“I’ve already given him my consent, Countess,” the duke said.
“No changing his mind. We have too much cake to not have a celebration.”
Daniel gave Lionel an affectionate pat on the head, scrunching the fuzz atop his skull and offered him back to Repington. Then he turned to face his aunt. “Duke, may we borrow your study, so I may have a word with my aunt?”
“Of course, but no fleeing through the widows or tampering with my swords. Only the duchess has permission for those.”
Daniel bent to Hope. “Follow the duke and be a good girl. Help him with Lionel.”
The little girl stood up again with his help. She wobbled farther and made it to the infamous parlor.
Lady Shrewsbury took Daniel’s arm, and he whisked her into the duke’s headquarters. Closing the door, he put his back against it.
“I see you received my note.”
“First, you disappear from my party. Did you know Mrs. St. Maur was caught in the throes of passion in one of my parlors with a baron? With the confusion, only one of my other widows received an offer.”
“Well, two if you count my bride-to-be.”
“You don’t mind that she wasflirtingwith another?”
“Aunt, she was with me. Lavinia tried another compromise, this one left me quite incapacitated. Jemina rescued me and damaged her reputation to keep mine from ruin.”
“So that was you? Your twitching feet under the sheet?”
“Yes, and your people need to dust the spare rooms.”
“Well, I thought . . . Lavinia said . . . Lady Lavinia must pay. I can’t believe she enlisted me in something to ensnare you.” She drew the duke’s sword, the one hanging low on the wall.
Daniel whipped it from her hands and returned it. “Aunt. I don’t need to represent you on charges of murder.”
“Very well. Jemina’s loyal to you, Daniel, but are you comfortable with her past? We know definitively that the St. Maurs were a party to financing the slave trade.”
“She doesn’t remember any of it. I won’t convict her of that. Aunt, you know Jemina, how gentle and kind she is.”
“I do. She is a good woman.” She backed away from the weapons. “Is she ready to be a stepmother to Hope? You told her what you’ve done in case the Dunns ever make trouble?”
“She will be a great mother to Hope. They’ve bonded.”
Lady Shrewsbury raised her hand then dropped it. “That’s good, but you didn’t answer my second question. Does Jemina know that you assumed custody of Hope and created a will and guardianship papers to keep her?”
“No.” He turned away for a moment, then stood up straight, chest puffed out. “No one need know anything about it. The Dunns haven’t questioned. With Jemina no longer making inquiries because she has a new life to occupy her, no one need ever know.”
“Daniel, you’re starting this union with a secret, a big one.”
“I shouldn’t have told you. You’re going to look at Hope and me—”
“No, Daniel. I’m going to trust that you know what you are doing. You are a great judge of character. I merely think that the woman with whom you wish to share your life should know everything. No secrets.”
The fear of losing everything by admitting to anyone but Lady Shrewsbury the truth about Hope was too great. How would he explain that he was different from his uncle if Daniel implemented a scheme to retain custody? Merely having good intentions didn’t make wrong right. “I want this forgotten.”
“Truth has a way of coming out, Daniel.”
“The only truth that matters is that I can make Jemina happy and that she makes me happy. And Hope. I’ve never seen my daughter with such joy.”
“The woman you brought to me from Bedlam is trustworthy. Don’t you know that?”
“I know who she is, Aunt. We’ll face our future together, everything. No looking back. Give me your blessing on this.”
