“No, no. I believe you.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Though, I must ask. Do you always look so pale when you are adjusting to something new?”
Frances blushed wildly. She was quickly learning that the Duke had quite the penchant for teasing her, and she always fell into his trap.
“I should get back to them,” she blurted out, darting to the door.
She could still feel him smirking, his watchful eyes on her as she left.
“Shall we continue the tour?” Mrs. Bellum asked, looking at Frances expectantly as she stepped out of the study.
Frances took a sharp breath. “I believe it would be better if we took a break…”
Even though she was the Duchess, she still felt worried that Mrs. Bellum would judge her for ending the tour preemptively.
Mrs. Bellum nodded, her expression unreadable. “Very well, Your Grace. I shall be downstairs if you require my assistance.”
Frances breathed a sigh of relief as Mrs. Bellum finally left her alone.
She thought she should visit the children, as their rooms were only a few doors down the hallway.
The moment she stepped into their room, the boys looked up at her and smiled. Though their smiles were tentative, Frances could see that they seemed to be at ease in her presence.
”Mind if I join you, dears?”
The twins exchanged a glance, and then Edwin began to walk over to her. Ernest followed him, curious but cautious.
“Are you here for long?” Edwin asked as Frances sat down on the floor so they were at eye level.
“I told you.” She smiled. “I am not going to leave anymore.”
Edwin grinned. “I am happy that you are here. Mother mentioned you to us. But she never showed us a photo, so we were not sure what you looked like.”
Ernest was staring at her. “Shall we call you Aunty Frances?”
Frances smiled. “My dear, I am your godmother. Your mother and I were very good friends, and she wrote to me often, telling me all about you. I visited you when you were very little.”
“Did Mother tell you everything?” Edwin asked.
“Everything and then some more. Believe me, she loved to talk about both of you. As did your father.”
The mention of their parents caused a shadow to cross the boys’ faces. Frances quickly noticed the change in their moods, and it made her heart lurch.
Perhaps she had been too careless with her statement. She had to do something to lighten the atmosphere.
She clapped her hands together, a hint of desperation in her voice. “How about we play a game? Would you like that?”
The boys looked at each other, then back at her.
“What kind of game?” Edwin asked softly.
“Have you ever played blind man’s buff?” Frances suggested, her eyes twinkling. When the boys shook their heads, she explained, “It’s a fun game where one person is blindfolded and tries to catch the others. The person who gets caught becomes the next blind man.”
Their curiosity piqued, the boys agreed to try it.
Frances improvised a blindfold with a handkerchief and tied it around Ernest’s eyes. “Now, you must try to catch us while we try to avoid you,” she explained.
The room filled with laughter as Ernest stumbled around, his arms outstretched, while Frances and Edwin darted around him.
“You cannot catch us.” Frances giggled, ducking as the little boy tried his best. Next to her, Edwin was laughing loudly.
