Page 50 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“One at a time, silence, I say,” he exclaimed, and the room fell quiet.
“Strap, you must tell us what the meaning of all this is,” Samantha demanded, for it all seemed most confusing.
“My Lady, you will find all the proof you need of the Captain’s innocence in these letters. Look who they come from,” Strap said, and to her horror, Samantha realized that these were the letters stolen from the home of Nox’s uncle and aunt.
“You are the thief responsible for the theft?” she asked, and Strap nodded proudly.
“That is correct, My Lady. But you must read them and then you shall see why I stole them,” he said, as Samantha sank into a chair by the fire.
“What do they say?” Rebecca asked, as Samantha began to read.
What she now saw was too extraordinary to believe. The letters were from Nox’s uncle to his wife, written after she had returned from the Caribbean to England, letters which showed a remarkable set of circumstances.
“My darling Bernadette, how fortunate we are that this deception is realized. My brother was a doting fool, and the boy would have grown up just the same if we had not seen fit to see him to a watery grave. The sea has many secrets, and this is but another which you and I shall hold in our hearts until death. I have further business to see to here and then I shall join you in London, Yours ever, Albert,”she read out loud, her hands trembling, as she looked up at the others, who seemed stunned into silence.
“And there are many more,” Strap said, pointing to the pile of letters and shaking his head.
“You mean to say that it was Nox’s uncle who killed him?” Duchess Sinclair exclaimed.
“Tried to kill him,” Strap replied, “he was drifting on a piece of wood when we found him. We had no intention of attacking the ship, but the storm did it well enough. His uncle and aunt must have got away somehow, leaving the boy to his fate. A wicked business.”
“Beyond Evil,” Nicholas growled, and Strap nodded.
“There is more, though. Look at these,” he said, handing several other documents to Nicholas, who gave an exclamation of surprise.
“But these are the documents the Duke of Hampton has lost. Where did you get them from?” he demanded, fixing Strap with an angry gaze.
“From the same place these letters are from, the desk of Nox’s uncle,” he replied.
Samantha had continued searching through the letters, uncovering all manner of terrible truths about Nox’s uncle and aunt. In their correspondence, they discussed their desire for the title which Nox’s uncle claimed belonged to him, their bitterness at playing second fiddle to Nox’s parents, and their final terrible intention to take their opportunity to see Nox pushed to his death. It made Samantha feel sick to her stomach, and now her resolve was absolute.
“We must tell my father, we must tell the world, before it is too late,” Samantha declared, leaping to her feet, as the others hurriedly agreed.
“We shall take the carriage. Nox’s uncle and aunt will know the possibility of their being discovered. There is not a moment to lose,” Duchess Sinclair exclaimed.
Together the party – Samantha, Strap, Rebecca, Nicholas, and Duchess Sinclair all rushed from the drawing room. A moment later they were in a carriage bound for Hampton Manor, Samantha’s heart racing. It was too astonishing for words, and to think that all this time Nox’s uncle and aunt had been plotting against him.
It must have been a terrible shock to them to find their nephew alive and well, and how convenient that his memory should be so lost. Now she understood why they had insisted upon their private meetings, planting falsehoods in his mind to ensure that he never remembered the truth. Well, now the truth was clear, in black and white, and Samantha would prove Nox’s innocence to her father once and for all.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Anderton was quite taken aback at the arrival of Samantha and the others. Samantha barged into the hallway, calling out for her father, as Regina emerged from the salon, looking most perturbed by the interruption.
“What is all this?” she demanded, as the cries of the baby echoed through the house.
“I must speak to my father, where is he?” Samantha exclaimed, no longer caring to appease Regina, who glared at her, just as the study door flew open and Samantha’s father stormed out.
The Duke was red faced, even angrier than usual, and he fixed Samantha with a scowl, demanding an explanation for the interruption.
“I did not invite you here, any of you,” he snarled.
But it was Duchess Sinclair who stepped forward, clearing her throat and fixing the Duke with a look such that only one of the same rank can give to another.
“You had better hear this, Randolf,” she said, and Samantha’s father appeared taken aback by the force of her tone.
“How dare you speak to my husband like that,” Regina said, but Duchess Sinclair only turned to her with a withering look.
“Oh, be quiet, you foolish girl. Your airs and graces do not fool me,” she said, and Regina fell silent.
