“You should have invited Kilowog,” Kat scolded her cousin.
They were all gathered in the kitchen. Kyle had Mona on his shoulder, where she was happily munching on a gingerbread cookie. After Guy had come in and revealed Soranik’s secret, Kat had sent the children outside to play so she could question Soranik on her romance.
Soranik threw up her hands. “It was just a walk on the wharf! And not the kind of walk that gets anyone invited to dinner!”
Kyle thought it had looked a lot like the kind of walk that got someone invited to dinner, but wisely decided to bite his tongue. He was in enough trouble with Soranik already. She had her arms crossed and was taking turns glaring at him and Guy.
The back door creaked open and John came into the kitchen. “We managed to get a huge goose for tomorrow,” he said. “Johnny’s locking it up in the pen and...” He looked at Soranik, then at the rest of the group. “Did I miss something?”
“Soranik is sweet on Kilowog,” Guy blurted out. He ducked just in time to avoid being hit by the apple that was flung at his head by Soranik. It bounced off the wall and landed at his feet. He picked up the fruit and stood upright. “She tried to kill me!”
“And you would have deserved it!” Tora said. She plucked the apple from her husband’s hand. “Now out of the kitchen! We have work to do. Unless you don’t want your Yule dinner tomorrow?”
“That depends,” Guy said with a grin. “Are you going to try to make lutefisk again?”
Tora scowled at him and lifted her hand as if to throw the apple. Guy scurried out of the kitchen.
“What is this? I can’t leave the house without you getting all the women mad at you?” John asked as they followed Guy into the parlor.
“Kat’s not mad at me,” Guy said. “In fact, she seemed pretty pleased with me when I told her about Soranik and Kilowog.” He patted Kyle on the shoulder. “Though Kyle was the one who let us in on that little secret.”
“How do you know...?” John looked at Kyle and his brow furrowed. “You have a monkey on your shoulder.”
“The captain bought it for him,” Guy said, wrinkling his nose in distaste. “I do believe being in love has addled his brain.”
“I do believe Mister Gardner is going to end up on tarring duty,” Hal said, crossing his arms and glaring at Guy. “And I’ll let Soranik decide when he’s had enough of it.”
“That’s cruel, Captain,” Guy said, shaking his head. “Very cruel.” He went to a cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and four crystal glasses. “Though, you have to admit that Kyle has made you a little moony at times.” He handed Hal a glass of whiskey.
Hal glanced at Kyle, a slight smile on his face. “Perhaps.”
Guy chuckled and handed Kyle his glass. Kyle took a sip. The whiskey was good. It was a bottle that had come from a Scottish ship heading to the American colonies. Mona sniffed and tried to stick her fingers into the glass. Kyle put her back in her cage. The last thing he needed was a drunk monkey.
“We had a little trouble the other night,” Hal said. “Amon Sur was at Greet’s restaurant.”
Kyle felt the tension in the room become as tight as a violin string. Guy put his glass down and frowned. “Did you kill him?”
Hal shook his head. “No.”
“Why not?” Guy asked angrily. “You’re not still letting him live because of Captain Sur, are you? Because I think ol’ Abin would forgive you for killing him after what his bastard’s done.”
“Actually, I only stayed my hand because I did not want to cause trouble for George.”
Guy nodded, seemingly appeased by that. “Do you think Amon will try something?”
“I’m sure of it,” Hal said. “But only once we’re at sea. He wouldn’t dare try something here. We have too many allies in Tortuga.”
Guy poured himself another whiskey. “I’d love a chance at that bastard through. Put a big hole in his chest, like what happened to his father.”
“You’ll have to fight Salaak for that honor if the opportunity arises,” Hal said. He drained his glass. “And me.”
“Hal did manage to stab him with a fork,” Kyle said, hoping to lighten the heavy mood that had settled over the room.
Guy snorted. “You stabbed him with a fork?”
Hal shrugged. “He threatened Kyle and it was already in my hand.”
They laughed over the absurdity of Hal brandishing a fork to defend Kyle. Then John turned to Guy. “Did you give them the letters?”
“No, I didn’t,” Guy said. “First everyone was distracted by the monkey, then by Soranik’s love life.”
John went over to a small writing desk and rooted round in a drawer. “Here you go.” He handed an envelope to Hal. “Kat said this came for you a month ago.”
Kyle peered over Hal’s arm to look at the envelope. The seal belonged to Lord Alan Scott.
Hal read over the letter, his face stony. Then he looked up at Kyle. “Your father is dead.”
It took a moment for what Hal said to sink in. “What?” He gasped for breath, the shock starting to settle on him. “How?”
“He was ... “ Hal looked back at the sheet of paper in his hand. “Robbed and stabbed outside a brothel in London.”
Kyle toyed with the pendant around his neck, his feelings in a turmoil. He had no love for his father, not anymore, and the twinge of sadness he felt at his father’s death lasted only for a moment. The man had just done too much to hurt his wife and son. He smirked. “I suppose he should have been more mindful of who he shared a bed with,” Kyle muttered, quoting something his father had once lectured him about when Kyle had reached his adolescence. He had also berated Kyle about his bedmates when he found out about Kyle’s relationship with Todd Scott.
Hal came up to him and gripped his shoulder. “Are you all right?”
Kyle nodded. “Yes. I’m not exactly sorry that he’s gone. I just wish my mum had lived to see the day.” He blinked tears from his eyes and sighed heavily. Guy came over and refilled his glass. “Thanks.” He drank down the whiskey in one shot. “Did he say who the heir would be? I think I have a distant cousin in--”
“It’s you.”
Kyle frowned and shook his head. “No. My father disinherited and disowned me. I have no claim at all on the title.”
“He may have disowned you, but he apparently never got around to the disinheriting. Lord Scott spoke with your father’s secretary, Mister Schwab. There was no other will written and Schwab is more than willing to back your claim. He apparently didn’t agree with what your father did to you over a ‘youthful indiscretion’. So everything is yours -- money, assets, titles.” He handed Kyle the letter, then backed up, a big grin on his face, and bowed. “Lord Rayner.”
“No.” Kyle shook his head. “I don’t want it.”
“What do you mean you don’t want it?” Guy asked. “You’re a Lord, now, with all the associated wealth.”
“I don’t care.” Kyle crumpled Scott’s letter in his fist and threw it on the floor. “I don’t want to leave the ship! I don’t--” The words caught in his throat as he looked at Hal. “I don’t want to leave you, Hal,” he said softly.
Hal reached up and caressed his cheek, then looked over his shoulder at Guy and John.
“Come on,” John said, giving Guy a push towards the door. “Let’s go see if Johnny’s got the goose penned up.”
After they left, Hal took Kyle’s hand and pulled him over to sit on the couch. “You won’t have to leave the ship, as far as I know,” Hal said. “Alan only said you had to go back to England to be officially made Lord. But after that...” Hal slid his hand around the back of Kyle’s neck and kissed him gently. “I’m not going to be too willing to give you up, either, so we’ll figure something out.”