Page 53 of His Pirate Wife

The man didn’t respond. He seemed far too intrigued by Mia’s boldness. His mother wasn’t going to be silenced so easily. “Are you trying to claim kinship? Why you odiouslittle—”

“Madam,” Lady Alice said, coming to her feet. “I have had quite enough of your attempts at slander. You’re the very reason the heads of all nobility rolled in France. No one could stand for the contempt people like you rain down without thought or justification.” Alice crossed the room and snatched the letters from her brother’s hands. “This is your seal, here in the wax on these letters, is it not?” She held them out for the magistrate to take and show Gerta, but she went on even as everyone looked. “But of course, a sword and ribbon.” Alice snatched the letters back and handed them to her brother. “Your entire bloodline puts the word nobility to shame. Your son spent great effort to woo a young woman who until he crossed her path was upstanding and moral. As stated in your son’s own hand, she had fine prospects as a missionary’s daughter within the respectable clergy. She may not have been nobility, but she was a lady all the same. As her daughteris.”

“As lady Alice has pointed out, the gentleman’s own words, crass and vulgar as they are, do attest that the brooch was used to pay for services rendered,” Devin saw Philip cast Mia an apologetic glance. “Pardon, Mrs. Winthrop.” Mia shrugged. “I shouldn’t like to have to read them out loud that all hear how faithless, dishonest, selfish and heartless your son is, but if you wish to continue this pursuit of Mrs. Winthrop’s legal property I won’t only read them here, I’ll read them to heads of state when I bring you both to parliament as I work to see about laws criminalizing what you and your family did to Miss Molly Cadley, and her daughter. These last letters full of such threats about ruining a family who’d done nothing at all dishonorable ordisgraceful…”

“You’re really Molly’s child,” James Briskbee said, still staring at Mia with an unnatural gleam in his eye. “Is your mother still alive?” James asked but maybe not intentionally out loud. Though it proved he wasn’t really paying attention to theproceedings

“We’ll buy back the brooch,” Lady Briskbee shouted. “A thousandpounds.”

“It’s not for sale,” Mia stated flatly. “Not at anyprice.”

“Mrs. Winthrop,” the magistrate started, but was interrupted when the door behind him opened and Captain Mallory slipped in. Devin almost laughed at the man’s instant show of terror as he must have realized what he walked into. “The lady has made a fair offer and it’s her family’sheirloom.”

“My mother surrendered her dreams for a bribe, I’ll not surrender them again for one. This is now my familyheirloom.”

“Two thousand pounds,” Gerta called like she might have missed what Miasaid.

“And how, madam, might you pay that amount. Everything you have now is under strain from creditors,” Lady Alice announced and Devin saw both Briskbeespale.

“Aye, you’ll never come up with a price high enough,” Mr. Smithe said, stepping forward and speaking for the first time. “Captain Cadley, that is, Mrs. Winthrop in her own right has enough money to buy out your creditors and set you down to the very level of pathetic, begging, undesirable rubbish you claim to detest but can’t stop chasing the skirts of. If you don’t care to see her become the owner of your other brooch you might think about shoving offnow.”

“You’ve become wealthy?” James said, but he didn’t sound verysurprised.

“Ridiculously,” Devin said and stepped up behind Mia. The man who was her father was looking more and more like a man ready to throw her to the floor and rape her. How a man could look so lustfully at his own daughter. It was vile anddisgusting.

“You’re my daughter,” the man breathed, and Devin felt Mia tense. “Amaz—”

Mia stepped right to him and spat in his face. “That is from my mother,” she told him. “From me, have this. I’m not your daughter. I’m the daughter of Molly Cadley and Captain Gregor Dekker. I’m the product of their love and devotion to each other. You had no part in making me who or what I am.” She stepped back but didn’t drop eye contact with the man who had to take a handkerchief from his mother. “Molly Cadley hated you every minute of my life. You stole something of her away from me. And for some time, I’ve let you steal the same from me. No price can be named to buy that back the joy and satisfaction hate takes from life. Starting now and until the seas run dry, I won’t think of you again. I won’t give you even my hate. You’re nothing at all to me.” She set her hand over the brooch. “And when I pass this down to my own child I’ll tell them only it’s a reminder that out of the sea comes life. That it brought two people together in the simplest and truest manner. Nothing of you will ever be attached to it and when you are gone and long forgotten this will be the one thing everyone will know brought true love to two people. One of them named MollyCadley.”

Devin watched carefully now. A drowning man could become crazed in his attempt to stay afloat. But rather than attack and try and take Mia down too, James Briskbee smiled sadly, nodded and taking his mother by the arm turned and left theroom.

“The matter seems settled after all,” Mr. Miltonsaid.

“You’ll make an official record that it won’t become a matter again,” Lord Lovelace said. “As I intend to make it such at a much higherlevel.”

“Of course, of course,” Milton said, nodding and bowing to everyone before scrambling after the other two departingpeople.

“Oh Mia,” Alice cried and hugged her. “You couldn’t have done it anybetter.”

“I will say not,” Mrs. Booker said also hugging Mia. “I think well I should want you always on my side in afight.”

“Speaking of sides and fights,” Devin said, bringing everyone’s attention to Mallory who stood against the far wall trying to stay out ofsight.

“Indeed,” Admiral Booker said. “Captain Mallory, ondeck.”

“Admiral?” Mallory stepped forward and squared hisshoulders.

“I’ve no understanding at all of your reasons for involving yourself in any of these private and personal matters involving Mrs. Winthrop. But your utter failure to stand with your fellow captain in all things is nothing but a disservice and disappointment.” He lifted a sheet of paper from his desk and handed it to the captain. “Your appearance before the admiral’s board will be the second Tuesday of next month. Be prepared to explain your actions, sir, or be ready to be discharged. Goodday.”

“And try and keep from letting your prick think for you anymore, cousin,” Alice added. Alerting Devin that it wasn’t professional jealousy, simply lust for Mia that made the man act irrationally. Unlike Helen Mallory in her want of Devin, Kendrick hadn’t seen Mia was beyond hisreach.

“Aye, Admiral,” Mallory said then turned sharply and marchedout.

“Captain?” Mia cried as she turned to face him, and her knees gaveout.

“Oh, sit her here,” Mrs. Booker cried and helped him ease her down to thesofa.

“Here,” Smithe said handing her a cup. “Oh stop it’s a little port from the sideboard,” He grumped when Mia looked at the drink withdisgust.

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