Page 60 of A Lady's Dangerous Secret
“Your Grace, please start from the beginning. Captain Hughes, try not to interrupt until he is finished speaking.”
“Is this some kind of legal proceeding?” James asked.
“Well, no, though I suppose it would become a legal matter if you truly are his son.” Arthur stroked his chin contemplatively.
James let out a sigh. “Get on with it then.”
Arthur continued in an even tone, “Your Grace, please explain.”
“Your mother is truly alive?”
“Yes.”
The Duke shook his head in disbelief. “I cannot believe this. After so many lost years… And your name?”
“James.”
The Duke mouthed James’s name. He shifted in his seat.
“Your Grace, please proceed,” Arthur said.
The Duke struggled to settle down, but finally, he rested his forearms on the armrests of the chair and began. “You see, I was a second son. I bought a commission in the army, never expecting to inherit. My older brother was healthy, and my father had groomed him to become the next duke since the day he was born. While I was in the military, I was stationed in Birmingham. One of my comrades was from Yardley so we traveled the few miles there for a local ball. I met two lovely women, identical, with hair as black as ravens and eyes the color of silver,” he fondly reminisced. The corners of his mouth curled up.
James straightened in his chair, forgetting his annoyance at the Duke. “You knew Aunt Julia?”
His Grace placed his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward, looking James in the eye. “I did. Although the two women were twins, your mother had this mischievous look that her sister did not.”
James eased himself back into his chair, entranced. He could not believe he was hearing this story, and from the Duke of Westcliffe of all people?
“The moment I spoke with your mother, I fell in love with her and knew she was the only woman I could marry. I was nervous that she would only like me due to my connection with the Duchy of Westcliffe, so I didn’t mention it at first. After Rose expressed her interest in me, I immediately approached her father, who was a baronet. I asked for permission to ask herto marry me. I told Sir Reginald that I was the second son of the Duke of Westcliffe to help persuade him to agree, but he scoffed at my request. He thought the chances were low I would inherit, and he had his eye on a particular baron for his daughter.”
The Duke proceeded with the tale in a foreboding voice. “I rushed back to tell Rose that her father rejected me, but still did not tell her about my father, the Duke. I wanted her to make an unbiased decision. She professed her love to me and agreed to marry without her father’s permission. I obtained a special license. We ran off and wed shortly after. Then, the day after our wedding, I received an urgent missive to return to Westcliffe immediately. The rider said it was dire but wouldn’t reveal any details. I had to leave forthwith and didn’t have a chance to tell Rose about my background. I was going to explain everything when I came back.”
Although James had been listening intently, the spell broke at this part of the story. He eyed the Duke accusingly. “But you never returned.”
The Duke’s head fell. He took a deep breath before he raised his head again. When he lifted his eyes, they were laced with anguish, but James did not have any pity. “You deserted my mother.”
“James.”
“Don’t call me that. It’s Captain Hughes to you.”
“Let me explain.”
James stood abruptly. “You don’t know how much my mother was tortured, how much I was beaten by my ruthless uncle. Decades of suffering because younever came back!”
Arthur jumped up from his chair before James could storm toward the door. “I understand your anger, but this is the one chance you have to hear the full story from Westcliffe’s point of view.
James eyed the Duke. Arthurs softened his voice. “You don’t want to look back on this moment years from now and wonder ‘what if I had listened?’”
The Duke dropped from the chair to his knees. “Please, let me explain.” James looked down at the Duke disdainfully. He didn’t care that he was groveling, and surprisingly felt no satisfaction from having a nob beg before him. James could still feel the pain between his shoulder blades from his uncle’s whip and see the suffering in his mother’s eyes.
Arthur looked anxiously between the two men. “I can’t watch this collapse.” He squared his shoulders and used his most commanding voice, which was a stretch for the thoughtful academic. “Westcliffe, off your knees. Captain Hughes, back to your chair.”
The Duke and James looked at him in surprise.
“Now!” Arthur ordered.
The two men trudged back to their seats.
