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Lord John uttered, “I don’t understand either, and I hope for an explanation.”
“The rouse was part of a wager, playful in intent. I am but a lowly vagabond worker, the son of a woman who died many years ago. The wager was organized around my ability to deceive all of you into thinking that I was the Earl of Buckland. I succeeded for some time.” Patrick gazed at Sarah, anguish in her eyes. “All of this was undertaken, in the end, for the love of a lady.”
There were more gasps, and Lisbeth spoke out once more. “That’s you, Sarah!”
“Yes, it’s Lady Sarah Crawford that captured me from the moment that I first saw her. Although I was reticent to carry the rouse forward, I did it to secure her affections.”
The Duke of Faversham seated himself, jaw knitted. “How is it that I’m not surprised? Sarah,” he said, turning to her. “I hope it’s apparent now what this whole ordeal has been.” He returned his attention to Patrick. “I knew from the very start that something wasn’t right. I summoned the Earl of Benton at once so that he might assess the situation.”
It was Lord John’s turn to speak. “I recognized Lord Reginald Simmons at once,” he explained. “Although the problem was, he didn’t look like Lord Reginald at all. He did, however, look exactly like the son of the Duke of Glastonbury. I summoned Lord Kelly at once, under the auspices of meeting with his friend from Wales, whom I knew was not his friend at all.”
Patrick and Lord Kelly continued to stare at one another. Lord Kelly heaved a sigh. “I must admit to receiving the letter and attending to meet my friend. And now, I haven’t a bloody clue what the devil is going on.”
Through his curses, Patrick almost smiled. It was exactly how he might refer to the situation. Lord Kelly had the same speech pattern as himself, and considering that their shock mirrored one another’s, their emotions were but the same.
Patrick said, “I wish that I could explain the resemblance, but I’m just as shocked as everyone else. We appear identical.” Patrick walked around the table to approach Lord Kelly for further inspection.
The two men stood face to face, each knitting their brows and inspecting the other. From the look in Lord Kelly’s eyes, Patrick knew that the man wasn’t lying; he had no idea what was going on, either.
Just then, Sarah appeared to have had enough because she sprung from the table, fleeing the room at once. “Daughter!” Lord John called out, getting up from his seat.
Patrick put out a hand to halt him. “Allow me to go.”
Lord John stared him down, unsure how to proceed. For whatever reason, the Earl of Benton relented, and Patrick fled the room, discovering Sarah in the parlour in tears.
“Sarah,” he said, rushing towards her.
She held her head in her hands. “What is going on, Patrick?”
He got down on one knee before her, removing her hands from her face.
“I wish that I knew. I’ve never seen that man before in my life, except for in my own mirror.”
“Are you related?”
“I have no memory of relations. My mother never said a word.”
“Then something must be going on, or I’ve perhaps lost my sanity.”
Patrick took Sarah into his arms and held her tight. He hated the strain that this was putting on her, but at the same time, he wanted his own answers so that he might know the truth.
While he held her, Patrick searched his memory for any clues. Had his mother ever implied that he had a brother? All that was explained to him was that his mother gave birth to Patrick, the father fled, and therefore his mother was left to fend for herself for the rest of her days. There was no other story told to him, but Patrick found it hard to believe that he wasn’t related to Lord Kelly in some way.
“Sarah, my love for you is still true.”
She gazed into his eyes and softened. “Oh, Patrick. I feel much the same.”
“Then marry me, Sarah. We can make a life of our love.”
Patrick wished to high heaven that it was different. He wanted nothing to do with her money—all he wanted was Sarah. Still, he would not be able to provide for her in the way she was accustomed to, and what’s more, there was a good chance she’d relinquish her title by sayingyesto his proposal.
Her gaze was sad and scared, and her voice small. But gazing into Patrick’s eyes, Sarah’s demeanour changed, and her eyes welled with tears.
“Yes, Patrick.”
“Truly?”
“Yes, truly,” Sarah said with a warm smile.
