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“And now”—Lord St Clair ht your lovely betrothed with you Un-orthodox, Iabout after ht?”

“What do you want?” Gareth asked in a hard voice

But the baron only chuckled “I believe the more pertinent question is what do you want? Unless you intend to atteht air”

Gareth stared at hins of resemblance They were all there—the nose, the eyes, the way they held their shoulders It hy Gareth had never, until that fateful day in the baron’s office, thought he ht be a bastard He’d been so baffled as a child; his father had treated hih to understand a bit of ent on between men and women, he had wondered about it—his mother’s infidelity would seem a likely explanation for his father’s behavior toward him

But he’d dismissed the notion every tiht in the middle of his face And then the baron had looked him in the eye and said that he was not his, that he couldn’t be, that the nose was mere coincidence

Gareth had believed his, but he was not stupid, and he certainly kne to count to nine

Neither of the ht be a St Clair, after all

He tried to remember—had the baron loved his brother? Had Richard and Edward St Clair been close? Gareth couldn’t recall theain, he’d been banished to the nursery most of the time, anyway

“Well?” the baron demanded “What do you have to say for yourself?”

And there it was, on the tip of his tongue Gareth looked him in the eye—theforce in his life—and he al at all, Uncle Richard

It would have been the best kind of direct hit, a coer and strike

It would have been worth it just for the shock on the baron’s face

It would have been perfect

Except that Gareth didn’t want to do it He didn’t need to

And that took his breath away