Page 56 of A Scandal at Stonecliffe

“I imagine he would, given all the gossip that will result. But his uncle, indeed everyone, will know about it soon enough. He’ll have to take it to court to establish his legitimacy. Most perplexing is the fact that he seems to have disappeared. Why has he not contacted you again?”

“Yes, those things are oddities, and I don’t know how to explain them,” Nathan admitted, but determinedly quashed the little bit of hope her words raised in him. “But we cannot ignore the fact that Margaret Douglas and my father married two years before I was born. It was right there in the records.”

“But how do we know that they were married before Malcolm was born? We agreed that Malcolm looked older than you. There’s a touch of gray at his temples, and lines at his eyes and mouth.”

“Some people turn gray early. And he has that fair Scottish skin—if he spends much time outdoors, he’d have lines.”

“And some couples marry after they have a child. I’d put him nearer to forty than thirty-four.”

Nathan looked at her. “I don’t know. Even if they got married afterward, they were still married, which means my parents were not.”

“Not necessarily. Your father could have been a widower when he married your mother. Margaret could have died. Women often die in childbirth.”

“That’s true. I could just be the second son.” Nathan paused, thinking. “But if that were true, why would my father have kept it a secret? Why would he have let his heir be raised in Scotland instead of at the manor? He would have known my mother would have treated the boy well. Mother has the softest heart one could find.”

Verity shrugged. “That is one of the many inconsistencies in this tale.”

“Do you really think there’s a chance that this isn’t true? Or are you just trying to lift my spirits?”

Verity leaned forward, putting her hand on his. “I wouldn’t try to raise false hopes in you, Nathan. That would be cruel. But neither can I ignore the oddities here, and I wouldn’t want to advise you to give up without investigating further.”

Nathan quirked a smile. “Do you ever advise giving up?”

Verity grinned back. “Only when there’s no one still standing.”

Whether she had been trying to cheer him up or not, Verity had made him curious, even a little hopeful. And, really, today almost anything seemed possible. He wouldn’t admit defeat this easily, no matter how great a blow yesterday’s discovery had been. “Very well. How do we find the answers to your questions?”

“The first thing we have to do is learn Malcolm Douglas’s age. I want to see the records. So we need to find out where he was born.”

“His uncle is the best source of information on that score,” Nathan said.

“I agree. We must discover Robert Douglas’s address.” She paused. “Though calling on him and asking about Malcolm’s birth might make him suspicious of us. It’s an odd thing to do, and even if he isn’t aware of his nephew’s scheme, he would have to wonder.”

“I can see him at his club. He did extend an invitation to me to visit him at White’s anytime.”

“Where I am not allowed to enter, being a mere woman.” Verity scowled.

Nathan’s eyes gleamed with amusement. “I am afraid that this time you are simply going to have to trust me.”

“Don’t be silly. Of course I trust you. And you’re right—a chance meeting is less likely to arouse his suspicions, even if it is an odd topic.”

“I’ll think of some way to work it in.” Nathan reached over and took her hand. “But first I might need a little distraction from such heavy matters.”

“Oh, I know just what will help—a game of whist!” Verity looked around the room. “Where are my cards?”

“I have something else in mind.”

He tugged her to him, and Verity went easily, opening her eyes wide in faux innocence and saying, “You do? Why, whatever can that be?”

“This.” He kissed her lips.

“Oh, that.” She smiled, curling her arms around his neck. She took his mouth in a long, drugging kiss. “That doesn’t seem very responsible when we have a case waiting.”

Nathan slid his hand under the lapel of her dressing gown, cupping her breast, and nuzzled the side of her neck. “It appears I am becoming quite reckless.”

Kissing her, he bore her back down on the bed.

ROBERT DOUGLAS WAS not at the club when Nathan arrived, which was a bit deflating. But Nathan was well-known there, so he took a seat and picked up a news sheet, pretending to read it as he kept an eye on the door. It would probably be more natural seeming this way, less intentional.