“I will not breathe a word about your secret,” she whispered.
He knew from the excited note in her voice that she was longing to be in touch with their other relatives as soon as she could.
And she would tell them what they were longing to hear.
“Clive is going to be married.”
“Clive is going to settle down at last.”
“Now we shall have an heir to the Dukedom which is so very very important.”
He could hear them saying it over and over again as he walked slowly up the stairs.
He had told James not to stay up and he did not want him to help him undress because he had no intention of doing so.
He waited until he heard his father go up to bed.
Then he opened the door of his room very quietly.
There were always a number of candles burning in the sconces, but the majority had been extin
