Page 76 of Ties of Legacy

Corbett hovered awkwardly near the other armchair until Elliot realized he was waiting for an invitation to sit. He flushed and gestured for him to do so. It felt strange to see the older, and more competent, man deferring to him.

He didn’t dwell on it, though. His new realization had only energized his desire to understand what was going on.

He leaned forward. “Who is Clarence? What’s been going on here?”

Corbett’s brow creased. “You don’t remember your uncle?” He sighed. “But I’m forgetting you were only a baby when your father banished him from Bolivere.”

“I had an uncle who was banished?” Elliot stared at him. How could he not have known that?

“He was your father’s younger brother, but the two were nothing alike. Whereas your father worked tirelessly for the town, Clarence used his position to steal from and cheat the townsfolk. Your father was ashamed to call him brother, and after Clarence was sent away, your father forbade any mention of him. He even had him expunged from the family trees.”

“But he’s back?” Elliot asked, still trying to wrap his mind around the existence of an unknown uncle.

“Not currently,” Corbett said, sounding relieved. “At least I haven’t had word of anyone seeing him recently. But he’s been here several times since your father’s death. As far as Avery knows, we’ve kept your father’s death a secret because it was advantageous to the town, but that was only a secondary reason. Our main purpose was to keep Clarence away. If you failed to claim your inheritance in five years, it would go to the next heir, and unfortunately that’s him. Since we didn’t know where you were or what had happened to you, we’ve been trying to put off that clock starting.”

Cook stepped into the room, bearing a heavy tray loaded with spiced buns. Catching the end of Corbett’s words, she gave a dramatic shudder. “None of us would work in a house under Clarence. And it would break all of our hearts to be forced to leave only to watch him destroy everything your father built.”

“We explained all this in the follow up letters,” Corbett said, “which only heightens your mother’s betrayal. I would have putit in the first one informing you of your father’s death, except it never occurred to me that you might not return immediately.”

“If she even bothered to read any of the subsequent letters,” Elliot muttered.

He waited for his anger against his mother to flare again, but he had long known who she was and how little she regarded anyone but herself—even Elliot. She had already betrayed both her husband and her son, and he had come to peace with her absence from his life. He had chosen not to let anger against her rule him, and he refused to let her new crimes change that.

“If only I had returned immediately,” Elliot said heavily. “None of your charade would have been necessary.”

He stood, bowing deeply to first Corbett and then Cook. “Please accept my sincere apology. I am deeply grieved to have caused you all so much concern and anxiety. My not knowing the severity of the situation is little excuse. I knew how much my father loved Bolivere and you all, and I should have hurried straight here.”

“See,” Cook said to Corbett, “that’s what you’d never catch Clarence doing. Looks like he’s still his father’s son to me.” She looked pleased, which seemed like far more than Elliot deserved.

“You’re too kind to me,” he said. “You always were.”

Cook laughed. “Nonsense! You can’t be too kind to a child. And you were always a likable youngster.”

She fussed about with arranging the tray on the low table between the armchairs before bustling back out of the room.

“I truly am sorry,” Elliot said less formally to Corbett.

“After the lies your mother told you, I don’t blame you,” Corbett said. “You must have felt deeply hurt and rejected. I hope you know your father was always proud of you, and he talked often of your return. He was convinced you would come back as soon as you turned eighteen.”

Emotion swept over Elliot, and he was silent for several long moments as he fought them back. Eventually he cleared his throat.

“Thank you,” he said. “That means a lot. But in the meantime, it seems you’ve borne the brunt of keeping the facade alive. I suppose you must have been claiming that my father refused to come out and see his brother?”

Corbett nodded. “Clarence was becoming suspicious, though. I was almost certain he had realized the truth after his most recent attempt. I’ve been holding my breath waiting to see what he’ll do next. I’m only surprised he’s been gone so long.” He gazed out the window, his lip curling in disgust. “He calls himself Rene now, and he travels with a nasty crowd.”

Elliot’s spiced bun fell from his hands.

“Did you say Rene?”

Corbett’s gaze flashed back to Elliot, his eyes keen. “You’ve encountered him?”

“He and a couple of mercenaries abducted Avery and her cousin from the roving merchants’ records hall. He was trying to stop her reaching Bolivere.”

“What?” Corbett’s hands clenched around the arms of his chair. “He abducted Avery? But he didn’t get the lamp?”

“No, it was with me,” Elliot said. “But the abduction was the reason we didn’t come by river. He took Avery and Mattie all the way to the coast before they got free.”

“He didn’t recognize you?” Corbett shook his head. “You look uncannily like your father.”

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