Her heart went out to him, though. He reminded her of Caine, of course, though the father certainly wasn't as muscular. He certainly had the height, however. When she touched his shoulder, he came awake with a start and bounded out of his chair with a quickness that surprised her.

"Please don't be alarmed, sir," she whispered. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"You didn't?" he asked, imitating her low tone of voice.

The Duke of Williamshire slowly regained his composure. He ran his fingers through his hair, then shook his head in an attempt to clear his mind.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter who I am, sir," she answered. "Please sit down, for I have important information to share with you."

She patiently waited until he'd obeyed her request, then leaned against the edge of the desktop close to

his side. "This grieving must stop. You've made yourself ill."

"What?"

He still looked confused to her. She noticed, too, that the color of his eyes was the exact shade of gray as Caine's. His frown was similar as well.

"I said that you must stop grieving," she stated again. "Sir Harwick thinks you might well be dying. If you don't stop this nonsense…"

"Now see here, young lady…"

"Do not raise your voice to me," she interjected.

"Who in God's name are you? And how did you get into…"

The bluster went out of him and he slowly shook his head.

Jade thought he seemed more incredulous than angry. She decided that was a good beginning.

"Sir, I simply don't have time for a lengthy discussion. First, you must give me your promise that you'll never tell anyone about our conversation. Do you give me your word?"

"You have it," he replied.

"Good. Now, I believe I must apologize to you, though in truth I'm no good at it. I hate apologizing to anyone." She shrugged, then added, "I'm sorry I didn't come to you sooner. You've been caused needless grief, and I really could have spared you. Do you forgive me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but if it will make you happy, I shall forgive you. Now tell me what it is you want from me."

"Your bark, sir, is just as irritating as your son's."

"And which son is that?" he asked, a hint of a smile coming into his eyes.

"Caine."

"Is this visitation concerning Caine? Has he done something to offend you? You might as well know

now that Caine's his own man. I won't interfere unless there's real cause."

"No," Jade answered. "This isn't about Caine, though I'm happy to know you have such faith in your eldest son's ability to make his own decisions. By not interfering, you show your pride in your son."

"Then who is it you wish to discuss?" he asked.

"I'm a friend of Colin's."

"You knew him?"

She nodded. "I know him, yes. You see, he's…"

"Dead," he interjected, his tone harsh. "Pagan killed him."

Jade reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look at me, please," she commanded in a soft whisper when he turned his gaze toward the windows.

When Caine's father did as she ordered, she nodded. "What I am about to tell you will be difficult for

you to believe. First, understand this. I have proof."

"Proof?"

She nodded again. "Pagan didn't kill Colin."

"He did."

"I'm sick of hearing about Pagan's sins," she muttered. "Colin…"

"Did Pagan send you to me?"

"Please lower your voice," she returned. "Pagan didn't kill your son," she repeated. "He saved him. Colin's very much alive."

A long minute elapsed before the Duke reacted. His face slowly turned a blotchy shade of red while he stared at her. His eyes turned so cold, she thought he might cause frostbite.

Before he could shout at her again, she said, "I told you I had proof. Are you willing to listen to me or

is your mind so set…"

"I will listen," he returned. "Though if this be some sort of cruel jest, I swear I'll hunt Pagan down

myself and kill him with my bare hands."

"That is a fair exchange for such cruelty," she agreed. "Do you remember the time when Colin had climbed up a giant tree and couldn't get down? He was four or five years old then. Because he was

crying and feeling very cowardly, you promised him you'd never tell anyone. You also convinced him

that it was quite all right to be afraid, that fear was not a sin, that…"

"I remember," the Duke whispered. "I never did te' anyone. How did you…"

"As I just said, Colin told me that story. Many others, too."

"He could have told you these stories before he was killed," the Duke stated.

"Yes, he could have, but he didn't. Pagan fished Colin out of the ocean. Your son was in sorry shape.

Do you know the physician, Sir Winters?"

"He's my personal physician," the Duke muttered.

"Don't you think it odd that he disappeared?"

The anger was slowly easing away from the elderly man's expression. "I do think that odd," he admitted.

"We took him," Jade explained. "He was needed to tend to Colin. I thought it important that your son have his family physician. He was in terrible pain, sir, and I wanted him to have as many familiar comforts as possible."

Jade nibbled on her lower lip while she contemplated another way to convince him. He still looked disbelieving to her. "Colin has a birthmark on his backside," she suddenly blurted out. "I know because

I took care of him until Jimbo and Matthew could take Winters captive. There! Is that proof enough for you?"

In answer to that question, the Duke slowly leaned back in his chair. "Proof was sent of Colin's death."

"By whom?"

"The War Office."

"Exactly."

"I don't understand."

"I shall explain after Colin comes home," Jade answered. "Will you explain something to me before I continue to try and convince you?"

"What is it?" he asked, his tone weary.

"Do you happen to know why Colin would make me promise not to tell Caine he was alive? I've learned to trust your eldest son, and I don't understand the reason behind this promise. Colin was half out of his mind at the time, however, and perhaps his mumbling about the Bradley brothers wasn't…"