“Indeed, especially to the girls.”
“The dowager said the girls were the duke's nieces, Lord Algernon was their father wasn't he?”
Emma nodded in affirmation and Jane noticed that she was not comfortable discussing a matter of that gravity with her.
“I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the girls,” Jane said, sympathizing with the young ladies.
“I don't know about that, Your Grace,” Emma said as though she was in opposition. “He wasn't…” She sighed. “He wasn't really close with his daughters.”
“I uh…I think I may have spoken more than I should have,” she said, unwilling to keep talking. “If it pleases you, I'd love for us to go back to our tour, Your Grace.”
Jane let out a sigh. She could press on and get Emma to tell what she knew but she wasn't going to do that. She would respect the lady and not use her power to cajole her into doing something she didn't want to do.
If Lord Algernon was anything likeherfather, then the girls would have turned out to experience the same treatment she and her sister got from their father.
She wasn't wrong, there indeed was a lot that she had in common with them and she was going to be there, to be the mother that they lacked.
