“No. Concepcion’s affairs paled compared to her husband’s. Diego was extraordinarily handsome. He had wavy, espresso brown hair and chiseled features, and between that and his gentlemanly ways, he bedded both women and men at a remarkable rate. He had far too many affairs for us to discover who was in his bed last,” Max said before turning to Bennett. “Are you aware he was the one who turned Napoleon?”

“What?” Bennett said, pulling up short for a second. “I assumed Etienne had done that.”

“Oh, no,” Max said without breaking stride. “Once Margory found out what Etienne had become, she forbade him from turning any of the children.”

“Wait. You said Etienne married a woman named Ismay. Who’s Margory?”

“My apologies,” Max said with a nod. “Margory was Etienne’s second wife. Ismay died after suffering a horrible fall from a horse, leaving Etienne with a broken heart, plus their children, Charles and Flanna. He hired Margory as a nanny, and a year later, they got married. Less than a year later, Napoleon was born, and…um…and not quite five years after that, Margory gave birth to their twins, Anna and Maerwynn.”

“So, when Etienne left on this…this adventure of yours…”

“He left behind five children and a wife. The twins weren’t even a year old, but we thought we’d only be gone for a year, and a year without family seemed a small price to pay for the riches we thought we were going to find.”

“Okay, but why did Diego turn Napoleon…and when?”

“One night, when Etienne was out riding with Charles, the young man’s horse took a fall and ending up rolling over Charles, crushing his chest. Etienne was beside himself. He’d lost his beloved Ismay in the same manner, and he couldn’t fathom losing his son, too, so Etienne did what he said he’d never do.”

“He turned him.”

“Yes, and Margory was livid. She’d raised Charles since he was six, and he was as much her son as Etienne’s, but it was their other son who became the problem. Under the mentoring of his father, Charles adapted to his new situation; however, once Napoleon realized how strong Charles had become, he began pestering Etienne to turn him as well. Actually, pestering is putting it mildly. The boy became unbearable. He was already a tit-suckler, spoiled by his mother so much the lad didn’t want for anything, except now there was one thing he couldn’t have.