She decided to go in search of him to better demonstrate that Eli’s call had ended with her frock still in perfect order.
Bertie occupied two adjacent rooms on the upper story of the house, overlooking the street below. She found him seated at his desk, engrossed in papers. He jumped at her greeting, and when he looked up, his eyes were bright and rimmed with pink, as if tears threatened.
What’s happened?Jane’s heart pounded against her ribs.
“What is that you’re reading? Have you had bad news?” Bertie might be a tad excitable, but she’d never seen him weep except for a death.
He rose to greet her.
“Pardon? Oh no, nothing to trouble you with. Why have you come to see me? Did you and your lieutenant discuss your preference for a wedding date, by any chance? You recall that Cecily is on the committee of arrangements for the ball on the twelfth, so it will have to be afterward…”
“Tell me what’s troubling you before we talk about that. Now I’m worried.”
Bertie managed a faint laugh. “There is no cause for it, I assure you. I only had a letter from Mr. Linden that put me in bad spirits.”
“Is he hurt?” Though Mr. Linden had not stood as a parent to her in the same way Uncle Bertie had, he was near enough to it.
