Page 59 of Jack

Carolyn looked at him then. “He wants the throne, and in his head, if he can take down the Queen, he can make that play. He has reams and reams of paperwork pertaining to his lineage. Plus, I think there’s a little revenge for the Queen passing him over and a lot of hurt pride.”

“Jesus, what kind of father tries to ruin his own sons for pride and power and some title?”

Will looked at him with sad eyes. “A shit one.”

“So eloquent, William, no wonder Aubrey loves you.”

Will smiled as he gave him the middle finger.

Jack saw his mother yawn, and he and Will stood. “We should let you get some rest. Two things before we go, though.”

“Yes, love?”

“How do you know all this? And who was the promise to?”

His mother smiled sadly. “Your father told me when we first married, and the rest came over time as he’d rant and rave about it. I didn’t know he was targeting Eidolon, or I would’ve told you sooner.”

“I know, Ma. We kept it from you on purpose. We didn’t want you dragged into this shit with us.”

“Language, Jack.”

“Sorry, this nightmare.”

“Well, I am now, and I support my sons completely. If I hear from Frederick, I’ll let you know, but I doubt I will now.” He could hear the slight melancholy in her voice as if she remembered the past and better times.

“Who was the promise to?”

Carolyn smiled wide. “My good friend Lydia.”

Jack felt his jaw go slack in shock, sure he must be hearing his mother wrong. “Not the Lydia, the Queen?”

“Yes, exactly. Who do you think got on a train to London to warn her of your father’s intentions all those years ago?”

“Holy crap. Go, Mum.”

“I may have loved him, but I wasn’t blind to the threat he posed to the Queen, and I didn’t want that for my sons. Unfortunately, I may have made it worse for them.”

Jack leaned down, his hand on his mother’s head and kissed her forehead. “Love you, Mum. Get some rest and Astrid and I will be in to see you tomorrow.”

“I do love that girl, and she suits you so well.”

Jack smiled, unable to help it when he thought of Astrid. “Yeah, she does.”

Jack moved back so Will could say goodbye, and he and his brother walked out of the department to find Astrid and Aubrey in silence.

Halfway down the corridor, he angled his body towards Jack. “Can you believe all that?”

He shook his head. “I believe it because Mum wouldn’t lie to us about something like that, but I can’t wrap my head around it at all, not in the fucking least.”

“Me neither.”

“It explains a lot, though. Like how easily I got the contract for Eidolon and why I was the one they contacted.”

“Yeah, it also explains the email I got asking me to set up the funds and company.”

Jack stopped, and Will turned back to him. “They emailed and asked you to set up Eidolon? I thought it was your idea.”

“Well, it was, but I received an email suggesting I should use the funds and I should make use of your talent. The natural thought process led me to a Black Ops team.”