“But you are indeed the heir to the title. You are wearing it now. You can't want to marry me!”

“For heaven's sake, stop worrying about me or Ivan, and think a little about your child. My brother would have abandoned you both. In any case, he was always careful not to take a wife. Do you think I should be grateful to him for being selfish, all because I'm lucky enough to have inherited his title?”

He didn't seem to consider himself so lucky, indeed…

“The honor of our name requires that, if your child is a boy, he should become my heir and one day be Lord Hadleigh...