The housekeeper acquiesced and left to fetch the maids. Finally, the sisters were completely alone. The four women settled on either side of Victoria, the group creating a cozy semi-circle.
“She is a sweetheart, Victoria. Melody is a beautiful name,” Elizabeth crooned, tentatively reaching to touch the baby’s cheek.
“I heartily agree. I may question her origins, but the baby did not do anything wrong. Everything about her is beautiful,” Daphne murmured, her eyes focused on the baby. Her twin seemed like she was about to ask another question, but refrained.
“Are you all right, though, Vicky?” Marianne asked, looking concerned. “It is not easy to take care of an infant, especially one that makes you lose sleep over one reason or another.”
“Yes, I do wonder,” Wilhelmina added. “Have you slept since you found the infant? You’re a little pale.”
Victoria chuckled at the word “pale.” She often ended up looking tanned from her various adventures, especially when she was younger. Pale had never been something people used to describe her. Her mother wished it were, because for Lady Grisham, it meant being more ladylike and confined.
“A little,” she admitted. “I am afraid I am not very good at this. So, it takes some tries to get her to sleep. I have had some help, though, as you may have suspected.”
“Well, you do look drained, Vicky,” Wilhelmina said, her voice sounding like a sigh.
“And Richard? What is he doing to unburden you not just of the childcare, but also of the potential scandal coming your way?” Marianne probed.
Her eldest sister had always been the protector. She would do anything for them, and now, it was showing in its intensity.
“He is working on finding Melody’s father and mother,” Victoria replied, looking away from Marianne’s gaze to admire the baby instead.
“Do you believe him?” Marianne asked. “That he is searching for the child’s family? That he is not the father?”
Truthfulness. How could someone gauge it in a person they had not truly known?
“I—I don’t know, Marianne,” she admitted, her voice low and uncertain. “I wish I did, for it would make things far simpler. We have lived apart, as you all have remarked, yet it was an arrangement we agreed upon. I enjoyed the freedom it allowed. I want to trust him … he seems angry, even offended, that I should suspect him. And I am ashamed, as a wife, to be so uncertainof how to respond. What if he were lonely? What if it was but a moment he now regrets? He strikes me as honorable.”
She paused.
“Still … regardless of Melody’s parentage, I hope we can find her mother. Perhaps we might help her. To leave a child in such a manner … it is surely an act of desperation.”
“We will keep this a secret, Vicky,” Elizabeth promised, patting her sister’s knee. “However, you cannot keep the infant hidden forever. Your staff may be discreet, but soon, there will be a crack. Someone will find out about her. You and Richard should quickly formulate a cover story. You should be able to answer people when they ask whose child she is.”
Victoria nodded. She let out a shaky exhale. “That’s why I sent for you all. I need help with this. I am not certain I would be able to survive a scandal without your support.”
“We will think of something,” Elizabeth murmured.
The maids entered the drawing room and then placed a silver tea service on the mahogany table. The fragrance of tea and the clink of expensive porcelain restored normalcy among the group. It now seemed to be just another visit among sisters.
“Now, I also need something urgently,” Victoria continued, after sipping tea from her cup. “You know me. I’d rather ride horses and act on stage. I don’t know anything about taking care ofchildren, unless they’re already older, like Hector. How do I care for a baby? I believe I need some practical instructions.”
The four other women smiled. Suddenly, everything in the drawing room seemed to lighten.
“It’s all about schedule, Vicky,” Wilhelmina said. “Henry is now four, and I can imagine his regular feeding cycle and the precise amounts. I also recorded every soiled nappy. That’s discipline for you. Well, for me, in that case.”
Marianne groaned. “Mina, I don’t mean to offend, but were you planning to train Henry to become a soldier at a young age, or was the training for you? I believe you were simply looking for an excuse to write and write! For me, it’s about safety. I must admit I can be intense when it comes to that. Is the bassinet secure? Did you position the pins in her clothes correctly and carefully? I check for their breath regularly.”
Victoria chuckled. Her eldest sister was overprotective. So, yes, she could believe that. Marianne must have been doing something right since she reared four children well so far. The youngest, Lily, was only two. So, there was also a little freshness in practice.
“For me, it’s the clothes, Vicky,” Elizabeth said. She was not a vain woman, but she was known for her beauty. People loved to dress her second-born half-sister. “Perhaps you might find it vain, but at the moment, I can’t help but notice dear Melody does not have clothes yet. I imagine the mother didn’t leave anything but what she was wearing?”
Victoria nodded in assent. They did have to use a mere cloth for the baby. It would raise alarms if she or the maids went on a shopping trip to buy infant’s clothes.
“See? I think I can help with this. Nobody will question any of us if we have our seamstresses make tiny girl clothes. We are a fertile lot, aren’t we? We also live with our husbands.” Victoria flinched at that. “Oh, no. I am saying it in a completely practical way, Vicky! I am only saying nobody will question us. Melody may be a foundling, but she is now considered a duke’s child, whether or not she is Richard’s own.”
“Mm. For me, instinct will take over, Vicky,” Daphne said gently. “Watch her face. See her cues. She is now your baby, at least until you find her mother.
Victoria’s head swam from all the information. Her sisters added more advice, some of which completely went over her head. Add her emotional and physical turmoil, and everything was making her dizzy. While Wilhelmina was lecturing about ensuring the proper temperature in the nursery, Melody began to cry.
