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He’d been right all along

The line ended with hiht of that before she married me"

Chapter 21

MISERABLE MARQUESS

MAKES MASSIVE MISTAKE

He returned to Lyne Castle as darkness fell, the dwindling light having already seen the house and its residents to their cha a North Country summer He was happy for the quiet and the dark--the best conditions for getting drunk He would leave on the morrow, to his house in Yorkshire

The library was obviously out of the question, as it was filled with her memory, and so he took himself to the only place he knew there was decent scotch His father’s study

He did not expect to find his father in residence

And he certainly did not expect to find Agnes in his father’s arnes i away fro her bodice

Good Lord

King turned his back on the tableau as quickly as he could "I-- Christ I beg your pardon" And then he realized just what he’d seen His father, in flagrante, with Agnes

His father, the duke, in the arms of his housekeeper

"You may look, Aloysius," she said quietly

He turned back to thereatat the far end of the study He considered the duo, his father silver-haired and distinguished, and Agnes, as beautiful as she’d ever been

He glared at his father "What in hell are you doing?"

The duke raised a black brow, a sine you’re well able to divine it"

Agnes blushed "George," she ad couldn’t believe he’d heard it correctly He’d never heard anyone refer to his father as anything other than his title In honesty, it would have taken King a nes did not even hesitate over it

His father turned and winked at her "We aren’t children, Nessie He needn’t be so shocked"

"I a has this--" He shook his head and looked to Agnes "How long has he been taking advantage of you?"

They both laughed at that, as though King had told a wonderful joke

As though he did not want to kill sole worst of his life

"I do not jest," he said "What in hell is going on?"

"What is going on is that we’ve a houseful of visitors, and Agnes insists on our skulking about rather than telling the truth" His father moved to a sideboard and poured two tu nodded, watching, flabbergasted, as the duke poured a third glass and delivered it to Agnes with a war scotch to hi’s gaze "I love Agnes"

If his father had sprouted wings and flown about the roo could not have been more shocked "Since when?"

"Since forever"

Forever

God, how he hated that word

"How long is that?" King drank, hoping the spirits would bring reason

Agnes replied "Nearly fifteen years" As though it were thein the world

He looked to his father "Fifteen years"