Do you remember what you told me, Dad?”

Reginald swallowed and said nothing.

“You told me I was too simple for business,” I said calmly. “You told me I was jealous of my brother, and you ordered me back to my desk.”

Reginald looked from me to Alistair, and understanding began to dawn on his face.

“So,” I said, watching them come apart, “since my own family wouldn’t hear the truth, I took the proof to the one man with the resources to see it through.”

Reginald’s legs nearly gave out; he caught the bed rail to stay upright. He finally grasped that this was no surprise visit, no secret romance. It was a plan we had spent nine months building.