The apology somehow made it worse, because he had never liked to be pitied. But then, he was ever stubborn about what he was and how it was so often used to define him. His uncle and Lady Lucrezia used his father as a means to elevate his station. Others pitied him for simply being born on the wrong side of the sheets. Only a few were altogether indifferent.

He grimaced as he looked at her hand. "Not with a lady. Or queen. Anyway, there ain't no need to apologize. I know what I am."