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She took a breath, leaning back into her seat. “It will be of no surprise to you, but it is about my father.”

CHAPTER 16

In spite of all his flaws, Diana knew that what her father had done was quite shocking indeed, and she was unsure how to tell the Duke.

Under normal circumstances, it would no longer be of any concern to them. She was married now, and therefore it did not matter what happened to her father’s title and land and estate. However, she had to concern herself with Samantha’s well-being, for nobody else would.

“It turns out that my father truly has been trying to better himself,” she began, not knowing how else to start.

“Well, that is a good thing, is it not?”

“It would be, had it been for a good reason. Then again, his reason seems perfectly good to him.”

“And what might said reason be? I had thought it was for the benefit of yourself and your sister, or at least to line his pockets a little more.”

“It is the latter, in some ways, but that is not the full story either. As it turns out, he has a son. I have a brother. A half-brother, that is.”

“That’s… Are we seeing it as good news or bad news?”

“I do not know. All I know is that my father has an heir, a legitimate one at that, as he married a lady in Scotland, and now he wishes to become the very best father in all of England, but only for his son.”

“I cannot stand that man.”

“Truthfully, nor can I, but regardless of his motives, it has been quite beneficial to Samantha, so I have not said anything about it. She is furious, however.”

“And that is equally understandable. After all, he should have done all of this years ago, not only now that he has a son.”

If anything, Diana thought, at least her husband would be a good father to a daughter should they ever have one.

“It is alright. It hardly changes anything, of course. But it is on my mind. That is why I am perhaps acting differently than usual.”

“Why you were seemingly determined to submit to me last night?”

“I suppose you could say that.” She laughed. “I know, it was not like me at all, but it has frightened me to learn about it, you know. I at least thought that my father would have told us when he found out. I thought that he would have been so excited that we would have had no choice but to hear of it over and over.”

“It is certainly odd that he never told the two of you, I am assuming until you asked.”

“Astute and correct as always,” she sighed. “And even then I had to force his hand. I do not understand. What is so wrong with Samantha and me? I know that I am not particularly brilliant and beautiful and wonderful, and I never found a husband myself, but Samantha should have at least been worthy of something.”

“I am only going to tell you this once more,” Colin said firmly, leaning in closely. “The treatment that that man has given to you and your sister is no reflection of you. It has everything to do with him and how foolish he is. You are both brilliant ladies with good hearts.”

“Then why couldn’t we ever be enough to earn his love?” she whispered.

“Love is not earned. Love is given freely and fully and selflessly. If he can only give that to an heir, then it is not even love in thatcase, as it is given out of the knowledge that he gains something in return.”

Diana thought about his words. She had spent her whole life wondering if she would ever receive love, but she had failed to realize that she and her sister had always been so full of it for each other. It hardly even mattered whether her father came into it or not.

“I simply do not understand.”

“And perhaps you never will. Perhaps I never fully will. Why, when I was in the military, my commander could hardly ever give us a good word, and we were willing to put our lives at risk for him.”

“You… you were in the military?”

He froze, his smile fading.

“Colin?” she asked. “You have never told me that.”

“It is nothing,” he said quickly. “Forget that I said anything.”