“I should start from the beginning, I suppose.” He paused, obviously to pull his thoughts together. “Bernadette and I married very young, Mr. Elliott. Too young, really. We were both filled with the passion of youth. Both of us had, as well, what one might call volatile temperaments. We were both quick to anger. When we fought, which was frequently . . .” He smiled a sort of private smile and then cleared his throat. “Let us just say, it could not be ignored by anyone within hearing.

“At any rate, I inherited my title and the responsibilities that went along with it. Before I knew it, I had not only a wife but three daughters as well. Through the years, I found myself resenting all that had fallen upon my shoulders because I happened to be born a few minutes before my brother.”

He fell silent for a long moment. “He was free to wander the world and live a life filled with adventures and excitement, whereas I felt trapped. Can you understand that?”

“I can understand feeling that the circumstances of one’s life are not especially fair,” Gray said slowly, choosing his words with care. “I’m afraid I can’t understand allowing your family to believe you were dead.”

“That was not my decision, but I am getting ahead of myself.” He stared into the fire, obviously gathering his memories. “Basil found himself in a bit of trouble in India, the details of which scarcely matter now. I felt I had no choice but to go to his aid. He was my twin, after all. Bernadette agreed with my decision and even encouraged me to go. It took some time to extricate Basil from his difficulties, but I had expected that and had made certain Bernadette had all the legal authority she needed to make decisions about property and finances and life here. We had been married, oh, a dozen years or so by then.

“One thing led to another, and . . . I was a very stupid man, Mr. Elliott, and selfish, thinking only of myself. I was consumed with what I was missing rather than grateful for all that I had. I wrote and told my wife that while I loved her and the children, I would not be coming home for the foreseeable future. She was, needless to say, furious and hurt as well, I suspect, although she never said that. Pride, no doubt.”

“Understandable.”

“Of course it was.” He heaved a deep sigh. “She wrote and told me she would not allow her daughters to believe their father would abandon them. She’d rather they think he was dead.”

“I see.”