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The duke’s mouth fell open "What?"

"The entire estate," James repeated "I will pay you an allowance, and no one need know except for the solicitors But I will not be responsible for you and your harebrained scheain take responsibility for any debts you o to prison"

"That’s absurd," his father spluttered "I couldn’t--you couldn’t possibly--no!"

"Then ht want to pay a special visit to rave, if you’re so certain she would have been distressed at the sale of the house, let alone the churchyard"

His father opened his mouth, but James raised a hand

"If I were to let you keep the estate, you’d fling Daisy’s inheritance after that which you’ve already lost There would be nothing left within two years, and I will have betrayed my closest friend for no reason"

"Your closest friend, eh?" His father was instantly diverted into another train of thought "I’ve never had a woman as a friend, but Theodora looks like a man, of course, and--"

"Father!"

The duke harru ree to this ridiculous scheme of yours I can expect to look forward to daily humiliation"

It was an implicit concession

"You see," his father said, a s across his face now that the conversation was over, "it all came well Your mother always said that, you know ‘All’s well that ends well’ "

Jah, God knows, he already knew the answer "Don’t you care in the least about what you’re doing to me--and to Daisy?"

A hint of red crept back into his father’s cheeks "The girl couldn’t do better than tothat I’m in love with her, and I’enuinely adored by her husband"