Page 19 of Thin Lines (Donati Bloodlines 2)

“My bastards, too.”

Ouch.

Emma tried not to cringe as she asked, “Yourillegitimate daughters, you mean?”

Affonso hummed his agreement. “I have three otherdaughters. Calisto watches over them, makes sure their mothers are provided forfinancially and whatnot. He doesn’t have to, but he has a good sense of duty.He gets that from his father.”

The way Affonso twisted the final word drew in Emma’sattention. He’d said it almost snidely, like there was more to that statement.

“I thought his father died before he was born.”

Affonso didn’t say a thing back.

“He seemed happy about the baby,” Emma lied.

Calisto didn’t seem happy at all.

Affonso did smile that time. “Good. Maybe that willbring him around more often. I don’t like it when he stays away, even if whenhe does come around, his attitude is unbearable.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Sometimes, he stays away to punish me. He does thebare minimum of what he needs to for his work, and he keeps me at bay. But Iwould rather have him where I can keep track of him, and deal with his attitudeat the same time, than see him keep me at arm’s length.”

Emma was stunned.

Entirely speechless.

Affonso was still looking at his book, unconcerned andcold as he always was. But a sadness lingered in his downturned lips and thebrowns of his eyes.

He cared about Calisto.

Loved him, even.

“Would you ever tell me about the things that happenedwhen the bridges were burned between you and him?” Emma asked.

Affonso shook his head. “No. As I keep tellingCalisto, the past is better left where it is. Behind us all. As it is, hedoesn’t let me forget. That’s more than enough. I don’t need yet another personto hold it all over my head, too.”

Emma didn’t press Affonso for more. Her curiosity, onthe other hand, was burning as bright as it ever had. She wondered what, ifanything, she could find to tell her more. Something had happened between thenephew and uncle that separated them, despite their strong bond.

After all, Affonso had practically raised Calisto.

Carefully, Emma tried to prod for information on aslightly different topic. “Were you close to your brother growing up?”

“Richard was my father’s pet. But yes, mostly.”

“Oh. After he died, his widow must have appreciatedthat you stepped up for Calisto.”

Affonso barked out a laugh, startling Emma. “Camilla?”

“Yes, Calisto’s mother.”

“God, no. Camilla despised me.”

Well, that left Emma confused again, and with morequestions than answers.

“That’s too bad,” she said, unsure of what else tosay.

Affonso smirked and turned another page. “That womanalways hated me, and the closer I was to her precious son, the more her hatredgrew. She didn’t have much of a choice, though.”