Page 88 of A Bride for the Forbidden Duke
“They were Spanish pirates,” he muttered. “Darn entitled ones, too. They thought they could mock the British gentlemen, and parade about in our clothes while they left us in the sun to cook like meat. Two fellows got themselves killed.”
Veronica shuddered. The thought that her brother could have been one of those…
“It seems you had enough sense to keep your mouth closed but not entirely enough sense to know you should not have opened it verbally or on paper until you got to the meeting.”
Henry sounded bored, but she could see through the facade. He cared—he had cared so much for his lost partner that he had married her to provide for her.
“It is good you are back now,” Veronica said, brushing over Henry’s comment.
“Ah, his tale does not stop there,” Thomas said giddily. “Do tell them about France. Sorry, good friend, but now that you are back safely, the tale isquitethe story.”
“Must I?” Robert cringed.
“You must,” Henry said.
“The pirates… They took great pleasure in parading as us as I mentioned. They reread my letter and discovered the name of the man I was supposed to meet on behalf of the Duke.”
“Heavens above,” Henry muttered. “This only gets worse.”
“Oh,muchworse,” Thomas said.
“We were bound to the mast,” Robert continued, hurriedly forking more of his dinner into his mouth to distract himself at times. “One man was roped to the bowsprit, and yet, he did survive. Regardless, we were bound and sailed for France. Once there, we were kept on the ship while the pirates ascended on the town.” He glanced at Henry. “They… They wore my clothes and attended the meeting with our client.”
Veronica knew enough to know how much shame this could bring upon them both, and had the meeting taken place in London, neither would have heard the end of it in the gossip sheets. Her chest tightened as she listened to her brother’s awful tale.
“The client has withdrawn,” Henry guessed. “For they have not even deigned to write to me to inform me of this matter.”
“Undoubtedly, so, yes,” Robert answered. “The rest of the captured men and I took our chance. They thought that almost roasting us alive would render us weak, and it almost worked,but we prevailed. None of us knew what to do with a ship, but we knew we had to take a chance. It had been a long, long time since I had seen my homeland. No matter the cost, I knew we had to get back, so I sailed.”
“You did?” Veronica cried out. “You sailed a pirate ship?”
“I crashed it, inevitably,” he said. “Right off the coast of northern France.”
“Did you loot anything at least?” Thomas asked eagerly.
“Given his lack of luggage, I would suggest no.” Henry’s voice was thinner, his patience almost entirely run out.
Veronica dared to slide her hand beneath the table to place her hand on his thigh. It was tense beneath her palm.
“I barely made it to shore,” Robert said. “I did not see the other hostages, but I could scarcely look for them when my thoughts were only on making it home. The pirate ship was in ruins, and I found a set of clothing floating beside me in the sea. I took hold of them and swam as hard as I could for land, using only a raft to support myself.” He paused. “I found shore and walked in the only direction I could find. I slept outside inns and took shelter where I could.”
“And that is where I finally located him in Sussex,” Thomas added. “It was a terrible search. You are not an easy man to find, Lord Grantham.”
“Oh, Robert,” Veronica murmured. “The things you have been through… The ordeals. You must be exhausted.”
“In all honesty, sister, I feel as though I could sleep for a week and it would still not be enough.”
Even Henry relaxed his anger for a moment, sympathetic for the man he had let go out to that meeting.
“Henry… Your Grace—for I cannot consider myself a friend to you any longer after my actions—I shall pay you back every last coin. I shall make amends however you see fit. And I am terribly sorry for my behavior earlier. My brain is deprived from many a thing, and I misinterpreted a situation although I am still not entirely sold on this idea of you two being married.”
Veronica paused. She did not want her brother to yet know the marriage was one of convenience, for Robert would get angry all over again with Henry. He knew of her dreams of a love match.
So instead, she changed the topic. “Robert, all my life, I have watched you be desperate to earn our father’s approval. You have sought victory after victory, so he would notice you. When he passed away, your desperation became deeper. You knew you had to provide for us, and I am grateful for how much you have done, but there need to be boundaries set within yourself. You cannot be in such a situation again. Mama and I… We were left unprovided for. And you wrote to your client, important, I understand, but not once did you write to us. Not to inform us of your destination nor your intentions to return or stay. We had no clue of anything.”
“I know, sister,” Robert said, bowing his head shamefully. “And for that, I am regretful.”
“You must take proper care in the future.”
