“What happened?”
“The rope failed. And in the commotion afterward, a group of men disguised as onlookers in the front of the crowd swarmed theplatform. By the time they were dispersed, Thorne was gone.”
She shivered as an owl hooted in the distance. “Where do you think he went?”
Her uncle shrugged and opened the door. She frowned at his nonchalance.
Something was off.
“Did you have something to do with it?”
He paused and swiveled to face her. “Whatever would make you think that?”
“I know you have a history with him.”
His eyes darkened. “Our history is a terrible one.”
“So you had nothing to do with it?”
His hand tightened on the doorknob and her chest tightened.
“Why?” The word came out as a strangled whisper.
Uncle Henry stared out into the darkness. “I owed him.”
Her mouth went dry. “Why help him? Why not let him hang?”
“It’s good to have a powerful man in my debt.”
She took a step back. “He killed my parents.”
He pressed his eyes shut and when he reopened them, they were filled with anguish. “It’s complicated. The score between myself and Thorne is settled, and that’s what matters now. We won’t have to worry about him or his men coming after us again.”
A thread of unease crept through her. Everything her uncle did had a calculated reason behind it. She should know better than anyone else.
She set a hand on the door. “I think, in light of all that’s happened, I deserve to know.”
He stared at the door for a long moment. His shoulders slumped.
“Uncle?”
His hand curled into a fist. “Because Mrs. Thompson died on my watch.”
Samantha reeled back a step and took a strangled breath asThorne’s words echoed through her head. “No one’s innocent. Least of all her family.”
“You were the pirates who kidnapped her?” Her voice came out small.
“Heavens no, girl. Your father and I were part of the rescue operation. It went terribly wrong and she didn’t make it.”
A heaviness settled over her heart. And then, understanding hit her. “He blamed you for her death.”
He turned with damp eyes. “It is my greatest regret. I’ve spent the last twenty-four years wondering what I could have done differently. Wondering if I could have changed the outcome.” Tears sprung to her eyes as he lifted his arms and pulled her into a hug. “The world can be a terrible and cruel place, dear. My greatest wish was to keep the worst of it from you, to spare you from experiencing it firsthand. It seems I have failed.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” She sniffed and smiled up at him. “Besides, I’m more resilient than you think, uncle.”
“Indeed you are.” He gave her a squeeze. “Also, I spoke with Lieutenant Thompson. We won’t have to worry about the navy ever knowing my identity.”
Wiping at her eyes, she stepped back. There was one more thing she needed to know.
