They had finally arrived at London's port. She was anxious to go into town to search for her son, as was he.

She did not take kindly to his orders to remain on the ship while he went ahead to get information on the whereabouts of her aunt.

It was a bittersweet reality to admit that the woman who raised her was not her mother. After so long of dealing with her, she grew accustomed to her cold ways. In truth, she did not know how to deal with it all.

Justin, on the other hand, knew Lady Charlotte Winstead for what she was. A calculating, manipulative she-devil that deserves the weight of her punishment to come. All they needed to do was to find her. For the sake of his family, he needed to.

His family. He swallowed heavily with the thought. That's what he needed to fight for. That idea alone gave his heart an unexpected leap that it staggered him.

He turned his head then slightly and watched her as she slowly dressed.

They did so in silence with their backs towards each other.

Neither said much. A bitter contrast to what could have been said while they were in each other's arms moments ago.

He contemplated and struggled with what to say or do to make everything right again. But he knew that as long as their son was out there, she won't be the same.

"I will get our son back, " he vowed as he made love to her.

And he meant every word.

He turned then. And their eyes met. The tension in the air between them was a solid thing, filled with unspoken fear, pain, and an uncertainty of what was to come.

"Quinn has a carriage waiting for us, " he murmured.

She nodded and walked off to leave, but he stopped her. A brief silence held them there before he placed his finger under her chin, and slowly, he tilted it up, so he could see her face fully. He waited for her to object, to step back, to slap his hand away.

But she did none of that. He stared at her eyes that were once piercing and radiant. Only now, they were sunken eyes void of life.

"I never meant to hurt you or desert you and my son, " he said.

Tempest shifted her gaze so that she was staring stonily over his shoulder.

"But you did, " her gaze suddenly sparkled to life in anger.

"You rescued me, seduced me, claimed you love me, and got me with child. You then deserted me, to pursue your revenge for some fancied wrong that cost me everything," She said icily.

Justin drew in his breath sharply, his eyes darkening as if he'd been punched in the stomach. She took perverse pleasure in knowing that her words hurt him.

"I made a grave mistake believing that you were safer without me, " he tried to explain.

"And where did that belief get us?" she snapped.

"I was wrong for leaving you," He said fiercely.

"Yet your words change nothing. Not the past or the fact that my moth...." She shut her eyes. "That woman took my son, " her voice shook.

He swallowed at the lump forming in his throat. "I'm sorry, " he whispered, pulling her closer, "I deeply regret any pain I caused you, and I hope that someday you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

She remained silent, staring up at him. He watched as she struggled for composure, but her eyes began to slowly mist with tears.

"Right now, all that matters when we leave here is that we find our son and make my stepmother pay for what she has done."

~~~~~~~

After making final arrangements with Coronel and the with his men and leaving instructions with big John to guard the ship, they made their way slowly down the gangplank to the docks.

After helping Tempest up, Justin swung himself into the carriage beside her and nodded to the driver to move off.

Tempest leaned her head back against the upholstered seat, taking in the sights and sounds around them as the steady clops of the horse's hoofs on the dirt road sounded in the air.

The remainder of the ride passed in almost total silence between them.

Finally, Justin aroused himself out of the black cloud of his childhood memories he was lost in to instruct the driver towards her home.

"We're here, " he said looking over to Tempest as the carriage rattled up the long winding gravel path.

"Cartwright Manor," announced the driver stopping the carriage.

Justin's gut wrenched and his palms sweat as he swung Tempest out of the carriage. He couldn't help but hold her for few heartbeats more before finally placing her on the ground. He had half the mind to carry her right back to the ship to prevent her from witnessing what is to come, but it would only have delayed the inevitable.

The muffled clops of two more carriages followed. They turned and watched as the Coronal followed by the Magistrate and two guards exited the carriage.

They turned to walk up to the front door when suddenly it swung open.

She watched as her father stood at the threshold. Her palms began to sweat at the sight of him.

Justin tensed as the Admiral's gaze grimly lifted from his, then lowered to Tempest. Suddenly his gaze softened after assessing her from afar.

"Papa, " Justin heard her whisper. In an instant, he had crossed the threshold down the steps and had her wrapped in his big arms.

He stood back and watched with something akin to a wash of relief spread across the Admirals face as he hugged his one and only child tight to him.

"Heavens!" He exclaimed heartily on the verge of tears, holding her slightly away from him so he could inspect her.

"Where have you been? I have been worried sick. What have they done to you? My grandson. Where is he?" He pulled her protectively close before resting his stern furious gaze on Justin.

Tension grew between them as he stepped closer to the Admiral, equally bothered with his accusing gaze.

"Papa, Please, we must talk, " Tempest pleaded pressing her palms to his chest and looking sadly up at Justin.

"Of course, " he frowned. "Come...your mother and Haines have been worried with grief since you left. This will brighten her morning, " he said.

She stiffened in his hold and exchanged a glance with Justin.

With a narrowed gaze, Justin stepped closer.

"Both the Lieutenant and your wife are here?" He asked.

The Admiral flexed his shoulders and stood to his full height. "Aye, why?"

"Oh move aside you blathering idiot. We will speak of all of this inside. Besides, My arse needs a seat and my belly needs food, " her grandfather pushed through them all and made his way up the steps.

A slow smile curved on Justin's lips as the Coronal tapped his walking stick on the footman's leg; urging him to help him up the steps.

Justin stood back and watched as they all followed her grandfather into the house. He exhaled deeply as he stepped forward. Ill-prepared for what was going to happen. The thought of confronting his step-mother both satisfied him and terrified him at the same time. The sensation brought on by it had him unprepared for memories he did not want to dredge up. Memories he did not want Tempest and her father to hear.

But he must.

To finally make his stepmother pay, he must.

****

Happy 4th of July everyone.🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🎆🎆🎆