Her mother arched one brow. “Hasn’t there? They got engaged at Christmas, and it’s Easter. Besides, don’t you think it odd that she slept through the gunshot that woke the rest of us?”
“I’m not speaking of anyone in the family, Mama.” This was going to take all night. “It’s just a married friend who had a miscarriage and is very concerned she won’t ever be able to bear a child.Pleaseanswer the question, so I’ll know what to tell her.”
“Fine. I did lose one babe.” She got a faraway look in her eyes. “I had just found out I was enceinte, and I was so excited because it was with your father. Of my three husbands, he was the only one I truly loved, you know.”
“I do,” Gwyn said, emotion clogging her throat.
Thorn and Gwyn had learned long ago that the Duke of Thornstock had been the love of their mother’s life. Grey’s father had essentially bought their mother, and the marriage between the eventual Duke of Armitage and Mama had been one between friends.
“Not that I didn’t enjoy my marriage to Sheridan and Heywood’s father,” Mama continued, “but it wasn’t the same. Anyway, that’s why the loss of our baby hit me so hard.”
How had Gwyn never known about her mother’s miscarriage? The very idea of it gave her hope. “You mean, Thorn and I might have had an older brother or sister?”
Her mother nodded sadly. “Your father and I were devastated when I lost the babe. And when your father died before you and Thorn were even born, I thought I would never recover.” She wiped away a tear, then broke into a smile. “But after your births, when I was still grieving the loss of your father, a good friend pointed out that I’d been given two children to make up for my having lost the one before, and I thought of it that way forever after.”
“That was a very good friend, indeed.” She patted Mama’s hand, wondering how to frame her question without rousing her mother’s suspicions. “So . . . it’s possible to lose a child, but then have another one be born with no issues?”
“Possible? It happens more often than that. I’ve had a few friends who miscarried two or three times and yet have had children born fine, too. Nothing is ever certain when you’re dealing with Mother Nature.”
“Apparently not,” Gwyn said, fighting to keep her elation in check.
All these years, she’d lived in fear. Granted, she might still be unable to have a child, but at least she now knew it was possible. And that was good enough for her. In such a case, she was willing to risk it.
“So,” her mother said, “about this secret married friend of yours—”
The door burst open and Thorn ran in, then rushed to Gwyn’s side. “Are you all right? Did that bastard hurt you?”
“No,” she said, touched by his concern. “I’m fine. Joshua killed him.”
Thorn ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t believe Malet broke in here. I never expected that.”
“Nor did I.” She gazed at her mother. “Mama, would you mind terribly if Thorn and I had a moment alone?”
“Of course not, my dear.” She squeezed Gwyn’s hand. “We’ll talk later.”
The meaningful glance her mother gave her told Gwyn that eventually Mama would want to know everything. And perhaps it was time that Gwyn told her. Perhaps it was time Gwyn told Thorn the truth, too.
As soon as Mama was through the door, Gwyn said, “Fortunately, Joshua was prepared for such a contingency. He handled everything brilliantly.”
“And you thought you didn’t need a bodyguard.” Thorn crossed his arms over his chest. “I was right. Ha!”
“Yes, you were,” Gwyn said. “Aboutthatanyway.”
Thorn eyed her askance. “What are you saying?”
“Ten years ago, when you paid Malet to leave Berlin without me, what prompted that action? Did he do something to convince you that it was necessary?”
His gaze grew shuttered as he dropped onto the sofa next to her. “That was a long time ago,Liebchen.And aren’t you glad I intervened? He was obviously an arse.”
“He was, yes. But I still want an answer to my question. What did Lionel do to alert you to his bad character? Or did you merely act as your usual arrogant self?”
Thorn sighed. “A friend of mine warned me that his cousin had been seduced by Malet. He ruined her utterly, then refused to marry her. Unlike you, she had no dowry, so she was of no use to Malet except as a bed partner.” He fixed her with an intent look. “From what I understand, that sort of behavior is exactly what got him cashiered years later.”
That wouldn’t surprise her. “So why didn’t you tell me of your reasoning? If you had laid out everything he’d done wrong, I might have listened and cut my ties to him. Instead, you assumed I was too stupid to recognize that your logic was sound.”
Pure shock showed in Thorn’s face. “I never for one moment considered you stupid. How could you even think that?”
“Because you acted without consulting me. And that implies that you didn’t trust me to be as rational and logical as you.”
