Chapter 4
Chapter Four
“Iwas not expecting company,” Richard managed. “Good day, duchesses.”
“Where’s the baby?” Marianne asked, with a sharp exhale.
Disbelief was written all over his sister-in-law’s face. Richard knew that Victoria understood her reaction. She would not expect her sisters to simply accept her current situation without expressing their opinions. She would have been worse if she were on the other side of the coin.
“Yes. I’m glad you came. It’s why I sent for you all,” Victoria repeated, looking at each of her sisters. “Mrs. Davies will be coming to bring her to us.”
Richard was shocked to see so many people in his house, but relieved that at least the sisters did not come with their husbands. Each of these sisters was enough to make any other man quake.
Marianne was a formidable woman with strong convictions, especially against hunting as a sport. However, she probably would not hesitate to hunt him if he made one mistake against her sister.
Elizabeth was gentle, but could be fearsome when it came to family members, especially when supported by her Scottish husband. Wilhelmina had the power of the pen, and Daphne was his wife’s twin, the one who would care for her the most. He could not afford to offend any one of them.
He turned to see Victoria scrunch her face as if she were not pleased to see him. He didn’t like that at all. Last night, they were so close to kissing, or at least that was what he thought. Now, they were worse than when they started, two people who had a marriage deal and nothing more.
She wore a simple lavender gown, and her blonde hair was tied in a neat, braided topknot. It was more formal than the loose tendrils made magical by the moonlight the night before, as if she were trying to regain some control.
“I sent for them,” she said simply, not looking at him directly. Her gaze remained focused on something to his right. “I need help.”
Help.
She needed help, and she decided to seek it from her sisters. Certainly not from a man whom she barely knew. Even though he was—most likely—the root of this very issue.
Mrs. Davies soon appeared with Melody in her arms. The baby was wrapped in a soft flannel.
“There she is,” Victoria murmured, sounding pleased.
It sounded as if she had no problem with the infant. Not one bit. It was clear that she was almost in awe of the baby.
Richard’s sisters-in-law gasped. Their voices were soft and cultured, but their reaction was no less deafening.
“Victoria,” Richard protested, stepping closer to the group. “Don’t you think it’s too early to tell people about the child?”
“My family can be trusted,” Victoria replied firmly, her eyes finally meeting his own.
Her eyes were usually defiant but bright and joyful. Today, they were cold and tired.
“I don’t want to feel alone in this,” she added.
Again, it seemed Victoria knew exactly what to say to stab him in the heart. He was working on a solution, too. She just needed to believe him.
Throughout this little exchange, Wilhelmina was watching him with narrowed eyes. It didn’t surprise him when she marched toward him to give him a piece of her mind. She stopped barely a foot away from him.
“We need answers, Hawksford,” she demanded, her voice trembling with barely contained fury. Her hands pressed to her hips, her eyes blazing. “Do you truly expect us to believe that you have no connection whatsoever to the infant our sister found on your doorstep?”
How did she know already?
Richard glanced over at Victoria.
“Our sister explained everything in the note she sent us,” Wilhelmina supplicated before she continued.
“But that is besides the matter at hand. You chose to live away from her, Duke, as if that were not an insult enough. I demand to know who the child’s mother is, and why you would bring the infant here, to place the weight of a possible scandal upon our sister! ”
Richard reminded himself that he was the Duke of Hawksford. The title might still be fresh on him, but he had been raised to face scrutiny and conflict. He should be used to this. Control, like an icy grip, held him captive. He would stand his ground. He did not do anything wrong.
“This child is not mine. I have no children out of wedlock, even if I chose to manage Hawksford Hall away from your sister,” he said firmly.
Victoria’s twin sister, Daphne, spoke next.
“Still, you must admit it was the most natural conclusion to draw. Even other people will agree. You two maintained separate households, which is not often the case even in the coldest marriages of convenience. Sometimes, a month or two away will do. But a whole year? Then, a child appears seemingly out of nowhere, deposited at your London residence instead of an orphanage or a church. The assumption would be that there must be a misplaced mistress somewhere. Perhaps, this is her revenge, making your wife aware of the loneliness you felt in the country.”
A vein in his temple throbbed. Nobody had ever accused him of such a deterioration of morals. As a married man, he had conducted himself with utmost decency. He drowned himself in his work.
He clenched his hands into fists, trying to steady himself.
“I will not tolerate being accused of such dishonorable conduct in my own residence. It seems that this is nothing more than a means to interrogate me about the matter,” Richard groused.
Then, he turned to Victoria, whose eyes looked certain, but her chin was still lifted in defiance.
“I will leave you so that you may speak freely with your sisters. However, we will certainly discuss the matter later.”
Richard did not wait for any response from his wife. He did not expect anything supportive from her at this point. He barely had any proof at all to challenge her accusation. Which meant that he had to move heaven and earth to find the child’s mother, to show Victoria that he hadn’t shamed her.
His Duchess was an innocent woman. She didn’t deserve to be tangled up in his life. And certainly not involved in whatever this was.
Richard pursed his lips as a name crossed his mind.
Penwike.
Was it possible that, even after he’d made peace, Penwike would’ve enacted such a scheme? To drop an innocent child on his door in order to paint Richard like a scoundrel?
Richard sighed quietly. He had to find the truth. And he had to find it quickly, if this was truly a plan of vengeance by his family’s old rivals.
So, he strode out the door and slammed it behind him.
Victoria sighed heavily. She didn’t even try to hide the feeling of agitation from her sisters.
Her eyes were still on the closed door, her shoulders slumping a little.
She had to admit she felt some relief that Richard left the room.
The tension had become unbearable. However, she also felt some disappointment.
But what did she expect?
The young duchess walked toward the sofa, holding the baby close to her chest, finding the infant’s scent comforting.
“Come and join me here, sisters,” she said, as she sank onto the cushions, careful not to wake Melody. “Mrs. Davies, please have the maids serve tea immediately.”
The housekeeper acquiesced and left to fetch the maids. Finally, the sisters were completely alone. The four women settled on either side of Victoria, the group creating a cozy semi-circle.
“She is a sweetheart, Victoria. Melody is a beautiful name,” Elizabeth crooned, tentatively reaching to touch the baby’s cheek.
“I heartily agree. I may question her origins, but the baby did not do anything wrong. Everything about her is beautiful,” Daphne murmured, her eyes focused on the baby. Her twin seemed like she was about to ask another question, but refrained.
“Are you all right, though, Vicky?” Marianne asked, looking concerned. “It is not easy to take care of an infant, especially one that makes you lose sleep over one reason or another.”
“Yes, I do wonder,” Wilhelmina added. “Have you slept since you found the infant? You’re a little pale.”
Victoria chuckled at the word “pale.” She often ended up looking tanned from her various adventures, especially when she was younger. Pale had never been something people used to describe her. Her mother wished it were, because for Lady Grisham, it meant being more ladylike and confined.
“A little,” she admitted. “I am afraid I am not very good at this. So, it takes some tries to get her to sleep. I have had some help, though, as you may have suspected.”
“Well, you do look drained, Vicky,” Wilhelmina said, her voice sounding like a sigh.
“And Richard? What is he doing to unburden you not just of the childcare, but also of the potential scandal coming your way?” Marianne probed.
Her eldest sister had always been the protector. She would do anything for them, and now, it was showing in its intensity.
“He is working on finding Melody’s father and mother,” Victoria replied, looking away from Marianne’s gaze to admire the baby instead.
“Do you believe him?” Marianne asked. “That he is searching for the child’s family? That he is not the father?”
Truthfulness. How could someone gauge it in a person they had not truly known?
“I—I don’t know, Marianne,” she admitted, her voice low and uncertain.
“I wish I did, for it would make things far simpler. We have lived apart, as you all have remarked, yet it was an arrangement we agreed upon. I enjoyed the freedom it allowed. I want to trust him … he seems angry, even offended, that I should suspect him. And I am ashamed, as a wife, to be so uncertain of how to respond. What if he were lonely? What if it was but a moment he now regrets? He strikes me as honorable.”
She paused.
“Still … regardless of Melody’s parentage, I hope we can find her mother. Perhaps we might help her. To leave a child in such a manner … it is surely an act of desperation.”