Her biological father.
Maggie fell into a daze.
After months of searching, he stood before her, alive and at his best health.
"I reckon that you must be quite surprised."
"I... Indeed," Maggie sputtered. "Your Grace, how long have you known?"
"For a while, actually. Let's say from the moment you wore that pendant to Lady Mountbatten's garden party.
"..."
It had really been a while.
"Then... Why? Why did you take so long to show up?"
"Because I already have another family of my own," the Duke confessed. "I am selfish and cowardly. I did not want to confess to my past dealings."
"Because it was all a mistake?"
"No!" The Duke vehemently denied it. "It was not a mistake. But..."
The knot at his throat rolled up and down anxiously.
"But it did not end well. Your mother perished so early. In my grief over losing the woman I loved, I did not know what to do with a newborn babe."
