Page 140 of The Royal Art of Revenge

“Yes. The two of them grew up on the peripheral of the upper class.”

“New money, as the term goes,” Oscar says. “I’m familiar with Matthew’s stepfather, Daniel. My father has done business with him. His family is extremely wealthy, but his parents were never quite able to break into the aristocratic circles. He did so when he met Susannah Mason during her divorce.”

“Who is she?” I ask. “I don’t know half these families, although some names ring a bell.”

“The Earl of Longford’s granddaughter. Well, she was at the time. She’s now the niece,” he explains. “No title of her own as she’s of a female line, but blue-blooded enough that Daniel could get a foothold in society. Matthew was the heir to the earldom at the time as his uncle was unmarried and childless, but after his disappearance, there were rumblings that Susannah and Daniel’s son was lined up to become the heir.”

I wrinkle my nose up. “Is he still the heir?”

“No. The earl… Well, everyone thought he was gay, honestly. He married later in life to a younger woman and had children. There were rumours at the time it was transactional was because he refused to allow Daniel’s child to be his heir, but they’re still married today, so who knows?” Oscar shrugs and holds out his hands. “It wouldn’t be unusual, even if he is gay. He can live his life, have a secure heir, and his wife lives in the lap of luxury. As long as she consents to it, I don’t see a problem.”

“If we assume that’s correct and the Earl of Longford is gay, it wouldn’t be unreasonable of us to come to the conclusion that Daniel was involved in Matthew’s disappearance.” I set the papers on my lap then look at them both. “If his own son was being lined up to become the heir…”

“Theoretically, but not guaranteed,” Alec says slowly. “Depending on the rules of inheritance. However, if Christian Longford expressed to Her Majesty that he wished to nominate another blood relative as his heir in the absence of him having his own children, she’d likely approve it. It’s happened with Matthew, so there’s no reason to believe she wouldn’t approve it again, but Lord Longford didn’t do that.”

“Yes. The fact that he avoided marriage for so long only to go down the path he did backs up the theor,” Oscar continues. “He has three sons now.”

“Wow. He really didn’t want Daniel’s child to be his heir, huh?” I shake my head. “What about some of the others?”

“Similar stories.” Alec pulls a cigarette box from his pocket, removes one of the contents, and replaces the box before twirling the cigarette between his fingers. “Mostly the eldest children, the heirs, all from first marriages or relationships.”

“How did nobody ever put it together?” Oscar asks, taking the papers from Alec and scanning them. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “Money. It’s always about money. All these people have access to unimaginable funds and can cover up things most people can only dream of.”

“She’s right,” Alec says to him. “You know that yourself.”

“I suppose. It just seems… I don’t know. There’s something barbaric about harming children, isn’t there?” Oscar looks up from the papers. “To actively seek to harm them in such a way for something that is so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things…”

“Because you aren’t evil.” I put my sheets down on the coffee table with a sigh. “I’m not an idiot. I know the two of you do some questionable things on behalf of the Royal Family. Heck, I’ve seen it.” I eye Alec for a moment, and he simply grins in response. “But you aren’t evil. You’re not actively conspiring against people with a goal of hurting them. More to the point, you aren’t hurting children. You’d never dream of it.

“And some of those things are inconsequential to us, but not to them. Take Daniel and the Masons—his family were never able to break into the circles they desired because of prejudice from the upper class, but he’s suddenly one little boy away from having his own son be an aristocrat. That’s a huge deal for someone who probably feels like he’s been snubbed just for being born to the ‘wrong’ person.”

“I suppose,” he replies. “I simply can’t imagine how horrible a person you must be to treat a child that way.”

“Most people can’t. That’s the point. To be that kind of evil is unfathomable for most people.”

“And, like you said, the people who commit such atrocities are rich beyond belief,” Alec continues. “Which makes them extremely hard to chase and catch. And if by some miracle you can catch them, it’s even harder to prove.”

My stomach knots. “Which is a very nice way of telling me that there’s an extremely slim chance of me ever being able to hold Rosalyn accountable for my kidnapping.”

He hesitates and briefly flicks his attention in Oscar’s direction. “You… may be an exception to that rule. You’re engaged to the heir to the throne. For all their money and power, you possess far more.”

“But you will be flirting with politics,” Oscar adds, his tone measured. “And that—”

“The lives and safety of children is not political.” I press my lips into a firm line. “And anyone who strives to make it so should be investigated immediately.”

“I wholeheartedly agree, but others don’t. Don’t forget that politicians and others in positions of power can be the most corrupt of them all. Even Her Majesty struggles against them sometimes.” He runs his hand through his hair, looking away. “I would encourage you to tread lightly.”

I curl my fingers into my palms, and my nails sting as they dig into my skin. I’m angry. Not at him, because it’s not his fault, but because there’s so much corruption at levels it has no business being at. So much self-serving bullshit without a care for others or how it harms them.

How ridiculous that I’m in the societal position I’m in and yet, I can do nothing about it.

I sigh, uncurling my fists. “Very well. I never set out to hold her legally accountable anyway. I always knew it was virtually impossible to do, so I suppose it is what it is.”

“Societally, however…” Alec shrugs a shoulder and replaces the untouched cigarette in the box. He slips it into his pocket and peers over at me with his dark eyes. “You’ve already made a fair start on tearing Jasmine Sinclair to shreds, and from what Marina has told me, she’s rather put out by it. I have to say, I’m very much looking forward to what you intend to do from this point.”

Yes.