“Of course I don’t wish that. Don’t be totty-headed.” Even as she snapped the words, she seemed to realize she was addressing a duke of the realm and slumped in her chair.

Daniel felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. What did this mean for him? For his mother? For Alonzo Darby, who was, in fact, his half brother? This must have been Alonzo’s reason for fleeing the country. The old earl—their mutual grandfather—must have told him the truth, and rather than stay and face the affair being played out in public, he had run.

As people filed out of the room, Haverly stopped Daniel. “I suggest we meet to begin our application to Sir William Garrow sooner rather than later. This could drag on for years, but if you are the true heir, I will fight to have you recognized as such.”

“Thank you, Your Grace. This is all so sudden and unexpected. If you don’t mind, I should like a few days to consider things before we move forward. I am in the middle of a murder investigation, after all, and I must give that my full attention.”

“Of course, but don’t delay too long. I shall begin interviewing witnesses and looking over documentation, as well as speaking with your mother about what she remembers and what she was told. No doubt you will wish to speak with her yourself now that your estrangement is over.”

Daniel nodded, but he wondered. Was their estrangement over? Would it ever be?

Chapter 17

DANIEL ESCAPED INTO THE PAPER-CLOGGED interrogation room and shut the door. Boxes and stacks surrounded him, as Owen had begun to organize them, creating new tack holes in the plaster that Daniel would have to repair once the case was over.

The chair made a hideous squeak on the wooden floor when he pulled it away from the table. Dropping into it, he put his head in his hands.

He knew who his father was, and the man had been a coward and a scoundrel. He had married a young girl, gotten her pregnant, then folded like a damp receipt when his father challenged him. But he wasn’t even bold enough to abandon his bride completely by giving her an annulment. He’d faked one and knowingly entered a bigamous marriage.

Lie after lie.

Daniel came from a long line of liars, for his grandfather had learned the truth more than a decade ago and had tried to bury it. The old man had salved his conscience here and there, but he had carried on the lie right up to his deathbed and then hoped an eleventh-hour confession would make everything right again.