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‘Ga to steady herself

‘I do not indulge in gae I was curious about your wife, that is all She is nothing like Dora’

‘No Thank God’

‘Yes Dora was a char as the sun shone, but not built for hardship A delightful lapdog to your current lioness’

‘You were testing me?’ Sam demanded, but the Duchess turned to her sons

‘I a mean I will always have but limited access to you and I have accepted that I still believe it was the best decision under the circumstances after the effects of your father’s accident became apparent Now that Rafe has little choice but to assulanced at Rafe as he shifted in the armchair ‘—I will remove to the Lancashire property I have only remained until now to ensure Greybourne does not fall into disrepair and I hope I have not done too ill a job I know neither of you will voluntarily seek my company in future so naturally I wished to take what is likely to be a singular opportunity to see if this woood wife I see that she shall and I rong to worry’

Sam’s eyes moved between the three of them The resemblance was alid than the next as if afraid to turn over the stone the Duchess had tossed into their midst Sam had no patience for circumspection at this point

‘What accident? And what has it to do with sending Edge away?’

‘I am surprised you have no memory of this, Rafael You were, after all, seven years old at the time The Duke was thrown from his horse and suffered a severe injury to the head For a long tih he did he was no longer the same man He became most pious and intolerant andoccasionally violent After the incident when he broke your are, Dr Parracombe and I decided it was judicious we limit his access to the children since there was no question of having the Duke confined That scandal would have stained the Greybourne name beyond repair’

Edge clasped his left arm

‘He broke it? My father broke it? How?’

For the first time Sam saw true emotion in the woman’s eyes—but the fear and pain were tucked swiftly away; only a faint tremor remained in the Duchess’s next words