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you?”
    She nodded against him. “Yes. In the way that you love Mama. Passionately. Ardently. I can barely breathe.”
    His hand stilled against her head. “I have been meaning to speak to you. In the way we always do when something needs to be explained.”
    She pulled away and glanced up at him. “What is it? Did I do something wrong?”
    He wouldn’t meet her gaze. “No.” He hesitated. “What I’m about to tell you, I don’t want you sharing with your sisters. This is something only you and your brother are old enough to understand.”
    Oh, no. It was one of those talks. “I won’t say anything to them.”
    He sighed. “I wanted you to know that I plan on moving into our cottage in Surrey.”
    Her breath hitched. “What? Why?”
    “Your mother asked me to move out for a few months.”
    She stared. “What do you mean? She can’t— You and she are married.”
    “I violated an agreement she and I made. As such, I have to honor that. It will only be a few months.”
    She squinted. “An agreement? I don’t understand. What sort of agreement?”
    “That neither of us would hurt our family or anyone else during the pursuit of our passions.”
    Startled, she edged away. “Passions? As in…?”
    “Yes. As in.” He cleared his throat. “I uh…I involved myself with a young woman who—” Emotion stripped his face. “I met her a few months ago when I had gone out riding and it…it got out of hand. I was irresponsible. She…” His voice cracked and tears streaked his eyes. “She died last week right along with the babe she was carrying. The doctors couldn’t stop the bleeding when she miscarried.”
    Her eyes widened. A part of her soul cleaved into half and shattered on the floor at her own feet. She always thought her father’s curt honesty and the discussions they openly shared, in which he never shielded her from anything, were a blessing that allowed her to understand the real world and life. But that blessing had just turned into a curse.
    Tears overwhelmed her as they streamed down her face. “How could you destroy a woman like that? And what of Mama? Your wife of thirty years? Dearest God, how could you—”
    “Caroline.” He blinked rapidly but wouldn’t meet her gaze. “Your mother and I were never monogamous. Neither she nor I were capable of it. Which is why we promised never to hurt anyone during the pursuit of our passions. Hence why your mother is upset and wishes me to move out for a few months. I have to give her time to sort this out.”
    She staggered. It was as if he were admitting that she or her sisters or even her brother were not his. Oh God. She felt as if she was about to retch. “I’m staying in Bath with Grandpapa from here on out. Because I’m not coming home to this. I’m not.”
    His aged features crumbled. “You shouldn’t stay in Bath. Your sisters will need you. You know how they depend on you and look up to you.”
    “Are they my half sisters?” she choked out. “And is Alex my half brother? Do you even know?”
    “Cease. We didn’t engage others until we were done having children.” He reached out. “Now come here. I need to know you aren’t angry with me and that you will visit me at the cottage out in Surrey. Say you will. It will only be a few months.”
    A sob escaped her as she dodged his hand. “What will happen once society knows of this? What will become of us?”
    His hand dropped. “No one will know. I paid her family well and moved them outside of London. They are well cared for.” He lowered his voice. “As for my leaving to the cottage, everyone, including the servants, will be led to believe my health is failing, after which I will recover. So you needn’t worry. Because we are still a family and will always be. We will simply go about this differently for the next few months. You and your sisters can visit me out in Surrey whenever you want.”
    She couldn’t see past her tears anymore. She had always thought her parents