The sadness in her voice tore at his heart. Caine still wanted to throttle her for deceiving him, but he also wanted to be kissing her at the same time.
"Caine, how can you be smiling now?" Colin asked. "This isn't…"
"Sorry," Caine answered, unaware he had been smiling. "I was sidetracked."
He stared at Jade while he made that admission. She stared at her hands.
"Continue, Colin," Caine ordered then, turning his attention back to his brother.
"Right after their father's funeral, Pagan… I mean, Jade, left with Black Harry. The Earl trusted Harry completely."
"That's difficult to believe," Caine interjected.
"Harry's a good man," Jade said. "He has a pure heart."
"I'm sure he does," Caine agreed. "However, you mentioned that there was another close friend, a woman by the name of Lady Briars, who would have been more than willing to take you and Nathan
into her home. I just don't understand why your father would have chosen a thief over…"
"It was a question of trust," Nathan explained. "My father had turned his heart against England, Caine.
He didn't think either one of us would be safe here. Harry was our best bet."
"Why didn't he think you'd be safe?"
"The letters," Colin answered. "The Earl kept all the ones he received from the other two. Nathan's father's operative name was Fox, and he was one of the three in the Tribunal. The other two were called Ice and Prince."
"My father was a very idealistic man," Nathan interjected. "In the beginning, I think he saved all the letters for future generations. He believed he was doing something… heroic for England. Things soured fast, though. Soon enough it became only for the good of the Tribunal. Anything was just, as long as it furthered the scope of their power."
"It was a slow metamorphosis," Colin said. "The first letters were signed with the closing, 'for the good
of England.' Then after the tenth, or perhaps the eleventh letter, the closing changed."
"To what?" Caine asked.
"They started using the phrase, 'for the good of the Tribunal,'" he answered. "Ice was the first to sign
his letter that way, and the other two followed suit. Their corruption was complete by that time."
"They started acting independently long before that, Colin," Nathan remarked.
"The end justified their means," Colin explained to Caine. "As long as they believed that what they were doing aided their country, they could justify anything."
"Very like your attitude, Jade," Caine announced.
She was so startled by that comment, her eyes widened. "No, not at all like my attitude," she argued. "Caine, I'm nothing like my father. I don't approve of what he did. It's sinful to admit, but I don't have any feelings for him, either. He chose his path."
"Your father's lands were confiscated, his fortune taken away," Caine said.
"Yes," she agreed, wondering what he was leading up to with that remark.
"It's the reason you steal from the wealthy, Jade. I'd say you're getting even."
"I'm not!"
Her shout told him he'd rattled her with that opinion. "Power corrupts," he said. "Absolute power
corrupts absolutely."
"You needn't quote Machiavelli to me, Caine. I will agree that the Tribunal was after absolute power."
"You were on the same path."
"I'm not," she cried out.
"Was, Caine?" Colin asked.
"Was," Caine announced. His voice was hard.
"Then you…" Colin began.
"Not now, Colin," Caine ordered.
"What are you talking about?" Jade asked. "I've never been after power."
Caine ignored her protest. "Tell me the rest of this," he ordered Nathan.
"Our father had a change of heart," Nathan said. "His conscience began to bother him when his director,
a man named Hammond, was sanctioned."
"Sanctioned?" Colin scoffed. "What a pleasant word for such a foul deed."
"Hammond was director over all three," Nathan interjected. "There was Ice, Prince, and Fox. Anyway,
in the beginning, they did whatever they were ordered to do. It wasn't long, though, before they started acting independently. Hammond was beginning to get wise to their doings and the three were certain he was growing in his suspicions. Ice came up with the idea that they sanction him."
"My father didn't want to kill Hammond," Jade said. "Papa was on his way to London to warn the director when he was killed. At least that's what we've been able to piece together."
"Who was killed? Your father or Hammond?" Caine asked.
"Our father," Nathan answered. "He had sent Hammond a note telling him that he had to meet with him as soon as possible, that it was an urgent, life-threatening matter."
"And how were you able to piece that together?" Caine asked.
"Hammond showed me the note at my father's funeral," Nathan replied. "He asked me if I knew
anything about this urgent problem. I didn't know anything, of course. I'd been away at school. Jade
was too young to understand."
"Our father confided in Harry and gave him the letters he'd saved."
"And Harry told you everything when you were older?" Caine asked Jade.
She nodded. She refused to look at him and kept her gaze directed on her lap.
"Harry wanted Nathan to go with us. Father had a ship and Harry was bent on becoming a pirate. Nathan wanted to finish school. He thought Harry was taking me to an island in the south and that I'd be safe until he could come and fetch me."
"When I started hearing about the escapades of a pirate named Pagan, I have to admit I never once considered that it might be Harry," Nathan interjected. "Why didn't you come for Jade?" Caine asked. "He couldn't," Jade answered before her brother could. "Harry and I were never in one place long enough. Besides, Nathan had his own problems then. Father's enemies knew he'd saved the letters. They were desperate to find them. Once Nathan's rooms had been searched, they left him alone… for a time anyway, until we started a fresh investigation of our own."
"The letters were with you?" Caine asked. "Or did Harry hide them somewhere safe?" "We kept them on the Emerald," she answered. "I want them," Caine demanded. "Is this vessel near enough to send one of the men? Or perhaps…"
He stopped his question when she shook her head. "There isn't any need to fetch them. I can tell you the contents."
"Word for word," Colin said. "Pagan need only read something once, and it's committed to memory for the rest of her life."
If Caine thought that talent odd, he didn't mention it. Jade was thankful he remained silent. "Pagan, recite the letters for Caine," Nathan suggested. "If you call her Pagan one more time, I'm going to beat the hell out of you."
Nathan scowled at Caine a long minute, then gave in. "All right," he snapped. "I'll call her Jade, though only because I don't want anyone hearing her nickname."
"I don't give a damn what your reasons are, just do it," Caine grated out.