Chapter 22 Letter to the Duke of Thornwick
To the Duke of Thornwick,
I write to inform you that my daughter, Miss Fiona Hart, is to be returned to her family immediately.
The scandalous reports reaching us from Yorkshire leave no doubt as to the nature of her continued residence in your household, and I demand that she be released from whatever hold you have over her without delay.
If she is not returned within a fortnight, I shall be compelled to take legal action. I have consulted with my solicitor, who assures me there are remedies available for the abduction and corruption of an unmarried gentlewoman. You may be a duke, sir, but you are not above the law.
Furthermore, I am informed by reliable sources that your reputation is such that no respectable family would countenance an alliance with you. My daughter may have forgotten herself, but I have not. She will not be sacrificed to your appetites, however exalted your title.
I await your immediate compliance.
Sir Reginald Hart