“Of course I do.” Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. “Right this way.”
She tucked James into her chest, she smiled at her stepsister, and she led the two of them into her house.
So far, this is going about as badly as could be expected. But do not let that worry you, Lucy. Once they see how happy I am, how at ease, they will both surely be happy for me. They are not here to cause chaos.
Five minutes later saw the three of them sitting in the morning room. The main window took up half the wall, allowing the morning sun to shine across the spacious quarters. Lucy had a table set for them to sit at, and she was sure to have tea and sweetmeats already plated before they arrived.
“I do hope the tea is not cold,” her stepmother said as she sat down, while eyeing the tea with extreme reservation. “How long has this tea been sitting out for?”
The side of Lucy’s lip twitched. “Oh, I was sure to wait until you arrived. It has only been a few minutes.”
Her stepmother raised an eyebrow and did not look convinced. “Let us hope that is the case.”
As they sat down, Lucy left James to crawl around the room. There was nothing dangerous in the room that he might get himself into, and she had done this many times as there was noneed to keep a constant eye on him. In truth, she liked seeing him so free, and she had no desire to curb this independence.
However, as Lucy should have expected, her stepmother did not approve.
“I see you have not fully embraced motherhood yet…” She eyed James crawling across the floor. “I suppose I should not be surprised. You always were rather self-involved.”
Again, the side of Lucy’s lip twitched but she kept her temper. “He enjoys exploring. Most days, I leave him to crawl about – not that I do not watch him. I am always with him, of course, but he prefers his freedom.”
“Is freedom something a child needs?” Her stepmother took a sip of tea and grimaced as if the taste upset her. “In my personal experience, structure and discipline are best when they are at this age. It breeds it into them early.”
“Perhaps when he is older.” Lucy spoke politely, refusing to be drawn into an argument. “He is only one, so there is no need to worry too much on such things.”
Her stepmother rolled her eyes. “I do hope His Grace is not so lax with the boy. He never did strike me as one who allows such tomfoolery.”
“He trusts me,” Lucy said, an edge to her voice now. “And that is what matters.”
“And where is he?” Her stepmother looked around the room. “When is he coming down?”
“Soon…” Lucy’s stomach twisted and she wondered how she might get through today without Marcus coming to see her stepmother and stepsister. “I have informed him that you are here, so, as soon as he is available. Truly, I know he will be happy to see you both.”
“I would hope so,” her stepmother sighed. “After all we did for him. This marriage was a blessing for him, and I would appreciate it if he showed some gratitude.”
Lucy breathed deeply, needed because her anger started to boil away inside of her. It had been just three weeks since she’d last seen or spoken with her stepmother, enough time that she was able to forget just how insufferable the woman was.
“How is Father?” she pivoted. “I wish he was able to come today.”
“Fine,” her stepmother said. “Perhaps you should come to us, if you are so eager to see him.” She looked around the morning room and her lip curled again. “Or are you too good for such things now?”
Lucy’s jaw clenched. Her eyes flashed rage. Her stepmother raised an eyebrow when she saw it, the softest of smirks finding her lips. She wanted Lucy to get angry, as if this might prove how little she had changed.
Do not fall for it, Lucy. Be calm… give her nothing.
“Amelia!” Lucy focused her attention on her stepsister. “How have you been? I feel like we have so much to catch up on.”
Amelia had been watching James crawl about the room, and she wore a longing expression as she did. While Amelia had never expressed personally to Lucy her desire to have a child of her own, Lucy always suspected that she saw such things in her future.
It made her wonder, in fact, if having James here was such a good idea. While she and Amelia were not enemies, their relationship had always been competitive… and it was entirely Lucy’s stepmother’s fault.
Growing up, Amelia had been treated as the clear favorite, while Lucy was considered second best. However, because Lucy was the eldest, her stepmother often liked to point out to Amelia how further along Lucy was in life, how she would marry first, and how imperative it was that Amelia not allow Lucy to get the best of her.
It meant that Amelia always saw Lucy as competition. Absurd, as she wanted for nothing and was the clear favorite of the two. Even Lucy’s marriage to the duke was sure to have caused envy, and now Lucy wondered if these last three weeks had seen this envy grow into outright jealousy.
“Amelia…” Lucy prodded.
“Oh!” Amelia pulled her attention from James. “I am sorry, I was just watching him crawl about. He is so adorable.”
