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“Are you—will you return?” she asked, feeling somewhat nervous.

He hesitated, and she could see that same inner conflict raging inside him. “I am not sure.”

“I will wait for you,” she said quickly.

Again, he hesitated, but then he nodded once, gave her a soft smile, and quickly vanished as he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Hannah knew right then that he would not return. And while she was upset by this, she could not help but smile at what had just happened. He had not touched her, as he promised. But somehow, this felt like more than that. More personal. More intense. A step in the right direction, one which she knew would soon lead to one place and one place only.

Oh, Frederick might try and resist for as long as possible, but tonight proved he was only human. And with tomorrow being another day they might spend together, and the day after that and the day after that, Hannah was certain that sooner rather than later, she wouldn’t need her finger the way she had tonight.

Chapter Twelve

“Remember what we spoke about last night, Amelia,” Frederick warned. “You promised to behave today.”

“I remember, Father,” Amelia said solemnly, looking at the empty plate in front of her as if upset.

“You promised you would at least try.”

“I will, Father.”

“And as for pushing Hannah as you did yesterday…” Frederick trailed off, raising a warning eyebrow at his daughter.

She did not look at him directly, but he knew that she saw it and knew its meaning.

Her face contorted into a tight ball. “I did not mean for her to fall.”

“I know.”

“It is not my fault that?—”

“Amelia,” he growled.

She continued to pout. “I will not push her.”

He chuckled lightly as he reached across the table and took her hand. He gave it a squeeze, then brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

“I promise that if you give her a chance, you will learn to love her. Trust me, this is…” His stomach twisted with guilt. “This is a good thing.”

To that, Amelia did not respond, only staring at her plate. He knew his daughter well enough to know that sometimes silence was the best response he could hope for.

Frederick had made sure to prepare his daughter early today so that they would be in the dining room to break their fast before Hannah arrived. That way, he could have one final chance to speak with his daughter alone and let her know what was expected. After what had happened yesterday… Well, needless to say, a fresh start was needed. And many a stern warning.

But Frederick resolved that Amelia and Hannah should get along. That was, after all, one of the main reasons he had chosen to remarry. A little girl needed a mother, a role model, someoneto look up to in a way that a father simply could not fulfill. And whether Amelia liked it or not, Hannah would become that person.

For that reason—and Frederick knew that this would be the true challenge of the day—he too had to make sure to treat Hannah with respect.

“Good morning,” Hannah said as she appeared in the doorway of the dining room.

She was dressed in simple daywear, a light dress that had shoulders and a back, thankfully. But the sunlight filtering through the window shone right where she stood, and the sight of her, beaming, brought back memories that had kept Frederick up most of the night.

“Good morning,” he returned as she sashayed into the room. “Amelia…”

“Good morning,” Amelia muttered to her empty plate.

“I slept wonderfully last night,” Hannah crooned as she made her way toward them. “And you, husband?”

“Well enough…” He could not even look at her, as if she might know the truth of his rough night… and its cause.