"If you must apologize," Sweeney said, putting his arm around her waist with a moment of hesitation, still as firmly as he usually did with her, that much was something he'd never change. "So must I. I let the will of Benjamin Barker get in the way of my own desires and wishes, and I know one lady who deserves far more than the ghost of a man long dead ruining her love for another. I spoke to Johanna, she is... doing quite well. I have a creeping suspicion she's less her father's daughter and more mine than I could possibly care to admit."
Leading her down the street, still with his arm around her, Sweeney continued. "She was all Ben ever dared to care about once Lucy had died, and I had other plans. But he's well and dead now, all that's left is me. And all I intend to focus on is a love lost due to causes beyond our control."