Chapter 84: The Egg and the Old Duke's Wish
"Why didn't you stop him? Why you never come?" The question escaped before she could hold it back, sharp and broken.
The old duke's chest rose and fell shakily. He did not flinch from her anger.
"I was weak," he said, voice raw.
"Older then, already ill. Bound by oaths, by politics, by the pride of this house. I told myself it was safer for her to be away… that Gorthmorde would destroy her sooner than any husband. I was a fool. A coward."
He cou then, a quiet, wracking spasm that left him gasping, his face contorting in pain. Hannah tensed, half-ready to step forward, then stopped.
"Every letter she sent," he went on, once the fit passed,
"I read. Every word. She spoke of your brother. When they were small. She said they had my temper."
Hannah looked away, at the faded portraits on the wall, at the eyes of strangers staring back.
