Well, if he had, he’d soon discover so had Griffith. For one thing, he was a lot bigger. And a lot more muscular.

“We don’t have time for that,” Robson replied. He turned to address the officer. “Get him out now.” The man hesitated, looking from Robson to Griffith and back again. “Now,” he repeated, “or I shall be forced to report you to the authorities.”

“They are the authorities,” Griffith pointed out.

“The Duke of Northam wants him. Now,” Robson said, gesturing to the door. Griffith’s jaw was clamped so hard his teeth hurt.

The officer unlocked the cell and swung the door wide to allow Griffith to exit. He stepped into the hallway, ducking to avoid getting slammed on the head by the metal of the bars.

“Well,” Robson said, looking Griffith up and down, “it has been a long time, Griff.”

Robson’s widow’s peak was more pronounced than before, but otherwise he looked nearly the same. He wore respectable, if somber, clothing. He was carrying a satchel that bulged out on the sides, so there must have been a lot of papers in there.

Robson was always studious, a good thing since his father was an ambitious man who wanted more for his son. It appeared that Robson had achieved it. Although retrieving errant black sheep lords from naval jail cells must be one of the lower levels of tasks he was asked to perform.

Griffith thrust his hand out. “I don’t know whether to shake your hand or strike you,” he said, taking Robson’s hand in a firm grip. “What’s this about? Why does my uncle want me now?” When he couldn’t care less twelve years ago. “And why are you his errand boy?”

“It’s not your uncle anymore,” Robson explained as they began to walk down the hallway toward the exit. “Frederick’s the duke now.”

Griffith froze. “Frederick? How on earth did he get the title?”

“The way most people inherit things,” Robson replied in a dry tone. “People die, and then relatives get things. It’s the way the world works, Griff.”

Oh. The surprise of seeing Robson after all these years receded as Griffith processed this new and more startling information. Frederick, his cousin, was the Duke of Northam now. Many people had to have died in the interim. He had been away for a long time, hadn’t he? Nor had he cared to follow anything that was happening in his family, so it should not be a surprise that things had changed so much.

But it was a surprise.

“To rephrase the question, then, what does the duke want with me?” When he did see Frederick, he’d make certain to tell him to bugger off with whatever it was he wanted.

Robson turned to look at Griffith. “Don’t you realize? You’re the heir now, Griff.”