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“Thank God,” he said, with great feeling “Why do they do it?”

“The Smythe-Smiths, you mean?”

“Yes”

For a moment she remained silent, then she just shook her head, and said, “I don’t know One would think…”

Whatever she’d been about to say, she thought the better of it “Never mind,” she said

“Tell ed, rather surprised by how curious he was

“It was nothing,” she said “Just that one would think that solanced around the roorown smaller in recent years Only the kindhearted remain”

“And do you include yourself aerton?”

She looked up at hiht to describe rand breath”

Gareth felt hirand with her cane “Yes, she would, wouldn’t she?”

His e, the only person left in the world he truly loved After his father had booted him out, he’d made his way to Danbury House in Surrey and told her what had transpired Minus the bit about his bastardy, of course

Gareth had always suspected that Lady Danbury would have stood up and cheered if she kneasn’t really a St Clair She’d never liked her son-in-law, and in fact routinely referred to him as “that pompous idiot” But the truth would reveal his hter—as an adulteress, and he hadn’t wanted to dishonor her in that way

And strangely enough, his father—funny how he still called him that, even after all these years—had never publicly denounced him This had not surprised Gareth at first Lord St Clair was a proudhiht eventually rein Gareth in and bend hiet him to marry Mary Winthrop and restore the St Clair family coffers

But George had contracted soe of twenty-seven, and by thirty he was dead

Without a son