Chapter 21 (part 1)

"Forgive me; perhaps I misunderstood. Did you just state that Claire and her brothers are your nephews?" Margaret asked in an uncertain voice.

Of all of them, she seemed to be the only one who had managed to recover the gift of speech after the astonishing revelation.

"That's right." Lord Dashwood confirmed.

"George...what kind of joke is this?" Claire asked, looking at her older brother for confirmation.

"It's not a joke. Lord Das...I mean, Uncle Albert is daddy's brother." Said the embarrassed boy, after receiving a good-natured scowl from his new relative.

"But how is that possible?" Whispered the girl.

"My dear, it's nothing transcendental." Uncle Albert exclaimed as he approached her. "My father was in love with Julia, your grandmother. Unfortunately, the microcephaly that afflicted my grandparents prevented the two lovers from getting married, all for the sake of the family name. Bah! Then they forced him to marry my soul-crushin