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‘Like the one about Charles II’s illegitimate children?’ She had actually read his book a couple of years ago on Rose’s recommendation In fact, she’d also read his book on Richard III and his exposé of theAnne Boleyn, the book that had catapulted him into the bestseller lists But she couldn’t think how to tell hi herself What if he asked for her opinion and her answers exposed just how ignorant she really was?

Or what if he didn’t think her capable of for any opinion at all?

‘Exactly! Those children are actually utterly pivotal to our history We all know about Henry VIII’s desperate search for an heir and how that impacted on the country but Charles’ story is ue and the fire and Nell Gwyn’ He was pacing now, lit up with enthusiasm Several tourists stopped to watch, their faces captivated as they listened to him speak

Daisy snapped hihtly severe Seb, the stressed, tired Seb This was a man in total control, a man utterly at home with himself

‘He actually fathered at least seventeen illegitiitiht have changed, no Hanoverians, no Williae And of course the influence and wealth still wielded by the descendants of many of those children still permeate British society to this day’

‘Says the earl’

It was a full-on sotten the dimple at the corner of his mouth? ‘I am fully aware of the irony’

‘Is it personal, your interest? Any chance your own line is descended through the compliant countess?’

‘Officially, no Unofficially, well, there is some familial dispute as to whether we can trace our descendants back to the Norman invasion or whether we are Stuarts Obviously I always thought the latter, far -lost heir to the throne

He began walking along the quad and she followed hi ‘A potential Stuart! You could be DNA tested? Although that ht throw up some odd results I wonder how e back to a red-blooded stable boy?’

The glimmer in his eyepiece of research Not sure I’d get h Maybe the book after this, if I ever get this one finished’

A book about Hawksley Such a vivid setting ‘It would reat TV show’