Spencer waited for his sister to refuse, but she did not. Instead, she nodded and thanked her gratefully, brightening for the first time since her arrival.
“That sounds lovely. Does she know about who I am?”
“Not as yet, but she will understand. She adopted a boy, you see, and so she is familiar with families that are different from others.”
“How generous of her!” Sophia sighed wistfully as the plates were collected. “You know, I considered giving my son away, but only briefly. Once I had him, I realized that I could not do it. I already loved him so much, and I could not bear the thought of him being anywhere but with me.”
“You are a brilliant mother,” Anna said warmly. “You treat him like the most precious thing you have, rather than simply doing what is necessary as his mother.”
Spencer thought back on the times Sophia left her son with him so that she could rest, or when she complained about having to care for the boy rather than enjoying herself, and almost said so, but he held his tongue. The two ladies had bonded, and neither of them would want to hear a word of what he had to say.
What confused him more than anything was how Anna had convinced her to do the one thing that he had been pleading with her to do, and how she had done it in one single conversation. Sophia resented him for even suggesting it, but she adored Anna for the same thing. It did not seem fair, but again, he knew better than to say as much.
“I have done what I can,” Sophia confessed, “but I know that I can be better. Tomorrow sounds wonderful. I shall wear my best dress, for I assume she has married well if she keeps the company of a duchess.”
“She is a duchess herself, but you must not worry. She keeps company with people that she truly likes, not ones that dress the part.”
The ladies were satisfied, Spencer knew that he would not enjoy the following day as much as they would. They would be discussing love and children and how terrible most men were, and all the while, he would be painfully aware that he was one of those awful men.
When Sophia left the table, he looked at Anna and was surprised to see her looking back at him.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “It is a good idea, though you need not worry yourself so. She is my sister, and therefore my responsibility.”
“And yet, as Duchess, I have a duty to those in need, do I not?”
There was a certain venom in the way she had spoken of duty, but before he could ask her what she meant by that, she was gone.
That night, Spencer could not sleep. His own bed, terribly large, was freezing in spite of all of the covers, and he wanted to be with Anna instead. He wanted to share the warmth of her spirit as well as her body, to savor the sparks she struck with her conversation. However, she refused to speak with him, and he knew better than to grovel simply because he wanted to go to bed with her.
He awoke as exhausted as he had been when he went to sleep, and tried to prepare himself for the day ahead. He waited downstairs for them and was surprised to see Sophia arrive in one of Anna’s gowns.
“She is truly remarkable,” she sighed. “I expect you to do something to fix this.”
“You can expect all you wish. The gown is lovely.”
Anna arrived shortly after, wearing red satin with a matching ribbon in her hair, and they left for Winterleigh Manor. It was only a short ride, but there was an icy stillness in the air that Spencer could not quite shake. He felt like the most hated man in London, which he supposed that he deserved.
Their hostess, of course, did not mention such a thing if she noticed it. She welcomed them warmly, even greeting the little boy personally, and took them to the drawing room.
“I shall send for a tea,” she explained. “This is such a pleasant surprise!”
“I would have written to you,” Anna explained, “but it was a rather last-minute decision.”
“You do not need to warn me,” Maria laughed brightly. “This is as much your home as it is mine, you know that.”
The Duke of Winterleigh was also present, which Spencer was rather pleased about. Damien was the sort of man who preferred to keep to himself, but he was pleasant enough and so clearly adored his wife, and that was precisely the sort of company that he wished to keep in that moment; someone who would simply sit with him and not ask too many questions.
When Maria returned, she took her seat across from Sophia, her eyes not leaving Gilbert.
“Yes, he is illegitimate,” Sophia grimaced. “No, I do not have a husband.”
“That is quite all right,” Maria smiled. “I am not the sort of person to care for such a thing. Is the boy loved?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Then that is what matters,” she said simply. “How are you enjoying your time here?”
“It has exceeded my expectations, although I must admit they were rather low. I know that thetonthinks highly of themselves, but in the north, we do not look upon you all too kindly.”
