The words were so incongruous coming from Suzanne that everyone laughed, breaking the tension. “No, my bloodthirsty darling,” Simon said affectionately. “It would not be wise. Denshire might deserve it, but the first person they’d come for would be Kendra, and she has enough troubles.”

Lucas caught Kendra’s gaze. “You said that most of all, you want your son. Have you seen him at all since the divorce case started?”

“Not even once! If I knew where he was, I’d steal him away and take him to one of the colonies,” Kendra said fiercely. “But I just don’t know. I’m sure he’s not in the London house. He could be anywhere. In a school, with a friend or relative in the most distant part of Britain. Denshire was never interested in Christopher as anything but an heir, so he wouldn’t want to keep him close. I’ve considered hiring a Bow Street Runner to look for him, but one small boy . . .” She shook her head. “He’s a needle in a haystack.”

“Now that I have a child of my own, I understand the passionate need to do anything to protect that child,” Simon said quietly. “But if you take your son out of the country, you’d never be able to return to England, and you’d deprive your son of his heritage and his inheritance from his father.”

“I know,” Kendra said. “But apart from the title, there won’t be much to inherit. Denshire will have mortgaged himself into bankruptcy. I think Christopher will be better off with a parent who loves him.”

“That’s certainly true,” Lucas agreed, “but it would be better yet to have your name cleared so you could regain custody of your son while living in your own country.”

“How is that even possible?” Kendra asked bitterly. “I was unable to testify in my own defense. The court decided that Denshire was the injured party, I receive no jointure or support since I have money of my own, I can’t remarry even if I wanted to, and”—her voice broke—“they decided I’m unfit to be a mother to my own child!”

“That’s monstrous!” Suzanne exclaimed. “You’re even forbidden to remarry?”

Kendra shrugged. “I can’t imagine ever marrying again, so it’s the least of the injustices. Losing Christopher is by far the worst of them, but I would like to be able to move freely in society without people withdrawing in horror as if I’m a leper. I’d also dearly love to expose Denshire’s monstrous behavior so that the scandal is shifted from me to him, where it belongs. But I can’t imagine how that can be done.”