The Duke swung round to study his elder son. The sight did not appear to afford him any great pleasure. ‘So, Nicholas, you have decided to return after—what is it?—six years?’
‘You dismissed me. Sir.’ Released from the duke’s steely regard, Katherine relaxed enough to watch Nick. Under the circumstances he was maintaining an admirable composure. But it was news to her that he had been dismissed by his father; the impression she had received was that he had walked away after a disagreement. Her anger with him at having concealed his true identity began to wane and in its place returned the unwelcome, uncomfortable tug of love at her heartstrings. It must be so hard, so very hard, to come back to such a cold reception.
‘So I did. How amazing that for once you chose the path of obedience.’ The Duke sat in the chair opposite Katherine and studied his sons. ‘Robert, stop hovering and sit.’
Robert did as he was bid and, to Katherine’s surprise, Nick followed suit so that the four of them formed a circle. It was far from a cosy conversational group.
‘Now, let me see, why did I tell you to remove yourself?’ the Duke mused. ‘Ah, yes, the final straw, that highly unsuitable woman.’
Wide-eyed, Katherine looked at Nick. He stared back haughtily at his father and she was suddenly put in mind of two stags she had once seen in Richmond Park. The old stag, his head heavy with antlers, his muzzle white; the younger, with a less impressive spread, but all the stature and arrogance of powerful youth and the pair of them at a stand, eyeing each other for advantage.
‘You made little allowance for young love,’ Nick said eventually, his tone light, and the older man laughed shortly, a harsh note of grudging acknowledgment.
‘I did not, you have the right of it. And it seems I made little allowance for youthful pride. I expected to see you back within a month or two.’
Nick shifted in the chair, crossing his legs and making himself more comfortable and his father’s hard gaze sharpened. ‘Come here.’
‘Sir?’
‘Come here.’ Katherine froze, for she too had seen what that shift of position had revealed: the edge of the fading mark of the noose on Nick’s neck. She put up her hand to her own neck in an attempt to warn him, but he was watching his father, a frown between his eyes.
Slowly Nick uncrossed his legs and stood, then took the two steps which brought him before his father’s chair. The Duke rose and reached out long fingers to push aside the neckcloth around his son’s neck. ‘And what is this?’
‘You told me I was born to be hanged.’ Nick was rigid with some emotion that Katherine could only assume was anger at this chilly interrogation. ‘As always, sir, you were correct.’
‘And how did you escape?’ The Duke flicked back the ends of the neckcloth with fastidious fingers and resumed his chair.
Nick took his time to walk back to his own seat. ‘I was in Newgate, condemned to hang as a highwayman. Katherine saved me, at no little risk to her own life.’
‘Then we are in your debt, my dear.’ The old man twisted in his seat to look at Katherine. ‘Your timing appears to be exquisite—late enough to teach a sharp lesson, not so late that it is fatal. I am agog to hear this entire tale, it appears positively Gothick. However, I believe Heron will soon be announcing luncheon—if this event has not thrown the entire household into total disarray—and I am sure you will wish to retire to your room beforehand.’ He stretched out a hand to the bell pull and Katherine recognised the same long fingers that made Nick’s hands so graceful.
He regarded his elder son from under hooded lids. ‘No doubt Heron will be able to decide which is the most appropriate suite of rooms for Lady Seaton under the circumstances. If you will excuse me, my dear.’
The silence that was left when the door closed behind him appeared to fill the room. Katherine yearned to go and put her arms around Nick, but his very control told her that would be unwelcome. At least she now knew what her own title was. Lady Seaton, the Marchioness. This is a nightmare.
At last, when she felt on the point of screaming at the men to provoke some reaction, Robert said, ‘Hanged?’ His brother nodded. ‘As a highwayman?’
To Katherine’s relief a wry smile twisted Nick’s lips. ‘As the notorious Black Jack Standon, no less.’
An inelegant whistle escaped Robert. ‘You weren’t, were you?’
‘Certainly not. I was most elegantly entrapped by Black Jack and his doxy and haled off to Newgate where I had no means of proving who I am.’
‘But you look nothing like a highwayman,’ Robert protested. ‘I mean, I know your clothes are hardly what one might expect—’
‘They belong to my groom,’ Katherine interjected. ‘And Nick does look very like Mr Standon. Younger, but very like.’
‘How do you know?’ Robert swivelled in his chair to regard Katherine with fascination.
‘Because my wife took it upon herself to go to find him and to persuade him to show himself to the magistrate in the case.’
Robert’s eyes opened wide, making him look even younger than his years. ‘But why was Katherine not able to prove who you were without having to do that? As your wife—’
‘I married Nicholas—’
‘Kat!’
Katherine shot her husband a defiant look. He wanted to shield her and protect her and part of her loved him for it, but she was not going to pretend to her terrifying new family. ‘I married him in Newgate because I was—I am—heavily in debt.’
Robert whistled again. ‘Well, that’s not a problem for you any more. Nick’s as rich as Croesus; old Wilkinson, our man of affairs, has been squirreling his income away in all sorts of interesting ways ever since he left. Nick, for goodness’ sake, are you not going to tell me where you’ve been?’
Katherine cleared her throat. ‘Before this goes any further, let me make my position quite plain. I will have this marriage annulled and I will look after my own debts.’
Robert’s gaze flickered from one determined face to another and this time his whistle was silent. You’ve met your match with this one, Nick. It was a pity, he was rapidly becoming very attached to his new sister-in-law.
‘We will discuss this later,’ Nick began as the door opened and Heron entered.
‘My lord, I have taken the liberty of opening your old rooms and her ladyship’s woman is unpacking her ladyship’s things in the Lake Suite. I have ordered hot water sent up in case her ladyship would care to retire before luncheon, which will be in half an hour.’
Katherine got to her feet with a smile. ‘Thank you, Heron, if you would show me the way.’ Nick made as if to join her, but she smiled coolly at him. ‘I am sure you and Lord Robert have much to discuss, my lord.’
The door closed behind them, leaving Nick conscious of a strong desire to kick the furniture and very aware of his brother’s fascinated gaze.
‘What?’ he demanded.
‘You want to annul the marriage?’ Robert sounded incredulous. ‘She is enchanting.’
‘No, I do not want to annul it, but Kat does and she’s as proud as they come and the most stubborn woman I have ever met. She married me in sheer desperation because of the mess her scapegrace brother had got her into and in the expectation that the debt would die with me. I had the devil’s own job getting her to agree to come here in my company.’ He dug his hands