“I’m extremely delighted, you bounder. There! You’ve forced me to admit it.” She popped up again and said, “Tell me what you did in town. I’m sure your activities were much more interesting than mine.”
“Well, I visited my half-brother, Caleb. We had a cordial discussion, and I invited him to Ralston Place. I think he agreed to come, but I’m not certain.”
She smiled. “I’m so relieved that you talked to him. I was afraid you might change your mind.”
“He and I have been acquainted for years, but out of respect for my mother, I didn’t feel I could befriend him. He and I are the same age, and we have the navy as a common bond. We even look alike, although he has my father’s blond hair and mine is black. It’s the only genuine difference between us.”
“You are siblings after all. I’m not surprised that you’d be similar.”
“Can I share a secret about him and me? Actually, it’s about our father, Miles.”
She’d love to have him speak about his father, and she said, “Of course you can share a secret.”
“You likely won’t believe it, but he was a bigamist.”
“What?”
She pulled away and sat up. He remained relaxed on the pillow.
“We buried that scurrilous truth,” he said. “When there are whispers about me having half-siblings, it’s assumed they’re my father’s natural sons, but he married their mother—when he was married to mine.”
Her jaw dropped with astonishment. “I had no idea!”
“The navy hushed it up. My father was such a notorious person, and they didn’t want rumors to spread that would tarnish his reputation.”
“How did you find out about it?”
“Caleb and Blake lived in Jamaica, and after they were orphaned, their vicar sent them to their English kin, but the man wasn’t aware that Miles had a wife in England.”
“Oh, my goodness! I said I’d enjoy you sharing a secret, but maybe I didn’t mean it.”
“They traveled with their guardian, Sybil Jones, and she was a veritable tiger on their behalf. She shamed the navy into negotiating with my mother to provide some assistance to them. We paid for their schooling and navy commissions, and in return, they promised to never reveal my father’s conduct. They’re not bastard sons. They’re a bigamist’s sons, but I doubt there’s a name for that.”
“You’re not angry about the money your mother spent on them, are you? To me, it seems like a fair resolution.”
“I was angry when I was younger, but I viewed the dilemma from my mother’s perspective. Now I simply wonder what my father was thinking. How could he have imagined he’d get away with it? I remember him as being very arrogant. Perhaps he deemed himself to be invincible and would never die, so the facts would never be exposed.”
“I’m at a loss for words.”
“Don’t tell anyone. Please? As I mentioned, people know I have two half-brothers, but they’re not cognizant of the true situation. Both women are deceased, but still, I would hate to have gossip disseminated.”
“I will never tell a soul. I swear.”
“Thank you.”
“How was your conversation with Caleb? You claimed it was cordial, but what did you discuss?”
“At first, he was grouchy to have me stop by, and I can’t blame him. We weren’t very kind to him and his brother. In the past few years, he’s grown very rich. He owns a successful gambling club, and I felt he was worried I was about to beg him for a loan. After he realized I was merely there to chat, he calmed down. We talked about our parents—all three of them.”
“I’m so glad. I like everyone to get along.”
“That was my chief adventure in town, but when I attended the theater, it was so I could see Miss Libby Carstairs. Have you ever heard of her?”
She smirked. “Yes, I’ve definitely heard of Libby Carstairs.”
“She’s one of the Lost Girls my father rescued from that deserted island. She’s celebrated for performing stories about him.”
“She certainly is.”
“I’ve always wanted to meet her, but I never have, so I went backstage, but she’d already left.” He chuckled, as if embarrassed. “I’m perplexed over what I was hoping to have happen. I just thought it would be interesting to confer with her. She and I have quite a connection.”
He’d given her the opening she needed, and she gestured to him. “Would you sit up for me? You’ve confessed a secret about yourself, and now, I should confess one about me.”
He studied her, then he scooted up so they were facing each other on the mattress.
“Gad, you look so serious all of a sudden,” he said. “What is it? I can’t bear to be informed that something awful has occurred.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s amazing and intriguing, and I predict you’ll be stunned.”
He was wary, tentative. “Let’s see if you’re correct.”
“Libby Carstairs is the most famous Lost Girl, but were you ever told the names of the two who were rescued with her?”
“One of them was . . . ah . . . Caroline Grey? My brother, Caleb, crossed paths with her recently, and he liked her very much.”
She raised a brow. “Did he?”
“And the other one was . . . ah . . . Joanne, but I’ve never learned her surname.”
“It wasn’t Joanne. It was Joanna—and James. Joanna James.”
She hadn’t exactly been clear, so he didn’t immediately grasp what she’d imparted.
“I’m confused,” he said. “Is this some sort of riddle?”
“I am Joanna James. I am a Lost Girl who was saved by your father. I consider Libby and Caroline to be my sisters.”
He was completely flummoxed. “You are not one of those girls.”
“I am. I really am.”
“But . . . but . . . why didn’t you ever admit it here at Ralston? Why didn’t you confide in me? Why hide it?”
“It’s tied up in the reasons my mother and I fled England. My father’s wife had threatened and tormented us, and once I was returned by the navy, my Aunt Pru refused to stir that hornet’s nest by having my father’s relatives discover I was back. She was always afraid his wife might cause trouble for me.”
“You are Joanna
