No. He still couldn’t believe it, and yet his mind was also leaping forward. “What’s a bloody Committee for Privileges? It sounds incredibly pompous.” Rafe was glad his sister had married a constable who had previously been a barrister.
“It’s one of the many committees in the House of Lords. They’ll vote on the evidence we present. First, however, we will submit this information to the Prince Regent. After that, the attorney general will need to recognize your claim. The claim will then go to the committee, which will vote.”
“So he needs the support of the Prince Regent, the attorney general, and the members of the committee?” Selina asked, her features creasing with worry.
“Yes.” Sheffield gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t be concerned, my love. I know the attorney general personally, and my father happens to sit on the Committee for Privileges.”
Rafe snorted. “Does it even matter if I’m really who I claim to be?”
Sheffield’s brows descended low over his eyes. “Of course it does. However, knowing people in the right places is always an advantage. Surely it was like that in your experience too?” Sheffield was well aware of how Rafe and Selina had grown up.
And he was right—Rafe’s experience had been the same. He was afforded all manner of courtesy and deference from the moment he’d become one of Samuel Partridge’s favorites. When Rafe had risen in the ranks, his relationships had expanded, and he’d become as respected—and feared—as the man he worked for.
“Your point is taken.” Rafe exchanged a look with Selina. She understood it too.
“I truly wouldn’t be concerned. This will be a matter of form. There is a wealth of evidence,” Sheffield said with certainty. “I will dispatch someone to Stonehaven to interview the retainers.” He fixed his tawny gaze on Rafe. “That orange mark in your eye is a fortunate thing.”
“I didn’t used to think so.”
Selina sent him a sympathetic glance. “When we were young, our uncle—who wasn’t our uncle—would tell people Rafe was touched by lunacy. Edgar would then ask for donations to pay for a doctor, and he’d provoke Rafe to act out in a frightening manner. Some would take pity and give us money.”
“Others ran away.” Rafe hadn’t thought of that shame in a long time. The things Edgar had made them do were abominable. “Why did he do that?” Rafe whispered. “Did he not know who we were?”
“Why did our nurse take us away and change our names?” Selina’s anguish echoed his own.
Sheffield pressed a kiss to Selina’s hand. “I’m so sorry, my darling. And for you, ah, Stone?” His look of sympathy was tinged with confusion. “That is your name now.”
Something passed between them. Sheffield had despised the Vicar, and now he was offering to help him. Rafe knew it was because of Selina, that if not for her, Sheffield likely wouldn’t give a damn. Or so he thought. Now, he wasn’t so certain. “I suppose it is. I shouldn’t ask it of you, but will you do me a kindness and just call me Rafe? At least when we’re alone.”
Surprise flickered in the other man’s eyes. “I hope you’ll call me Harry.”
A warm smile spread over Selina’s lips. “Whatever happened today, this is the very best thing. My two favorite men have reached an accord. This is truly beginning to feel like a family.” Her voice caught, and she jerked her head toward the window once more.
The coach was silent for several minutes as they traveled through the light rain. Rafe suffered a tumult of emotions as he tried to plan what would come next. “Will our uncle just give everything over to us?”
Harry nodded. “He’ll have to—what’s entailed, anyway.”
“I have no idea what that is,” Rafe said.
“I’ll find out.”
Selina put her other hand atop their joined ones. “Thank you for guiding us. I don’t know what we would do without you.”
Rafe didn’t either. And he hated that feeling. He’d relied on no one but himself for years now, and he didn’t miss the sensation of depending upon others. “He was upset that we’re alive.”
“Of course he was,” Harry said. “He’s going to lose nearly everything—his title, his land, his position. If something is unentailed, perhaps you’d consider not contesting its ownership.”
“Perhaps,” Selina said before Rafe could. She exchanged a dark look with him that said what he was thinking: trust no one. That had long been their creed. It would also be difficult to just give something away. Rafe, was inclined to keep everything he could, and he imagined Selina felt the same.
Rafe focused his mind on what he excelled at: the strategy. “We need a story about our past. We’ll say Edgar raised us in London—we needn’t be specific about where—and you went to Mrs. Goodwin’s. After that, you—” He scowled, cutting himself off. “This is going to be a problem for Beatrix. We can no longer claim her as our sister, which means we have to admit we lied.”
Selina massaged her temple. “Beatrix won’t care about her reputation. She will likely suggest we say we were protecting her because she is illegitimate.”
“What about Ramsgate?” While Beatrix’s father, the Duke of Ramsgate, had privately acknowledged her, he’d been clear that he would not do so publicly.
“What about him? Beatrix won’t say who her father is. Let Society obsess about who he might be.” Selina’s tone carried equal amounts disdain and sarcasm.
Rafe frowned. “I’m sorry she’ll have to endure that.”
Selina put her hand in her lap. “She won’t mind. She has what she always wanted—a family.” She exchanged a look with Harry and smiled softly.
“You should invite her and Rockbourne to the dinner on Monday,” Harry said. “A viscount in your family doesn’t hurt.”
“Harry, would you mind if we stopped at their house so I can tell her what happened?” Selina asked. “I have no idea if the news will get out, but I want her to hear this from me. She’ll be astonished.”
Rafe understood that emotion too well. The shock still hadn’t worn off. Perhaps
