"My father, may his soul rest in peace, was a very stern man — some would say cruel. When he found out I was e

"My father, may his soul rest in peace, was a very stern man — some would say cruel. When he found out I was expecting the child of some adventurer, he expelled me from the house and cut me off from any inheritance. I scraped by on my own for three years — sewing, teaching, and the like... But then father discovered he was dying, and the Della Fiorni line would end. So he told me he would leave the full inheritance to me if I would only get rid of 'my disgrace' — get rid of you."