Page 11 of Her Tempestuous Duke

“The idea of us being family displeases you?”

“The matter is a complex one.” What should he tell her? And what would she do with that knowledge?

He shook himself. This was ridiculous. He had his enemy imprisoned, and there was nothing she could do about it.

“In my experience—and I admit it is limited—people generally feel better when they’ve unburdened themselves of unwelcome thoughts.”

“You have wisdom beyond your years.” He hadn’t meant to sound so cynical. “Perhaps we should talk about you first. I’d feel less wary if I knew more about my confessor.”

She leaned forward and hugged her knees, the sparkle gone from her eyes. “If I tell you my secret, will you tell me yours?”

He longed to take her hand and offer the comfort he sensed she needed. But that would create a bridge between them. Which would be folly.

He held her gaze and nodded.

“Very well. But I’m struggling to stay awake, you know, so I’ll be brief. I don’t truly know who I am. There are rumors that I was born out of wedlock and that my mother was, at the time, the wife of Lord Hamilton, and that my father was Horatio Nelson. I know nothing about it myself, obviously, but Lady Hamilton was a great friend of the King and Queen of Naples, and I was put into their care and brought up as an adjunct of the court. I don’t mean like a princess, of course, but I was treated well and given the best education a girl could hope for. Then, when I was seventeen, and everyone was wondering what to do with me, Lord Anthony arrived in Naples and wormed his way into the hearts of the king and queen.”

“Yes. He was always very good at that. He had both looks and charm, despite the latter being deceptive. Did you ever learn why he left England in the first place?”

She shook her head. “I assumed that he was on the Grand Tour.”

“Hah! Nothing so commonplace. He killed a man in a duel and fled abroad, hoping to return when the fuss had died down.” Parys had worked hard to prevent an uproar, and look how Anthony had repaid him!

His words seemed to echo around the stone chamber, and then the room fell silent. Even the fire held its breath.

Miss Harte’s eyes were larger and rounder than ever. She didn’t believe him. She didn’t want to believe him, but he pinned her gaze to his with icy determination. The whole world, including this beautiful innocent, needed to know what Anthony truly was.

“I’m sure he would not have hurt anyone without good reason.”

Love, that destroyer of foolish men, had been the reason. Unfortunately, the woman that Anthony had been caught with was married.

“Believe whatever you want. It doesn’t change the truth. But we were talking about you.” His brother could wait. For now, he’d content himself with preparing the ground for the more significant shock that awaited Miss Harte.

“Lord Anthony was kind to me, and over the years, he became attached to me. He was like an uncle to me, and he behaved himself impeccably while he was in court circles. When he received some news that drew him back to England, he offered to take me with him as his ward and find me a husband amongst the English nobility. The king and queen were delighted, and I was happy, too, as I was returning to the land of my alleged parents.”

Parys’ fingers dug into his palms. He knew damned well what news it was that had brought Anthony hurtling back to England, confident in the knowledge that his crime had been forgotten.

He made no attempt to spare her feelings. “It was news that thrilled him. I, the Duke of Tremar, had disappeared. He won’t have told you that, I imagine.”

“He did tell me that, as a matter of fact. He sent agents out trying to find you.”

“Nonsense. He made no effort to find me. He was ecstatic about having the duchy within his sights, and had no intention of relinquishing it. He’s hated me since we were small. You see this disfigurement on my face?” He touched the corner of his mouth.

“That scar? It is no disfigurement, I assure you.”

He didn’t need her soft words. He didn’t need her sympathy either—it made him angry.

“This was done when we were but boys. It was meant to be a play fight, but Anthony had removed the button from his foil. You see, he was born wicked, and his heart will remain blackened until the day he dies.” Which could be quite soon.

“I beg to differ. Nobody is born wicked. And whatever Lord Anthony may have done in the past, he has been eager to make amends ever since. I can assure you,” she said, standing and walking to the other side of the room, “that he runs the duchy with both skill and generosity. His tenants have nothing to complain of. The servants are well looked after, and the estate and appurtenances are kept in good repair. Lord Anthony is every inch a noble and a gentleman. He has been the perfect custodian, and you’ll thank him for it when you come home.”

Parys leaped to his feet. This was insufferable. How could so many lies pour from so sweet a mouth? He must put her right immediately.

He caught her by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake. “Listen to me, and I’ll tell you why I disappeared. After my parents died, I resigned my commission to take up my duties at home. While looking into how the estate was managed, I discovered that some of our tenants were smugglers who’d been supplying the late duke and duchess with luxuries for years. Just over three years ago, I got word that during their latest run, the French authorities had captured them, accused them of spying, and thrown them into a prison on the Normandy coast. I couldn’t abide the thought of my people rotting in some foreign jail. I know it was foolhardy of me, but I had military experience and could handle a boat, so I took a few veterans with me to mount a rescue. Fortune didn’t smile on us—we were captured and incarcerated in the same prison for several months before there was any opportunity of escape. We were swiftly pursued and ended up fighting for our lives.”

He had to pause—his throat clogged at the memory. “I don’t know what became of my companions—they must have been killed or taken. I made it to the boat and across the Channel but I had a head wound and struggled to navigate. By the time I recognized Tremar Bay, I was in a pitiful condition, having fallen sick with jail fever, or some type of pox. Sores erupted all over me.”

He’d expected her to pull away in disgust, but her delicate hands now grasped his elbows. She looked both startled and sympathetic.