Page 48 of A Sinful Viscount's Mistletoe Affair
Could he forget what had happened to his father and move on with his life? And perhaps, in due course, that life could involve Isabella. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if her father would ever accept him as a serious suitor. He had a title, of course, but he was not rich. Perhaps Lord Evermere would not think he was good enough for his daughter to marry.
That thought sparked a burst of fury in Sebastian’s heart, and he realized that he was still not ready to move on, no matter how much he wished he was. He resolved to try and sleep, rather than pacing restlessly around in his room for the rest of the night, then to decide in the morning, once and for all, about what to do next.
He was just about to climb the stairs to return to his bed chamber when he heard voices. The low, deep, sonorous voices of men in deep conversation.
He knew he should ignore it and go to bed. He knew it was risky to be seen wandering around the house in the middle of the night. He knew he had a lot to lose if he were discovered. But his curiosity was irresistible, and it compelled him to move towards the source of the voices.
He followed the corridor behind the stairs, and the voices became clear. He recognized the voice of George Langley. He edged closer. This was too good an opportunity to miss. A secret conversation in the middle of the night. Surely this was the moment he had been waiting for all this time. Was he finally on the verge of finding out the truth?
The door to a small parlour was slightly ajar, and Sebastian hid himself in the shadows outside, trying to slow his rapid breathing. After his encounter with Isabella, he was already feeling rather highly charged, but this situation was taking him to a new level of heightened feelings.
“I think we should tell him, Victor,” came George’s voice through the door.
Sebastian’s heart was racing now. Did they mean him? He could not be sure.
Victor’s voice, raised in exasperation, rang out. “I keep telling you, George, there is no need to tell him anything. It is not a good idea. The consequences could be grave.”
“But every time I look at him, I see his father in his eyes, Victor. It’s killing me!” George replied.
Sebastian’s heart leapt. They were definitely talking about him; he did not doubt it now.
“I don’t care who you can see in his eyes. There is no need to tell him anything. And what would you tell him, anyway? There is nothing to tell, as far as I am concerned.”
“We should clear the air with the boy; that’s all I’m saying, Victor. I’m convinced that earlier this evening, he was going to speak to me about his father. Perhaps that’s all he wants to do, to talk about him.”
Victor scoffed. “I am sure the young viscount has other ideas. There is something about his look that I do not like. And if we risk getting involved talking about the past, then anything could happen. You must remember, George, that we do not know what really happened.”
George sighed. “I wish we did know the truth.”
Sebastian craned his head to hear more clearly what was being said, but the two men’s voices had dropped to mere murmurs, and he could not make out exactly what they were saying. He let out a sigh of frustration. How could George be saying that they did not know the truth?
It did not make sense. Surely they must know what happened since they were there at the time. If they did not know, then perhaps no one did, and perhaps what had happened to his father would remain a mystery forever.
Sebastian took a step closer to the open door. He knew it was risky, but he would have to be bold if he wanted to discover what was happening.
“George, I think that you need to drop this now,” Victor said, a warning note clear in his voice. “You made your choice all those years ago. There is no need now to be trying to settle our dues. It is ancient history.”
“But perhaps I made the wrong choice, Victor. That is what I am trying to say,” George replied, apprehension and anguish in his voice.
Sebastian wanted to burst into the room and demand to be told what choice George was talking about and what Victor meant about settling his dues. But he knew that too many questions would be asked about what he was doing walking around the house in the middle of the night, eavesdropping over private conversations. There was too much at stake, still, for him to reveal his true agenda.
But the frustration was almost too much for him to bear. If it was true that even George Langley did not know what had happened to their cargo ship and how his father had been implicated, then what hope was there for Sebastian to discover the truth? He remained as convinced as he ever had been that his father had been framed or betrayed somehow. But he was no closer to discovering who had done such a terrible thing.
Footsteps were moving around in the parlour, and Sebastian leapt backward into the shadows. Victor stood in the doorway, looking back into the room. “I do not think we should speak of this anymore, George,” he said slowly.
George, still hidden inside the room, did not reply.
“Trust me on this, old friend,” Victor said. “We should let bygones be bygones and keep the secrets of the past buried where they belong.”
Victor left the room and strode right past Sebastian without seeing him, so well concealed was he in the shadowy corner where he had been hiding. But the candle Victor held in his hand illuminated his face as he walked down the corridor, and Sebastian did not think he had ever seen an expression of such twisted, hateful rage in all his life.
There was more to this situation than met the eye; he was sure of it. Victor’s demeanour convinced Sebastian that he was hiding something. Perhaps Sebastian had suspected the wrong man all this time?
A flare of suspicion was ignited within him, and he realized that he could not cease his quest now despite his feelings for Isabella. And if her father was not guilty of betraying Julian Ashcroft, then perhaps there was no reason why they could not be together.
That moment of realization made Sebastian happier than he ever thought he could be, considering the turmoil in his mind. But it was Christmas Eve tomorrow, the day of the great ball. And there were only two days remaining of the house party. He would have to move quickly to discover the truth before it was too late.
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