“You were looking for me?”

“Yes. Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all. B.C., Reginald, and I were just having a little man-to-man chat.”

Father nodded. “You always were fond of talking to your pets.” His father surveyed the area around the tree with a frown, then pulled a snowy handkerchief from his pocket, which he set on the ground. To Nathan’s amazement and amusement, Father then gingerly settled his bottom on the linen square. It required a bit of careful shifting about, but he finally found what was obviously a comfortable spot, then leaned his back against the tree.

After several seconds of companionable silence, his father asked, “You’ll continue your search for the jewels today?” He’d given his father a sketchy briefing of how he hoped to find the missing cache.

“Immediately after breakfast, yes.”

“I would offer my assistance,” Father said, sounding uncomfortable, “but I cannot go off and leave Lady Delia alone all day, nor would it be proper to subject her to such arduous outings.”

“I completely understand.” Actually, he was grateful, as he had no desire to include anyone on those precious hours he spent alone with Victoria.

“Of course, having Lady Victoria accompany you without her chaperone-”

“I promised her father I would protect her. I cannot do that if she remains behind.”

“I suppose not. And you are out in the open-it’s not as if you’re in a closed carriage together.”

“Exactly.” Nathan noted his father hadn’t suggested that Victoria remain home with him and her aunt, which piqued his curiosity as to precisely what they did during the hours he and Victoria were away from the house. He’d noticed that they seemed to be getting along very well together.

“What are your plans for today?” he asked his father.

“I promised Delia-I mean Lady Delia-a visit to Penzance.”

“An outing I’m certain she’ll enjoy. She is a very nice woman. Intelligent. Amusing and vivacious.”

Out of the corner of his eye he noted ruddy color rush into his father’s face. “Yes, she is all those things. I would say her niece very much takes after her in those respects.”

“I agree.” Indeed, Victoria was all those things and more. She was rare. Extraordinary. Unlike anyone else. Every day, he learned something new about her, and each new layer he uncovered only served to deepen his love and admiration for her. Bloody hell, he even found her faults endearing. The way she babbled when nervous. Her streak of stubbornness. The way she insisted upon retelling Shakespeare’s darker tales so they had fairy-tale endings. His reminder that the titles were The Tragedy of Hamlet and The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet fell on deaf ears. All the things that made her imperfect that somehow managed to make her seem all the more perfect.

Silence stretched between them, then Father said, “You care for her.”

“We’ve formed a friendship.”

“Your feelings run deeper than mere friendship, Nathan.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I’m not exactly in my dotage, you know. I see the way you look at her.”

Nathan forced a nonchalant shrug. “If my feelings run deeper, I cannot see why that would concern you. I’m more than capable of keeping my own counsel.”

“Which is precisely what concerns me.”

“Why? Do you fear me making a fool of myself?” he asked, unable to disguise the hint of bitterness underlying his words.

“No. I fear you suffering from a broken heart. ‘Tis a pain like no other and a fate I would wish on no man, let alone my son.”

Heavy silence engulfed them for several heartbeats while Nathan fought to hide his surprise at his father’s words. Apparently he wasn’t entirely successful, for Father added softly, “I can see that you think I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I assure you I speak from experience.” He turned and looked briefly toward the gardens then returned his gaze to Nathan. “If you think it didn’t break my heart when your mother died, you are very much mistaken. I loved her deeply. She captivated me from the first moment I saw her.”

A sentiment which, thanks to Victoria, Nathan could well understand. “I’m afraid that when Mother died I was so immersed in my own grief, I gave little thought to your loss. I’m sorry.”

His father nodded. “My point is that a broken heart is a pain like no other. I therefore encourage you to do whatever is necessary so it doesn’t happen to you.”

Confusion assailed Nathan. He’d never shared a conversation even remotely like this with his father, and he was quite frankly at a loss. Finally he said carefully, “Are you suggesting that if there was perhaps a woman I cared for, I should consider confessing my feeling to her?”

“Bloody hell, Nathan, if you danced around it any more you’d be turning pirouettes on the lawn. I’ve reached an age where I’m not so inclined to waste time. I’m suggesting nothing about some hypothetical woman. I’m stating outright that if you care for Lady Victoria you should tell her.”

Nathan’s brows shot upward. “Are you not the same man who only a week ago stated that my brother or Gordon or those two fops in London-or hell, anyone with a title and an estate-were far more suitable matches for her?”

“Actually, no, I’m not the same man I was a week ago.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means that over the past week I’ve come to some important and, quite frankly, unexpected realizations about myself. My life. What I want. For the first time in a long while I feel… invigorated. Rejuvenated.”

And suddenly Nathan realized he’d indeed seen evidence of this over the past week. His father had seemed more relaxed. He’d laughed, smiled, and told amusing stories, and Nathan enjoyed the lessening of unease between them. He’d noticed the changes, but with his attention focused on Victoria, hadn’t dwelled on them. “To what do you attribute this rejuvenation?”

“A great deal of soul searching, which is the result of the friendship I’ve formed with Lady Delia. Having people in the house again made me realize how… lonely I’ve been, and having someone my own age to talk to has been delightful. Lady Delia knows everyone, and it turns out we share an enormous number of acquaintances. You know I don’t keep up with the comings and goings of the ton, and she’s brought me up to date on the lives of people I haven’t seen or heard from in years. I was shocked to learn of the number of peers I know-men my age or younger-who are in poor health. Or dead.”

Father shook his head. “I have to tell you, it gave me a chilling sense of my own mortality, and made me appreciate what I have, including my health. Life is too precious and far too short to allow opportunities to be missed. Or to allow wrongs to go unrighted.”

He drew a deep breath then continued, “I want this estrangement between us to end, Nathan. I now realize that I never allowed you to offer an explanation for your actions the night Colin and Gordon were shot. Rather, I fired questions and accusations at you. In my own defense, I can only say that I was shocked-not only by the shooting, but to discover my sons were spies for the Crown. I showed no faith in you, and even though we haven’t always agreed, knowing the sort of man you were, I should have known better than to believe you would act dishonorably.”

Those quietly spoken words hit Nathan hard, and for the first time in three years the hurt and sense of betrayal that had bound his heart loosened. He looked at his father, who regarded him through serious eyes and continued, “I attempted to apologize by letter, but I admit it was a halfhearted effort. So now, even though it’s coming three years after the fact, I wish to offer my heartfelt apology and ask for your forgiveness.” He extended his hand.

A lump lodged in Nathan’s throat and he swallowed to clear it away. Reaching out, he clasped his father’s hand in a firm grip. “I owe you an apology as well, Father, for allowing the gulf between us to grow so wide. I can’t deny it was a crushing blow to realize that my father and brother and best friend all doubted me. At the time I was bound by an oath of secrecy and couldn’t offer an explanation.”

“I shouldn’t have needed one.”

The admission warmed any remnants of chill Nathan might have harbored. “I fear my pride has kept me from offering an explanation since my return-an error in judgment I’d like to correct if you’d like to listen.”

“I’d like that very much.”

After drawing a bracing breath, Nathan repeated the same story he’d told Victoria, finishing with, “The irony of the entire thing is that I’d intended the jewels to be my last mission-the one that would afford me financial security. Instead it stripped me of everything I held dear-my reputation, my family, my home.”

“You had no need to go searching for financial security, Nathan. I would have given you whatever amount you needed.”

“Yes, I know. And while I appreciate your generosity, I don’t want things given to me. I prefer to earn them.”

“An aspect of your character I never understood,” Father said, shaking his head. “If there is ever anything you need-”

“I would let you know. Believe me, I’ve no desire to live in poverty, and while I know you think I do live in such a state, I assure you I don’t. My home may not be a grand palace, but I live very comfortably. And in spite of the occasional nonmonetary compensation I accept for my services, I am well paid.”

“What will happen if you don’t find the jewels?”

“I’ll have no choice other than to get on with my life. But I’m determined to find them. Three years ago I didn’t stay and fight to clear my name. I won’t give up so easily this time. Someone betrayed the mission, and I want to know who. Someone hurt Victoria, and I want to know who. I want to recover the jewels and turn them over to the Crown so the mark on my reputation is wiped clean.” He clasped his father’s shoulder. “But no matter what happens, knowing that you believe me innocent of wrongdoing means a great deal.”