He had wed a virginal young lady, hoping to sire a son. But Brynn wasn’t what he’d thought her to be, wanted her to be.
He didn’t know the beautiful deceiver at all.
Chapter Eighteen
Cornwall
Dusk was falling when Brynn arrived home. Although weary and travel-stained after the long journey from London, she immediately sought out her brother, fervently hoping to end the dread that had knotted her stomach for the past three days.
She found Grayson in his study, staring morosely into a meager hearth fire.
When she spoke his name, he gave a start of surprise. “Brynn? What the devil are you doing here?” He came up out of his chair. “Is something wrong? Theo…?”
“Theo is well, to my knowledge,” she replied, her tone grim. “But something is definitely wrong, Grayson.”
He stared at her a long moment.
Studying him in turn, Brynn realized his face was flushed as if he’d partaken of too much wine. “As for my reason for being here,” she added more quietly, “I came to stop you from committing treason.”
Gray made no reply, merely raised a hand to his forehead and sat down again wearily.
Her heart contracted with pain. “You don’t deny conspiring with the French against your country?” she whispered, praying she was mistaken, that her brother would refute her terrible accusation.
“No, I don’t deny it,” he said dully.
“Dear God, Grayson…” Crossing the room, Brynn sank down onto the sofa, sick with disbelief. “How could you?”
His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “To be honest, I’m not certain of that myself. God knows, I never intended to become a traitor.”
“What… how did it happen?”
Gray gave a heavy sigh. “Do you really want to know the sordid details?”
“Tell me,” she murmured hoarsely.
Before speaking, he took a long swallow of wine, as if seeking courage. “It began nearly a year ago. I was approached by a gentleman who offered me a large sum to rendezvous with another smuggling vessel and transfer a cargo. At the time I was desperate for funds. You can’t have forgotten the dire state of our finances then. How crushing our debts were? How we stood to lose this house? I feared being unable to pay and being thrown in debtors’ prison. And then what would happen to you and the boys?”
She hadn’t forgotten those dark days when they’d faced their father’s increasingly relentless creditors. “So you accepted the offer, even though you knew it to be suspect?”
“I suspected shady dealings, I suppose, but I rationalized that breaking the law smuggling unknown goods was better than being incarcerated for debt and leaving you all to fend for yourselves.”
“Gray, was the cargo government gold?”
“Yes… although I didn’t realize it then. I didn’t want to ask. Later… they used it to blackmail me. They vowed to expose me as a traitor if I didn’t follow their orders.”
“They?”
“An unholy alliance of spies and smugglers. I know little about them, except that some of the members are Englishmen of high social standing. The leader is supposedly a nobleman.”
“A nobleman? Are you serious?”
“Deadly serious. He’s referred to as Lord Caliban. My initial contact was a baronet.”
“Was?”
“Yes. He has since died-due to his nefarious activities, I have little doubt.” Grayson gave a short, bitter laugh. “Another man took his place. This one is a Frenchman, I’m certain of it, even though he speaks excellent English and calls himself Jack. Jack called on me shortly after you married. He ordered me to obtain your husband’s seal ring and make several wax imprints of the Wycliff seal. I refused, but Jack said I had no choice if I wanted to continue living.”
“And you believed him?”