Chapter Seventeen
“I can’t believe Uncle Dominic would point a pistol at you, or try to rob us!
I know we were never close with him, but Father did so much for him,” Hazel said with her mouth full.
They were seated for a meal in the Everly Townhouse dining room.
Kitty’s heart twisted at Hazel’s words because she had no justification for their uncle’s actions.
Greed had been the one thing that guided him.
“What will happen to him?” Anna asked.
“Will he be in prison for the rest of his life?” Hazel added, frowning.
The idea of Uncle Dominic locked in Newgate Prison forever didn’t sit well with her either. Perhaps they were too soft-hearted, but she couldn’t fathom it.
“We need to ensure he doesn’t harm you,” Eloise pointed out.
Kitty nodded, reluctantly. “I agree, I guess.”
“I will speak with the constable to understand what the options are,” Oliver stated, reaching to squeeze her hand.
She smiled at him, grateful.
“Is there any worry he will share details about the publications?” Julia asked.
“We will handle that if the situation arises,” Oliver reassured them.
Kitty nodded. “All we can do is move forward and hope for the best.”
“Are Shannon and Jack unharmed?” Anna asked.
“Yes. Jack is a little banged up, but they are both fine. Benton and Mr. Hutchison escorted them home.”
The staff started removing the last plate from dinner, and Oliver rose. “Would any of you mind if Kitty and I walked in the gardens before meeting you all in the drawing room for an after-dinner drink?”
Everyone shook their heads, and Oliver held his arm out to Kitty. “Come, Lady Everly. I think a walk in the cool air will benefit us both.”
“Agreed.”
They wandered out to the terrace and down the steps into the garden. Oliver asked, “If there is anything I can do, please let me know.”
Kitty bit her lip, lost in the thought of her uncle, sitting in Newgate.
It weighed on her. For all Dominic’s faults, and there were many, her father had loved him.
They’d been brothers, one a loving family man, a father, and a successful businessman, and the other a scoundrel, a reprobate, and a blackmailer.
Even still, she hated the idea of him in prison.
“Is there an option to send my uncle away instead of going to prison? He won’t survive in Newgate. I can’t have his death on my hands.”
It was ironic, she knew. He hadn’t seemed to worry about having her death on his hands. Or Jack’s, or Shannon’s. But still…she didn’t have the heart to condemn him.
They stopped and sat on a bench. “There is transportation to a penal colony, but some say that it is more brutal than prison.”
Even if it shouldn’t, her heart ached for Uncle Dominic. “My father did love him very much.”
“Maybe he could be exiled, but we would have to ensure somehow that he is never able to return. When I speak with the constable, I will bring the matter up.”
“Thank you, Oliver. You probably think I’m irrational for wanting to protect him.”
He shook his head and grasped her chin. “No, I think you are someone who is saddened that your last living relative besides your sisters might be in prison for life.”
She brushed a kiss across his lips. “Not the last anymore. I have you and your family, but he is the last tie to my father.”
“I will figure something out.”
Kitty leaned her head on his shoulder. “We should join them in the drawing room.”
He pulled her close. “We will soon. I want to hold you for a moment.”
She burrowed into him.
A week later, Oliver and Kitty entered the home of Captain Harrison from the Royal Navy. He was a well-known military man who was about to begin a five-year tour of Asia for the Crown. Oliver had done as Kitty requested and found an alternative to Dominic Larson spending years in Newgate.
A butler escorted them down a hallway and into a drawing room. Inside sat Captain Harrison, and to his right stood Larson, dressed in a naval uniform. The captain rose when they entered, bowing. Larson bowed as well.
Kitty smiled at Harrison. “Thank you for allowing me to visit with my uncle before your departure.”
Harrison glanced at Larson. “Your uncle has insisted that he prefers the option to assist me over any further time spent in Newgate. Isn’t that true, Larson?”
“Yes, captain,” Kitty’s uncle said.
Oliver realized the man was standing at attention. Maybe his time in Newgate and this trip would be good for him. Harrison nodded to Larson. “At ease. Speak with your niece.”
Larson didn’t move from his position but relaxed a little. “Kitty, I want to apologize. I don’t know what I was thinking, going to Larson Bookshop, and trying to force you to give me money. I have a gambling problem. Captain Harrison said he plans to help me with that. I want to be better.”
“You pointed a pistol at her,” Oliver bit out, not believing his newfound sincerity. He suspected that Newgate had terrified him.
Larson flinched. “I would have never shot you. I’m sorry. I have no justification that would suffice.”
“I hoped once that you and I could be close. You are all that Hazel, Anna, and I have left of our father, but that isn’t possible now.
Still, Uncle Dominic, I wish you well. My only request is that you don’t try to reach out to us ever again.
Live your life and become someone of whom my father would have been proud.
He believed that you could be, all the way up until he passed. ”
Shockingly, no resentment or contempt appeared on Larson’s face. He nodded. “I plan to.”
“I wouldn’t have taken him on if I didn’t think he could become a better version of himself,” Harrison stated.
One of Oliver’s government associates had recommended reaching out to the captain. He was known for allowing men who needed rehabilitation in his command. Still, while Oliver appreciated the officer’s assurance, he wouldn’t be relieved until they were on their way to Asia. “When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow, and Larson will be by my side or with one of my men until then,” Harrison said.
“I will also never mention the bookshop again,” Larson added.
He wasn’t saying it aloud, but that was his way of assuring them that their underground publications were safe.
“Thank you,” she said.
“If there isn’t anything else, we have a great deal of work to do before our departure,” Captain Harrison said.
They both rose, and Kitty said, “Goodbye, Uncle Dominic.”
He was silent for a moment as if he was trying to decide how to respond. Finally, he said, “Goodbye, Kitty. I wish you and your sisters all the best. That is what your father wanted.”
Kitty’s eyes watered at his words. She nodded and then the butler escorted them back to the front door. Once in the carriage, Kitty began to wipe at her eyes. “I can’t believe I’m crying. I wish this whole situation hadn’t occurred.”
“He is in the best place to make a better version of himself. Your father would be proud of you. Most people would have let him rot in prison.”
Oliver pulled her to his side of the carriage. “He needs to figure out who he is without relying on the goodness of others. If he can do that, he will become the man your father wanted.”
A thought occurred to her then. “You know, I am certain you are the man my father would have wanted for me. I hope you know that.” She burrowed into his shoulder. “I love you, Oliver.”
He kissed her head. “Let’s look to our future and figure out what we want.”
She snuggled into him. “I hope it involves reading in bed, the bookshop and printing press, and having a big family.”
He smiled against her cheek. “All of those sound like a perfect way to spend the rest of our lives.”