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long, I thought once more that she had passed on

Finally, she reached out for azed at me "I want you to understand and believe that your

father and I have grown to love each other as much as

any two married people can and do He blusters about,

co, or the way I handle the

servants, you and Belinda, whatever, but after he's

his arms about like a

human windmill, he collapses in my arms in this bed

and we hold each other before we sleep and we

comfort each other and we do e must to

strengthen ourselves for the days to come You and Belinda have never seen that part of him, but it's there Believe me, Olivia, it's there and it's important I do

love him very much"

"I know that, Mother"

"Do you?" She smiled "You always believed

your father had his hands full with me, didn't you?