Lucy supposed that this was not surprising. Nothing about the Duke so far told her that he was a bastion of fatherhood and the very fact that he was so desperate to marry her should have been enough to confirm that he was not up to the task of raising a child.
Then again, neither am I…
“You may go to bed, Your Grace,” the older of the two women said. “The hour is late and you need your rest. It has been a big day.”
“Oh.” Lucy hesitated. “Are you sure? I can…”Can what? Stare and gawk stupidly? It is about all I am good for.
“It is quite fine, Your Grace,” she said gently, even resting a hand on Lucy’s shoulder and turning her to face the door. “There will be plenty of time for the two of you to become acquainted.”
Lucy should have sprinted for that doorway.
Rather, she slunk across the room, reached the doorway, and turned back to watch the two women look after the baby. They were so confident and so assured. And James, as silly as it was to say, seemed to appreciate them both. Certainly more than he had Lucy’s efforts.
Lucy was not cut out for raising a child, and that was not something that upset her. But she was stubborn, she was determined, and she slowly came to accept that if this marriage was going to work at all, she needed to do better.
What a low bar that is…
