Both parents considered separate quarters a “thoughtful imperative,” but that could be because they both had lovers.
The way she’d looked when she said good-bye to her father, her obvious unease, the brave way she’d approached the legal requirements of the marriage, had shaken his calm certainty that she was as eager for the marriage as he was. He turned to the system and went back through the transcripts of the negotiation, observing the video feeds and studying the treaty and marriage contract, looking for reassurance. Instead he found a disturbing pattern in the way Karl Gunn had negotiated.
He leaned back in his chair. Had his lady been pressured to marry him? No, the man he’d met would never do that to his daughter. There was a deep and obvious affection between them. He’d seen real
