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Susannah reached out and squeezed Max’s hand “I thank God for that,” she murmured earnestly

After a moment Harold cleared his throat “Has Miss Greentree been back to see you? She seeround”

Susannah arched an elegant eyebrow “Ah, Harold told me about your Miss Greentree”

“She’s notof her in that way “And her background is hardly her fault, Harold”

Harold pursed his lips, and Max re ruination and disgrace, and that everyone knew it Harold would know; Harold knew every scandal “Tell me,” he said shortly

His cousin leaned forith a certain ahter of Aphrodite—the famous courtesan, you know,” this aside to Susannah “There were three daughters and they were taken ahen they were very young, a kidnapping or so; it was kept pretty quiet They were adopted by Lady Greentree in Yorkshire, a respectable woman, one of the Tremaines, she married Edward Greentree, he was in the army in India and died there”

“Get on with it, Harold,” Max gritted

“Anyway, it wasn’t until recently that the three sisters were reunited with Aphrodite, which caused an alirl, Vivianna, was the daughter of Fraser—very rich, a brewery owner,” again for Susannah’s benefit “But Her Majesty was persuaded to give her approval to the girl because Oliver Montegomery was in love with her and wanted to marry her”

“Very roested, her dark brows arched “What about this other daughter, Max’s Miss Greentree? Is she Fraser’s daughter, too?”

“Her nahter We’re not sure who her father is Still, perhaps her unusual background ht have been overlooked because of her relationship to Oliver Montegoirl lost her heart to a bounder and ran off with him They were never ht—in a public inn, evidently, with no money—and the story came out”

“Oh dear”

“There was yet another scandal in the fao Helen Treirls’ aunt, ran off with Toby Russell, a fortune hunter and a scallywag But at least he married her Made to, I should think, by Helen’s brother the formidable Mr William Tremaine”

“So poor Marietta has to carry about with her the disgrace of her mother, her aunt, and the bounder who led her to believe he loved her and then left her I think that is extreree that she is coible The best she can hope for is to er in the north and retire into obscurity”

“Susannah,” Max warned

“I’ him a sympathetic look