“Your father should have seen that coming. I told him not to give her a Season, but he was adamant.” Her shoulders twitched, and her features displayed such a sharp expression of distaste that Tobias’s curiosity was pricked.
“What do you know of Miss Wingate? I don’t understand why Father made such a commitment to her. He could have settled a modest dowry on her and left it up to her cousin to see that she was wed.”
The dowager sat straighter, her interest clearly piqued. “She has a cousin?”
“She resided in a cottage on his estate.”
She emitted a thoroughly unladylike sound of derision. “That makes absolutely no sense. Your father was a fool not to let him handle the matter. Instead, he’s made her your problem. I am sorry for the way he’s treated you, Deane.” She pursed her lips again. “Overton, rather. This will take some getting used to.”
“It won’t bother me at all if you continue to call me Deane.” He smiled. “I prefer that, in fact.”
“That is unsurprising given the estrangement between you and your father. But you mustn’t take any of it to heart. You couldn’t be more different from him, what with his scandalous tendencies.” Her gaze softened but only slightly. “You would have no idea of those, however, since you are not aware of the reasons for his…commitment to Miss Wingate.”
His father had “scandalous tendencies” and that made him different from Tobias who also possessed…scandalous tendencies? Oh no—had his father carried on a liaison with Fiona’s mother? Was she his half-sister? Perhaps the “friendship” with Fiona’s father had been a ruse. Tobias’s blood went cold. “Was he having an affair?” He barely forced the words out.
“Since Oxford.” Again, her lips pursed. “At least he was skilled at keeping it hidden. I don’t think anyone ever knew about his vile sins against nature.”
Since Oxford. Had Fiona’s mother been a maid there? Wait. Vile sins against nature…
Tobias froze. “Who was he having an affair with?”
“That Wingate miscreant! They met at school. The only reason I know about it is because I saw them once.” A shudder passed over her once more, and she pressed her hands to her cheeks.
“They carried on an affair all those years?” So many things made sense all of a sudden, including the cold relationship between his father and Tobias’s mother. To her credit, she’d never denigrated him to Tobias. She’d only said that he wasn’t capable of loving her, and she accepted that, especially since she had Tobias to love and love her in return. It was after learning this that Tobias had vowed to love his wife. Which would be impossible if he adhered to his father’s requirements. Perhaps that had been the man’s goal—to ensure that Tobias wouldn’t have time to fall in love.
“Yes,” his grandmother responded. “Your father traveled to Shropshire a few times a year. On occasion, Wingate came to Deane Hall, but I put a stop to that when you grew old enough to converse with visitors.”
Tobias thought back and tried to recall male visitors but couldn’t. Much of the ire he felt toward his father lessened as he tried to imagine the life he’d been forced to lead. He was still angry, however, for the hurt he’d caused Tobias’s mother.
Swallowing, Tobias looked to his grandmother. While she seemed disgusted by her son’s behavior, Tobias only wanted to understand it. “Did he love Wingate?”
His grandmother froze for a moment, her lips parted as her eyes seemed to stare at nothing. At length, she said, “I hadn’t considered that.” She blinked and focused on Tobias. “Could that have been true?”
“I hope so,” Tobias said softly, feeling as though he was finally glimpsing his true father. “Where you see vile, sinful behavior, I see a man who was trying to find happiness in a world that wouldn’t accept that which would make him so.”
“I hadn’t considered that he might have loved Wingate.” She frowned, but it seemed to be directed inwardly. “Still, that doesn’t excuse his treatment of your mother. She deserved better and so did you.”
A sudden burst of love expanded in his chest. “I appreciate you saying that. I was sad that my parents didn’t seem to love each other.”
“You have a romantic nature, just like your grandfather. He and I were fortunate to be a love match.”
Tobias barely remembered his grandfather. The man had died when Tobias was six. “You think I’m a romantic?”
She looked at him as if he had a third eye in the middle of his forehead. “Aren’t you?”
Tobias laughed with great warmth. This had to be the most remarkable conversation he’d ever had with his grandmother.
“I do believe you’re correct that your father must have loved that man,” she said.
Tobias agreed. “It now makes sense why Miss Wingate was so important to him. She was the daughter of his love, and as such, was like a daughter to my father.” The association made him quickly add, “But she has no relation to me.”
“Of course not.”
He exhaled with relief. If Fiona had been his sister… God, it didn’t bear thinking about any more than he already had. He’d spend a great deal of time erasing that thought from his mind.
“I’m surprised he had so little interaction with her,” Tobias said. “Like me, she had no clue as to why my father took such a vested interest in her future. We assumed our fathers had a close friendship and nothing more.”
“Do you plan to share this information with her?” The dowager wrinkled her nose. “Warn her that she must keep it secret.”
“I must tell her. She will want to know.” He could never keep this from Fiona, and not just because he’d already stupidly kept other things from her. Although on that score, he’d learned his lesson. Too late, however.
Tobias studied his grandmother for a moment. “Did you really come to inquire about my
