“Bradley told me.” She smiled at him and took another, bigger sip of the amber liquid. She opened the book and told him about the aliases for the houses and the men with whom he gambled. “We used code names when we were children toprevent anyone from knowing who we spoke about or where we went.”
“Clever,” he smiled.
“I dubbed him Scribe since he kept meticulous details of everything he did and spent. He called me Starling. His reasoning was I talked a great deal.”
“What code names would you give me and Ewan?” He leaned back, swishing the branding in the glass.
“For your strength and warrior appearance, you would be Highlander and Ewan…” She thought a bit. With a smile, she said, “Falcon, for his keen insight and strategic mind. Bradley had other thoughts. He dubbed him the tall yew tree.”
Duncan gave her a wide smile. “Bradley’s secret is safe with me. Although, it is quite fitting. Now, you said your brother gave you the aliases for the location of the games, but where exactly are they? I don’t see how the names can help…” He stared at the smirk that brightened her face. She had the answer.
She scooted closer to the table and pointed to the first name, “The Rookery. Birds. Who do you know that has a bird fascination or collection?”
“Justin Rockwood,” Duncan said. “I see him in the bookshop researching different species.”
“They live on Mayfair Square. Are you certain you’ve never done this before?” she teased.
He chuckled and shook his head.
“The Gilded Lily, the place Bradley attended the night he died, hints a fine gardens,” she said. “Sir Giles has an extensive garden. His residence is on St. James Place. In addition, they were both Bradley’s friends.”
“How very clever.” Duncan browsed through the pages, searching for more coded names. “You two were thick as thieves, eh?” Duncan’s lips twitched into a smile. His Scottish lilt added a warmth to his words.
Juliet chuckled, remembering simpler times. “Oh, we were. Partners in crime and champions of hide-and-seek. Bradley always had the best hiding spots.”
Duncan’s eyes held a distant look as he reminisced. “Ewan and I share a similar history. Our friendship is rooted in more than just shared experiences. It’s woven into our very upbringing. Being the sixth son of Baron Blair meant that my path was never going to be at Blair Castle. In Scotland, that meant I had to carve out my own destiny, for the land and title would pass to my eldest brother.”
He leaned back, his gaze returning to the present. “My mother and Ewan’s, bless them, were as close as sisters, and when it came time, it was Ewan’s parents who opened their home to me. They fostered me and gave me opportunities I might not have had otherwise. That’s why my loyalty to Ewan is unbreakable—it’s built on gratitude and respect as solid as the ancient stones of the highlands.”
A shadow came over Duncan’s expression. “Sebastian was different, though. Two years our junior, he always saw himself as the rightful kin, and me? I was the intruder in his eyes. Ewan and I bonded quickly, thick as thieves, you might say. We tried to include Sebastian, but there was always an edge to him, a sort of… attitude. He played a good game of chess, although he always took unnecessary chances.”
Juliet listened with care, piecing together the nuances of the past that painted a picture of the present. “And Sebastian’s jealousy?”
“It was always there, simmering beneath the surface. Ewan might not have seen it, always giving his cousin the benefit of the doubt, but I did. There were signs, little things that hinted at a deeper resentment. Sebastian was careful, though, and kept it well hidden from Ewan. But not from me.”
Juliet absorbed Duncan’s words, the pieces of a long-unseen puzzle coming into place. The undercurrents of jealousy and rivalry that had always been part of Sebastian’s interactions with Ewan now made chilling sense.
Her eyes softened with understanding. “I never knew the depth of the bond you share with Ewan nor the strength of the ties that bind you both.”
Duncan sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice. “Ewan always knew, deep down, the envy Sebastian harbored. But he chose to overlook it, to discount it as mere family rivalry. He never let it affect their relationship, always hoping for the best.”
He paused, a smile slowly replacing the frustration as he reminisced. “Since we were lads,” Duncan continued, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees, the glass in both his hands. “Ewan and I have had our share of capers too. Did he ever tell you about the time we ‘borrowed’ Lord Aurington’s carriage for a midnight escapade?”
Her laughter rang out, clear and bright. “He failed to mention that to me. I can only imagine the mischief you two have managed. It must have been quite the adventure.”
“Aye, well, we were young and daft. But those days forged a bond stronger than the steel of my claymore.” Duncan’s expression softened. “And when Ewan was called to war, I stood by him as his batman. We faced more than our share of narrow escapes.”
Juliet’s eyes widened. “You were with him in the Peninsula?”
“Every step of the way.” He gave her a glance that said he remembered every nuance of what they went through. “That’s where we met Barrington. Now there’s a chess player. Between you and me, I think Ewan’s still trying to best him at chess.”
She couldn’t help but smile. Duncan’s easy grin was infectious. The warmth of the moment pushed back theshadows. “I can imagine them now, hunched over a chessboard, the fate of the empire hanging on the next move.”
Duncan’s amusement filled the space. “Oh, the empire’s safe enough. It’s Ewan’s pride that’s in peril. The man has a rather… spirited aversion to losing.”
Their laughter intertwined into a shared rhythm that warmed the room, drawing them closer into a comfortable friendship.
As the laughter subsided, Duncan’s gaze wandered around the room. His eyes fell upon a small stack of letters on the side table next to him. Absentmindedly, he picked up the top one, his fingers lightly tracing the edge of the paper.
