Page 44 of A Deal for the Duke’s Virgin

Thalia paused, frowning down at her. “Ungrateful? No, of course not. It is quite natural to be sad that your friend missed out on a treat, and it’s equally natural to want her to come along with you.”

Sophia shifted her weight from foot to foot. “Sister May said that I should not complain and that I was being ungrateful.”

“Well, Sister May does not think very much of ladies and their patronage. Through hard experience, I’m afraid. She believes that I will stop caring about the orphanage and all you children when I get married. She is wrong on both counts. I will never stop caring, and I will never get married.”

A faint smile curved Sophia’s lips, and Thalia smiled back, tapping her nose.

“Do you feel better?” she asked, and Sophia nodded. “Good. On we go, then.”

They reached their usual picnic spot in the Park, a flattish plateau on the top of a small hill. A rich green oak spread above them, and tall grass swayed around.

Mabel set out the picnic basket and began to unpack the food, humming to herself. Thalia settled down on a low boulder and set down the rectangular hamper.

“Now,” she said, smiling around at them, “none of you have asked what’s inside this basket.”

She had their attention now. The children settled around her, rapt, and waited.

She carefully opened the lid. At once, an orange tabby popped his head out. He eyed the children through sharp yellow eyes.

“This is my cat,” Thalia announced. “His name is Orange, like those lovely fresh fruits you all get at Christmas. He’s a terrible troublemaker and has a habit of scratching expensive furnishings in our house. I love him dearly, you see,” she added, and the children all nodded in agreement.

“Might I stroke him?” Nicholas asked eagerly.

“You may. He’s unlikely to bite or scratch you, but like a dog, a cat has its own preferences and boundaries. Don’t be offended if he doesn’t want to be stroked right now.”

Nicholas scrambled over and hesitantly let his hand hover over Orange’s head. The cat tipped its head back to look at him and thoughtfully swiped a paw at the boy’s fingers.

Nicholas gave a squeak and stumbled back.

“Cowardly custard!” Sophia shrieked in delight.

“May I try?” Alex piped up.

Thalia nodded, and he inched forward. Gingerly, he offered his fingertips. Orange deigned to sniff them and then turned his head as if in resigned acceptance. Alex cautiously smoothed his fingers over the cat’s soft forehead and beamed with delight.

“He’s so soft,” he whispered.

“I’ve had him since he was a kitten,” Thalia explained. “He was a present from my stepmother.”

“Stepmother?” Sophia echoed, frowning.

“I don’t like stepmothers,” Nicholas stated flatly. “When my mother died, my father got married again. My stepmother hated me and used to say so all the time. She wouldn’t let me eat at the dinner table with the rest of them. I had to sit on the floor because she said that my table manners were bad. She used to pinch me when Pa wasn’t looking and lock me outside, no matter how cold it was. I heard her telling him that they could never be happy as long as I was there.”

Thalia went still. Nicholas’s eyes took on a faraway look, and she held her breath, not daring to interrupt him.

“I kept thinking that Pa would say something,” he mumbled. “But he never did. I knew my stepmother was going to have a baby because her belly got big. She had twins, a boy and a girl. A few days later, Pa took me in a stagecoach to St. Sarah’s. I didn’t know where we were going until we got there, but he said that it was for the best because he couldn’t afford to feed more mouths. I said that he should put the twins out, or her, because I had been there first, but he boxed my ears and left without saying goodbye.”

Silence followed.

Thalia glanced over at Mabel, whose face had hardened.

“Well,” Mabel said when it seemed like nobody else was going to speak, “more fool them, that’s all I can say. You’re going to grow up and make yourself a fortune and have a fine family, Nicholas, and then they’ll be sorry.”

Nicholas smiled wanly.

Sophia inched closer, putting her head on his shoulder. Alex gingerly lifted Orange out of the basket and shuffled over to place him on Nicholas’s lap. Orange stood up on his hind legs and rubbed his head against Nicholas’s chin, purring.

The boy dashed a tear from his cheek, smiling bravely, and carefully patted Orange’s head. “I miss having a family,” he mumbled.