“I knew you would love those,” Wilhelmina said, smirking.
“I would have expected you to bring me scandal sheets instead of sweets,” Victoria replied tartly.
“Oh, really? That’s why we’re here, to make you forget about the nonsense being spouted on those sheets,” Wilhelmina said, her voice trembling with repressed indignation.
The three women sat on the sofa, while Daniel settled on a chair across from them.
“It’s completely vile,” Daphne breathed, fanning herself. Her belly was getting bigger, and she must feel hot all the time.
Victoria hated to admit that she was a little envious of her sister. Daphne was married to a man she loved and loved her. They had one child and were waiting for another. She didn’t think she’d ever experience giving birth to her own child.
“Well, we are here to see you because we missed you, but we are also here because we want you to know that we don’t care about what they are whispering about at Almack’s, White’s, or even at Hyde Park,” Daniel said. “We will continue standing behind you,Victoria. You know that. Just tell us what your plans are. If you want to retreat to the countryside, tell us, too. This way, we know what we can do to help you.”
“Thank you, Daniel,” Victoria said softly, blinking her eyes rapidly. No, she would not cry in front of them. She was all right. “You made me realize just how much I needed to hear that and how much I missed you all.”
“The others are not here, unfortunately, but they are sending their regards. They are with you in spirit. They will also come to visit you physically whenever they are able,” Daniel explained, even as his eyes scanned the drawing room, landing on a stack of papers on the table. He was perhaps wondering if those held the scandal sheets in the pile. “But wait, where is the duke? Why is he not here with you?”
Victoria sighed. Of course, they were going to ask. It was a good thing Richard left information with Hawthorne, who, in turn, told him what the duke was planning to do.
“Richard is doing some damage control. He has gone to the North to find out, or rather to confirm, who has been asking about Cecilia’s, his cousin’s, records.”
“So, he left you here in possible danger? To possibly face the slobbering wolves of the ton alone?” Daphne asked, anger emerging from her usual quiet. She was scrutinizing Victoria, with eyes trying to find the lies.
“He is doing it to protect us. To resolve this problem,” Victoria explained, the words rolling smoothly on her tongue.
“You look sad, though, Victoria,” Wilhelmina observed, “and worried.”
“Of course I am!” she insisted. “I am worried about Melody. The scandal affects her the most, and if it is not resolved, she will carry it for the rest of her life. I am afraid of what the future may bring for her. And I’m worried about Richard. He left on horseback on his own.”
“He’s traveling for days on horseback!” Daniel exclaimed.
“Yes, he is. He insisted,” she explained, as if her husband told her these words directly and not left the message with the butler. “He wants fewer people to know what he is doing.”
“And more likely, he does not want to call attention to having his carriage with his crest traveling north,” Daniel mused.
“Yes. That, too,” Victoria said quickly.
After that exchange, things went more smoothly. Wilhelmina and Daphne followed her to the nursery. That did not surprise her. However, Daniel following them was a bonus.
“Where is Mrs. Hughes?” Wilhelmina asked.
“She is resting. She has spent time with Melody, morning and night, the past few days. My mind could not focus. So, I thought I should not be handling the baby,” Victoria said with a shrug.
It was the truth. She also didn’t want Melody to absorb her anxiety. The child should only be exposed to good feelings, and right now, it was easy for her to convey them with her siblings so close.
“Let me help you with the linen,” Daphne offered.
“Now, give me my niece to carry,” Wilhelmina ordered good-naturedly, stretching to accommodate the baby in her arms.
“I believe this little baby needs her uncle to give her belly a tickle,” Daniel chimed in, wiggling his fingers and tickling Melody’s belly.
The nursery was filled with the baby’s laughter, as Daniel’s fingers threatened to dive down once more. Melody kicked with delight even as those fingers never even touched.
Victoria still felt the ache of Richard’s cruel rejection and abandonment, but she tried her best to be in the present with her siblings and the little girl she now considered her daughter.
“You are good at this, Daniel,” she murmured. “Just don’t let her laugh too much, she might cry a lot later.”
“Oh, you believe in that now, too, huh?” he teased, about to dangle his pocket watch over Melody.
