‘What is it you wish of me?’ he questioned flatly, determined to make Sinclair spell it out.
The Duke gritted his teeth. ‘Right at this moment, what I want is the truth. Beyond that, we will see.’ Nicholas paused and took a deep breath. ‘I assume your request for an audience is to finally give me your version of what happened onSensible?’
‘Naturally,’ Christian managed to respond in a relatively calm voice. What he really wanted was to plant a facer on the sanctimonious bastard’s face. However, the Duke’s next words took the wind out of his sails.
‘I trust you won’t object to others hearing your account?’
The Earl frowned, taken aback. At length he shook his head warily. Right on cue, there was a knock on the door. Swivelling round as Nicholas barked, ‘Come,’ Christian watched with raised eyebrows as the Duchess of Blackmore sailed in, closely followed by Chastity Shackleford, her father, and lastly an older man who looked suspiciously familiar.
‘I’d like tae say well met, laddie, but it wouldnae be the truth.’ The Earl narrowed his eyes, trying to place the Scottish lilt. The man didn’t bother to enlighten him, and suddenly, Christian felt as though he was on trial. His anger bubbled up.
‘Mayhap you’d like to bring the rest of the family in while you’re about it,’ he drawled. ‘Or possibly the entire membership of White’s? In for a penny as they say.’
‘I am entirely happy to share whatever you wish with whomever you wish,’ the Duke countered, his voice taking on a hard edge.
‘Would you care for some tea, Lord Cottismore?’ the Duchess of Blackmore cut in smoothly, before Christian could retaliate.
‘If I’m to be on trial, I would rather my last drink be something a little stronger, if it please you, your grace,’ he growled.
‘Pour four brandies will you, Malcolm?’
Malcolm!No wonder the man looked familiar. Malcolm Mackenzie had been the leading steward aboard thePhoenix.
Gritting his teeth, Christian took the proffered brandy, nodding his head in thanks. After taking a welcome sip, he glanced over at Chastity and her father. Both had had a lot more to say for themselves the night before. Idly, he wondered where the curate was. His musings helped calm him somewhat, and by the time tea had been brought in for the ladies, he’d mostly recovered his equilibrium.
‘So,’ the Duke of Blackmore declared abruptly as soon as the maid had left the study. ‘I dare say your side of the whole smoky business is long overdue. Though if I think you’re lying, I won’t hesitate to have you thrown out.’
I’d like to see you try, the Earl thought grimly. Out loud he said, ‘Before we begin, your grace, I would like to remind you that there is no formal charge against me. I am here at your invitation. As a peer of the realm, albeit a recent one, no matter your private thoughts, I believe you owe me at the very least, civility.’ He paused and glared at the Duke before adding, ‘What happened to innocent until proven guilty?’
Nicholas took a deep breath. ‘As you say, my lord,’ he offered formally, ‘you have yet to give your account of what happened, and given that you jumped ship before your innocence or otherwise could be established…’ He trailed off, clearly waiting.
The two men stared at each other. Christian longed to ask why Nicholas had let him go all those years ago. Had it been for the sake of their friendship? The Earl wondered if he’d ever find out. Taking a deep breath he told his side of the story.
By the time he got to the part where he jumped overboard, even Freddy was hanging on his every word.
‘When I leapt into the water, I truly believed I was jumping to my death.’ Christian shook his head, forcing back the ever-present nightmares about drowning. ‘The only reason I survived was a floating piece of flotsam. I managed to grab hold of a large fragment of timber from who knows where and used it to propel myself towards the shore.
‘Once I reached land, I managed to find menial work–enough to keep me alive at any rate. Three weeks later, I made my way to Heraklion. As I arrived, a merchant ship had just docked. She was going to the Americas with a cargo of tea and had put in for repairs. The captain allowed me to work my passage to Boston.’ He paused, taking a sip of his brandy, clearly lost in the past.
‘In Boston, nobody was interested in my life history,’ he said at length. ‘It didn’t matter what had gone before. There was a sense of freedom I’d never experienced. Save to say I prospered, and within five years had enough money to purchase my first house.’ He shrugged. ‘The rest as they say is history and not relevant to our discussion.’
‘Did ye nae think o’ coming home tae clear yer name?’ Malcolm questioned when it became clear that the Earl had said all he was going to.
‘How would that have gone any better than onboard thePhoenix?’ Christian argued. ‘They would have locked me up as soon as look at me. America was a new start. An opportunity to make something of myself without any disgrace dogging me. At the time, I had no intention of ever returning to England.’
‘So why did you?’ Nicholas questioned sharply. ‘If you were prospering in the Americas, why come back and risk being ostracised or worse? You had no need of a bankrupt title in a country you turned your back on?’
‘I have a daughter,’ snapped Christian. Nicholas stared incredulously at him for a second, then sagged back into his chair.
‘The whys and wherefores are none of your bloody business,’ Christian went on grimly. ‘But know this. I will move heaven and earth to ensure she has what is rightfully hers.’
‘How old is she?’ Grace questioned softly.
Startled at the interruption, the Earl looked over at her. ‘She’ll be nine on her next birthday,’ he offered gruffly.
The Duke gave his wife a warning look. Clearly, he did not want to get sidetracked. ‘So you are looking to finally clear your name?’
‘I must,’ Christian answered simply.
