Sins of Omission Read Online Free PDF

admiration.
    “I’m very happy that everyone is comfortable and safe,” Luke replied smoothly, accepting a snifter of cognac from Hugo.  “I wouldn’t like to think that anything was worrying Lady Everly so close to the birth.”
    “Luke, what are you getting at?” Hugo asked as he took a seat across from Luke, his right side pleasantly warmed by the roaring fire, but his hands cold in his lap as he anticipated some unpleasant news, which Luke was sure to deliver within the next few minutes.  He’d known Luke since the former was twelve, and he was well acquainted with the pained look that Luke now had on his handsome face.  He was wearing an elaborate wig, and his face was powdered and rouged, but beneath the mask of the courtier was still the mischievous boy, who’d sworn eternal friendship to his older counterpart.
    “Hugo, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I feel that I must warn you of certain aspects of your current situation.”
    “Such as?” Hugo asked warily.  He didn’t think this was about money, since Hugo had paid for everything in full.  Their financial situation would eventually become strained, since like most landowners, Hugo’s wealth was tied up in property and not readily available in coin, but for now there was enough money to last until the estate manager collected the rents from Hugo’s tenants, and Bradford sent a sum drawn on Hugo’s account in London.  He would do so in the spring, and include news of home, and Jane; something that Hugo almost dreaded.
    “Hugo, your situation is somewhat more complex than you might have originally imagined,” Luke began as he crossed his legs.  He always did that when he was not altogether comfortable with the topic.  “Being a representative of the Crown, Sir Trumbull cannot openly acknowledge you as being Lord Everly, since he would be challenging the verdict of George Jeffreys and sending a clear message back home that the man convicted of treason was indeed innocent.  Such an action might have repercussions, since to ignore the fact that the English envoy is convinced of your identity is to silently acknowledge the injustice of the trial, and that the Crown will never do.”
    “I see.  Is that all?  I feel there’s more,” Hugo said, taking a sip of his cognac to steady his nerves.  Judging from Luke’s fidgeting, this was only the tip of the iceberg. 
    “There is, old friend.  There’s the question of your allegiance and how it might best be addressed.  Being a Catholic who worked to undermine the Protestant Rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth, you would, of course, be welcomed by Louis XIV into his Court.  You’d risked your life to preserve the monarchy of James II, which makes you seem devout and courageous in the eyes of a Catholic king. 
    However, should James II’s marriage bear no fruit, and a Protestant succession be the result, your re-entry into England might be compromised by the open admission of your part in the rebellion.  Should a Protestant king sit on the throne, he will not welcome back a nobleman who openly tried to thwart the efforts of a Protestant hopeful.  So, if you are seen as the traitor who supported Monmouth in his efforts to overthrow a Catholic king, you will not be welcomed in the French Court.  But, if you openly admit to your true role and religion, you will not be welcomed back should you wish to return home.  And, of course, I must act based on whatever you decide.  I’m here as a politician first and your friend second.  My reputation must not be tarnished by an association with a known traitor.”
    “A conundrum, indeed,” Hugo replied, his head cocked to the side and his eyes hooded as he considered this impasse.  Of course, Luke had no way of knowing that in less than three years, James II would be overthrown in what the English people referred to as the Glorious Revolution, and Protestant William and Mary were going to take the throne of England.  Hugo had every