“What do you know about the duel?”
“I wasn’t there. But I have a certain reputation for taking care of problems. And I was called to move their bodies and make it look like an accident. I didn’t know who it was that had been killed until me and my man arrived at the park. Usually, it wouldn’t matter who the dead toff was.”
Christ.“Did you know he was your father then?”
“Yes, I always knew. Never expected anything from him. But he came through in the end.”
“What do you mean?”
“After their deaths. The man who hired me for the cleanup hired me again to look for some journal that our father had.” A small smile played at the corner of Seaton’s lips. “The one they are all still sweating about. When I was looking through our father’s papers in here, I came across his will. He left me the property down in Holburn. Two whole blocks that was what used to be the land where the old manse was positioned on, back when it was all sheep and shit. The Blue Angel was part of the old house. That symbol on the arch above the door a family motto of sorts, I guess.” Seaton shrugged. “Seemed wrong to turn over our father’s secrets when he’d thought of me after all. I didn’t bother looking further. Just told them I didn’t find it.”
Hart couldn’t help but see the irony. His father’s secret son, keeping his other secrets safe. “Wait, did you know that Griffen was the one who killed my father?”
“Nah, like I said, I wasn’t there ’til after. Doesn’t surprise me. I do know it was a different gun that shot our brother.”
“How?”
“Gunshot wounds were different sizes. The second one was made with a smaller pistol. Smaller hole. The dueling pistols leave a gruesome hole.”
Hart grimaced. He had no doubt the man knew what he was talking about. “Do you know about the child?”
Seaton shook his head.
Hart continued. “The duel was about the breach of promise over a betrothal. Robert was supposed to marry Griffen’s daughter. But he met another woman and fell in love. When my father supported his decision to marry her instead, Griffen demanded satisfaction. We discovered this today when we went to the paper. The editor of thePiccadilly Pressis Elizabeth Harper and was Robert’s intended. She realized she was pregnant with Robert’s son after he died. The boy is now five years old.”
“More family,” Seaton murmured.
The door swung open, and Lucy barreled into the room, red-faced from exertion and with her staff still in hand. “Hart, I know you won’t like the idea, but I think that we really need to contact Mr. Seat—” She froze in her tracks as she spotted his guest.
Hart stood and crossed the carpet to capture her hand. “Great minds think alike.” He kissed her fingers.
Behind him, Seaton also rose. He ambled over. “Good afternoon, Lady Hartwick. I did not know that duchesses wore trousers at home.” He tilted his head and studied her staff. “Although I know nothing about what duchesses do, so perhaps it is very duchess-like to wear trousers and carry around a quarterstaff.”
Hart laughed outright at his wife’s terrifying, dark expression.
“I’d be pleased to show you first-hand how it works, Mr. Seaton.”
“I would like that very much.” Lightning quick, Seaton struck out with his hand in a downward blow, which Lucy deflected easily in an almost automatic flick of her wrist. Seaton kicked out next, and again, his attack was met by her staff.
Hart stumbled back. “Hey, what the hell do you think you are doing?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt her,” Seaton replied.
Lucy grunted and landed a glancing blow to Seaton’s shoulder as the man, lithe as a cat, moved left. “I can’t promise you the same thing.”
Seaton advanced, lunging forward to shove at her shoulder with one hand and sweep his leg out to topple her. Lucy jumped back before he could touch her, and this time, when she retaliated, she landed a blow to his thigh with a resounding smack.
Seaton grabbed hold of the end of the staff and tugged them around in a circle. If he hoped to unbalance her, he had miscalculated because Lucy changed her grip and thrust the staff forward, so the end of it drove into Seaton’s stomach.
He grunted and held his hand up in surrender. “I concede, Your Grace.”
Lucy beamed. “That was so much fun.” She held out a hand to Seaton.
Seaton slowly straightened and shook her outstretched hand. “I have been wondering about the way you handled that cane since the park. It’s not often someone surprises me or gets that close to me with a weapon.”
Hart moved to pull Lucy to his side. “Was that really necessary, you two?” he said scowling at each of them. Their scuffle had taken a year off his life and had been over in less than three minutes.
“I can’t convince Hart to spar with me. Thank you, Mr. Seaton, it was quite exhilarating,” Lucy said.
