Seb rode through most of the night, not really paying attention to where he was going. He didn't want to go home not yet. His mind was crowded with strange thoughts and unpleasant memories. So he let his horse, ivy, decide the pace running when she wanted, slowing when she was tired.
By morning, both of them were soaked, exhausted, and ready to collapse.
Sebastian Oakley had come to London for one reason: to find a man with silver eyes.
To do that, he had created a new identity which was vermilion.
The youngest son of a moonrakers noble family had disappeared nearly four years ago, replaced by a reckless, immoral Italian rogue. Seb had spent his time drinking, gambling, and moving through the darkest corners of the city places like Deptford and Rushey Green. After all, if you were hunting a rat, you searched in the dirt.
But now… he wasn't so sure he wanted to find him anymore.
Because of her.
The moment he saw Amelia, something shifted inside him. He could still hear his sister's voice clearly in his head:
"Look, Sebastian. He has his father's eyes."
Seb walked slowly from the stable to a small but neat cottage. He didn't officially live there, but it felt more like home than anywhere else.
The place was surrounded by a thick, overgrown garden. Each of the women living there took care of a different part Britney handled the flowers, Lara the vegetable garden, and Theresa tended the roses that climbed wildly over their frame.
He stepped inside quietly.
Theresa was already awake, sitting by the window, sewing one of Arthur shirts. The morning light made her look almost unreallike a painting. She was nearly twenty two now, even more beautiful than when seb had first rescued her from a brothel.
"Is he asleep?" seb asked softly.
Theresa looked up and frowned slightly. "Good morning to you too, Sebastian. I'm fine, thanks for asking."
He sighed. "Sorry. Good morning."
She nodded. "He's asleep. But not for long, I think. He went to bed early."
"He's not sick, is he?"
She smiled a little. "Not at all. That boy is strong. We took him to the fair yesterday. He ate too many sweets, threw a terrible tantrum when we stopped him, rode a pony, chased ducks… he had the best day."
Seb smiled faintly. "Sounds perfect. I'll just check on him."
He stepped into the small room where Arthur slept.
Before last night, seb had always thought the boy looked like his sister same cheerful face, same wide smile. But there were differences. Arthur hair was light blonde, unlike anyone else in the family.
And his eyes…
Even now, closed in sleep, seb could remember them clearly. Soft gray. Not blue. Not ordinary gray.
Silver.
The same color as Amelia brown eyes.
Dare stepped back and returned to sit across from Theresa.
"You take good care of him," he said quietly.
Theresa lowered her head as she sewed. "We owe you. And we love him."
"He deserves a real father," Dare said bitterly.
"He has one," she replied.
Seb shook his head. "Not a good one. Do you know what they call me now? At the Blue Lion?"
She shook her head.
"The King of the Rogues. The most dangerous and reckless man in Deptford. Someone even wrote a poem about me."
Theresa raised an eyebrow. "Well… you know how people are."
"They were cheering my name like I was royalty," he said, annoyed. "This isn't what I planned for my life."
"Then stop," Theresa said gently, placing her hand on his. "You can't stay away from your family forever."
His expression darkened. "After what they did? No."
He paused, his voice turning cold.
"Arthur almost died. Just like his mother."
Theresa voice softened. "Sometimes, you have to forgive even the worst things. Your father deserves to know about his grandson."
"You didn't see how weak Arthur was when he was born," seb said harshly. "You didn't see how sick Jane was begging for food while I was off wasting time in Venice."
Guilt filled his chest.
"You didn't know what your father had done," Theresa reminded him. "They hid it from you. It wasn't your fault."
Seb didn't respond immediately. Then he said quietly
"I saw someone last night. Someone with eyes like Arthur's."
Theresa stiffened. "You found his father?"
"No. A girl. Her name is Amelia brown."
"That doesn't mean anything," she said quickly. "Lots of people have gray eyes."
"Not like his," Dare said. "Arthur has her hair too. Her features. She can lead me to him I know it."
"And then what?" theresa asked, her voice tense. "He takes Arthur away from us?"
Seb shook his head. "Never."
"Then why look for him?"
Sebs voice dropped, dangerous and steady.
"Because that man destroyed my sister. She loved him and he treated her like nothing."
Theresa met his gaze calmly. "No woman deserves that."
Seb gave a small nod. "True."
She took a breath. "So what will you do?"
Seb smiled but there was nothing kind in it.
"I'll kill him," he said quietly. "And his niece… she's going to help me."