Her anguished words echoed around the small room. Lucas felt a jolt of surprise, though he shouldn’t have. Enough years had passed that Kendra, Lady Denshire, could have a nursery full of offspring. But it sounded as if she had only the one child, and he realized instantly what the problem was. “Under English law, the father has all rights to children. Denshire won’t let you see your son?”

She nodded, her fingers tightened around her half-empty glass. “Since I’m a scandalous woman, it’s positively his duty to keep me away from Christopher.” Her voice was scathing in its bitterness.

“Where does your story begin?” he asked. “Why did you marry Denshire?”

It was Kendra’s turn to get up and pace with long, tense strides. “Not long after you left to join your ship, I met Gilbert Stafford. He was intelligent and handsome and kind, and we made each other laugh. My grandfather approved of him, and his parents liked me. I had visited his estate and could see myself living there with him and raising children and being happy. We became betrothed.”

She fell silent. Lucas asked gently, “He died?”

Kendra swallowed hard. “It was the most absurd thing. He cut his hand on a rusty bridle. It seemed to be nothing, but it became inflamed. Three days later, he was dead. It was a long time before I could imagine marrying anyone else.

“But I wanted a family. I wanted to be a married woman with responsibilities, so eventually I allowed the elderly cousin who presented me the first time to coax me back to London. I didn’t find anyone I could fall in love with, but Denshire was attractive and seemed pleasant. We married and did well enough at first.” Her mouth tightened. “I didn’t realize until after our marriage that his pleasant exterior concealed a mean, selfish soul. Did you know I’m a considerable heiress?”

“No,” he said, surprised. “Since I wasn’t looking for a wife, I never thought about that. Was Denshire a fortune hunter?”

She nodded, her face almost hidden in the shadows as she stalked around the small drawing room. “My maternal grandfather was a very successful merchant and he gave me a large dowry. But he was a Scot and didn’t believe that a husband should control a wife’s property, so my money was secured in a trust that my husband couldn’t access without my permission.”

“Not the sort of thing a fortune hunter wants to deal with! But surely Denshire learned that when the settlements were being negotiated?”