~My dearest sister Lucinda

It humbles me to know that you are in good hands. Imagine my surprise when I received your letter. I am so happy that the sisters found that you are cured of your malaise. And that you have settled and married. An Earl non the less. Father would be proud of you but I understand that the tension between the two of you is deep and your last words in parting were deep and painful. But please understand that what he did was for your own good. To be with a man such as Cuthbert was a horrifying thing. Sister, I am grateful that you realized that no good could come of such a union. I end this letter with my sincerest words. I love you very much and I hope to see you soon.

Feel safe none of this will be mentioned to Father.

Sincerely,

Charlotte

*******

For several long minutes, Justin stared at the letter. His hands trembled slightly when he opened it. It was addressed to Lucinda from Charlotte.

Her sister.

He felt his mouth go dry, his heart began to pound as he rummaged through the large chest once more. He had finally opened the trunk weeks after Haines dumped it on his deck. It was the damnable chest Cuthbert kept under lock and key. The one he killed Gaspar for.

To his utter surprise, when he and his men opened it, nothing but letters, some baubles, a diary, and women's clothing were inside.

There was no treasure as most thought. Disgruntled, his men walked away. But alone in his cabin, he sorted through the items in the trunk until he found a stack of letters addressed to Lucinda from Charlotte then the diary.

Without pause, he moved on to the diary opening it to the first page. He skipped some pages until reaching towards the very end of Lucinda's diary:

I am so enraged that the bastard son of my husband has been placed in our home. He deemed it necessary to mock me with his lover and got her with a child. Now that the harlot is dead, her son is to live with us. But not for long.

"Christ...," he whispered.

His entire body trembled. It felt cold. He felt confused now more than ever. He needed more answers and he needed them now!

*****

Livid and in a hurry, he sent Bellamy and Big John into town.

He needed a magistrate...

After the refusal of bribery of a few coins, the threats followed. Now confronted by Big John and Bellamy, the poor pasty-faced magistrate had no choice but to travel with them.

Now aboard the Floating Vengeance and after a week of the crew's apologies and some convincing, the magistrate, Mr. Ashborne, had settled in his cabin. Grateful that he wasn't seasick through the perilous transatlantic crossing, he decided to conduct his findings.

"These are serious accusations," he looked over the rim of his spectacles at Justin and the rest of his men that sat around in audience in the small cabin.

Justin exhaled a long breath then swallowed the contents of his cup, feeling the sudden burn down his throat as a needed reminder of the pain that woman caused him.

"Can you explain them?" Ashbourne asked.

Hot and annoyed Justin stretched his neck and looked up at the Magistrate.

Truly curious, the magistrate waited for a reasonable explanation and proof of what Justin was saying.

Seconds passed in the silence before the gruff mumbling of Bellamy pulled his gaze away from the magistrates' eyes. His first mate cleared a path and stepped forward and tossed a basket full of letters on the desk before Ashbourne.

"T'is a complicated tale, Mr. Ashborne," Justin admitted uncomfortably.

"But I have all the time in the world don't I gentlemen?" he sarcastically looked at Big John who averted his gaze sheepishly. Then he narrowed his angry eyes at Bellamy.

With a sigh, the magistrate pulled a letter out of the stack and began reading it. Patiently, Justin sat before him and gauged Ashborne's facial expressions as he went on to the next letter then another with as much silence studying each of them. Then he went on to the diary.

After some time, Ashbourne brushed his palm down his face.

"Very well, from what I gather here, she wasn't involved in your kidnapping. It was Cuthbert."

"Yes, but by her order," Justin said through a bitter whisper.

"She took part in a vicious crime one she was never suspected of and she got away with it," Justin added.

"But what exactly did she do that she should have been guilty of?" Ashbourne persisted.

"Murder!" Justin shot back.

"She was the mastermind behind the death of my father, my uncle Gaspar and she tried to do away with me," he said.

"If it had not been for Cuthbert's latent conscience setting in, I would not be here now would I?"

A silence grew thick in the cabin. Justin resisted the urge to slam his fist on the desk before him. Instead, he drew a long deep breath and attempted to steady his raging heart. Ashbourne scratched his jaw then with a sigh he lowered his gaze.

"I would never presume to know the horror you experienced, my Lord," he said quietly.

The formal address and acknowledgment of his title made Justin lower his gaze.

"But we speak of a woman of the peerage just as you,

A highborn," he paused then lowered his voice. "I can understand your anger at her mistreatment. But it doesn't appear to me that you thought of this from her perspective."

"Her perspective?" Justin shouted.

"From what I understand, she felt affronted. She is the wife of a man that bore an illegitimate son with another woman outside of their marriage..." Ashbourne tried to reason.

"So does that justify her right to kill my father and then try to kill me?" Justin tossed his last playing card on the desk before him. Literally.

Justin bit down hard to keep his frustration in check.

"She should be in prison." He added pointing to the crumpled letter that Ashbourne reached for.

A staggering silence lingered over them. Ashbourne lowered the letter after reading it. It was the letter Justin's mother wrote to him.

Ashbourne cleared his throat.

He scanned the men that sat around him.

"There is a difference between justice and revenge, my Lord," his voice softened, "And Revenge goes much deeper, it ends with grave consequences that can implicate those close to you."

"What you seek here requires diligence. But the latter goes through the troubles of spending whatever funds and means necessary with calculated planning to see it through. And you have done all of it haven't you?" he narrowed his eyes accusingly at Justin.

Shaking off the Magistrate's scrutinizing gaze, he slowly stood and leaned forward over the desk to look the magistrate dead in the eyes.

"If you are insinuating that I am using the mother of my child as a form of revenge, you are sorely mistaken." he seethed.

Ashbourne said nothing.

He continued. "Believe me, as unsated as I am for not dumping the remains of that bitch on this desk to attest to how far I will go to take anyone down who crosses me, Is only for the sake of her daughter, the woman that I love."

Ashbourne paled.

"As much as I would love to. I don't intend to destroy her. I merely want justice for what she has done to me and I want my life back. That is why you are here."

With that said, Justin straightened to his full height. With a last glance at his men then at Ashbourne, he left.

*****

It took them exactly 81 days to get to their destination.

...

Fascinated with the view, the magistrate followed the men off the ship to an awaiting carriage.

It was only due to the intensity of the Earl's moodiness that kept him from truly expressing the gleefulness he was feeling at such grandeur and being on the island for the first time.

Paradise....

Justin in change, sat back quietly contemplating his next move. He had trouble taking his eyes away from the beautiful countryside as they made their way towards the plantation home where Tempest grew up.

The carriage took them straight up the Cobblestone path to the front doors where a dark-skinned man stepped out of the house and approached them with a stepping stool.

"Good marnin," he smiled greeting each of them as they stepped out of the carriage to take in the beautiful lush estate and its surrounding.

"Good morning," Justin stepped forward. "Is this the residence of Tempest Whitwell?"

He watched a warming smile form on the servant's face.

"Yes sa, but she left," he informed them.

With a nod, Justin smiled back.

"Is there a family member that we can speak with?"

"Yes sa, her granfadah," he motioned for them to follow him up the steps.

"Percival?" A grumbly voice called out from inside the house, "Bring my Betsy around. I want to go into town."

"Milicent, bring my straw hat," he continued.

Justin observed the well-decorated entryway as they were escorted through another door.

"Colonel, you have company," the servant smiled.

"Company? it better not be that old hag, Esther from the tavern. You tell that witch her rum sent me to the shitter," he grumbled with his back to them in his chair.

Hiding his smile and seeing the magistrate felt uncomfortable, Justin cleared his throat but before he said another word the Colonel spoke once more.

"But, If it is that pretty lass with the bonnie breasts show her in," he chuckled.

The snickers from Bellamy and Quinn pulled him around to face them.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" he grumbled furiously.

Justin cleared his throat "Forgive us, Colonel for the intrusion. But my name is Justin O'Shea, I am here to inquire about your daughter."

He stood by and watched the elderly gentleman grumble as he turned away and went to pour himself a brandy then offered some after encouraging them to sit.

"If you are inquiring about Charlotte, she is in London. If you are inquiring about Lucinda, sadly she passed away some time ago."

Confused, Justin exchanged an uneasy glare with Bellamy and Ashbourne.

Carefully, Ashbourne spoke up. "My good Sir, my condolences," He paused. "We were not aware that Lady Charlotte Winstead known as Lady Fontaine by her acquaintances, had a sister."

The colonel frowned.

"My Charlotte and Lucinda were twins," he lowered his gaze sadly.

"Twins?" Ashbourne gaped at Justin whose gaze now turned murderous.

"Did your grandaughter know?" Justin asked slowly.

The Coronel lifted his head.

"No, we decided way before Charlotte married, that it was useless to bring it up." he slowly walked to a nearby chair.

"Neither the Admiral nor Tempest knew?" Ashbourne asked.

Again the Coronel shook his head. "No."

A quiet rage formed within Justin as he stood abruptly with a curse and began to pace.

"That conniving bitch!" Justin fumed.

"Calm yourself Cap'n," Bellamy stood to face him.

"That bitch took the identity of her sister," he raged.

"What are you talking about?" the Coronel shook his head in disbelief.

Justin turned around to look at the poor older man that stood before him distraught with such an accusation. The kind grandfather Tempest loved deeply. Sympathy was all Justin could feel for him.

" I am afraid we have been duped, Colonel. The woman that was married to my father is Lucinda."

The Coronel gasped.

"That cannot be. Lucinda was put in a Convent. I put her there myself since that ungrateful little witch wanted to run off with..." He angrily stopped.

"Cuthburt?" Justin finished.

"Aye, that vile dog." The Coronel snarled.

Suddenly, dawning formed in the Colonel's eyes followed by stark shock as he stumbled back.

"This can't be. Lucinda died 18 years ago. My Charlotte...," he paused with a sob.

"My Charlotte returned with the news of her sister's death months after she had given birth to Tempest," he lowered his face to his hands.

Justin with controlled fury watched the colonel sink to the chair.

Shaking his head, Justin whispered. "Lucinda took the identity of Charlotte."

"But why?" the colonel demanded in full rage.

"Colonel?" Ashbourne spoke up, "I fear there is foul play here. If Lucinda took Charlotte's identity, then I can only assume that the death of Madame Charlotte was by the hands of her sister, Lucinda."

The air around them crackled with tension with such a discovery.

"If that is the case. Then I want answers." The Cornel fixed a steady gaze with Ashbourne.

Then Justin seethed.

Here we go....😳😳😳😳😳

So seee....

I need to make sure im doing this right.

Other than that im aiming to hurry up and finish this story. So stay tuned for the rollercoaster ride of your lives....