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“I am glad to hear it.”

She made right for him, not so much as breaking stride, and then when she reached him, she leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Frederick’s eyes went wide in shock. Caught between pulling away and snapping at her, forced to remain composed because his daughter was now watching him with a very curious look, he cleared his throat and offered her a grateful smile in return, to which she smirked with smug satisfaction.

“Is the food nearly ready?” she asked as she sat down across from Amelia, to Frederick’s left. “I am famished.”

Frederick’s mind was still on that kiss. His cheek tingled. His skin grew warm. His neck and chest flushed. It was a reminder of what had not happened last night while somehow emphasizing what had.

He still could not believe that he gave in the way he had. And while he liked to tell himself that he had not broken any rules, that was flimsy logic at best. On his left, Hannah was watching him with a wry smile, as if she knew what was on his mind, and while he hoped she might be more embarrassed, for some reason he was the one feeling as such.

It was a good thing she did not know what happened after he left her. When he snuck into the washroom and pleasured himself furiously at the image of her with her legs spread, touching herself. If she had known that…

“Father, are you feeling alright?” Amelia asked.

“W-what?” He hadn’t even realized that he had been staring, his mind lingering on last night. He cleared his throat and pounded his chest. “Yes, perfectly fine.”

“He looks like he has seen a ghost. Right, Amelia?” Hannah chuckled.

Amelia almost smiled, but forced herself not to, back to looking at her plate.

“I am just…. hungry.” He looked around and caught the eye of one of the footmen, motioning for him to check on the food.

“Me too,” Hannah sighed. “I could eat an entire horse—I amthathungry.”

Amelia snorted, but then her eyes went wide with shock, and she forced herself to keep looking down at her plate.

Hannah saw her reaction and grinned. “Or perhaps two horses. One time, I was so hungry that I ate an entire cow.”

“You did not!” Amelia cried, unable to keep quiet any longer.

“I did too,” Hannah said rightly. “Of course, it was far too much for me, and I did not eat after that for an entire week.”

“You are lying!” Amelia said, trying to look angry but failing. “Father, tell her she must tell me the truth!”

Frederick held out his palms. “I am not getting involved.”

“An entire cow?” Amelia scrunched up her face. “Even the hooves and the tail?”

“And the teeth and the tongue and the ears.” Hannah nodded as if she was being serious. “Although I do not recommend it. Also—and this was most strange—not only did I not eat for an entire week, but for a full month, I drank nothing but milk.”

Amelia began to giggle. “You’re being silly. Father, tell her to stop being silly!”

Frederick caught Hannah’s eyes, and she winked at him. A small moment, a silly one, but he could sense his daughter slowly starting to come around.

Oh, it would take more than that, he knew, but suddenly he wondered if the day might not be as tragic as it could have been.

What was more, the gratitude he suddenly felt for Hannah… well, it was enough that he was able to look at her and smile without feeling a burning intensity well below his belt.

“So, what are we doing today?” Hannah asked conversationally. “Amelia? Any ideas.”

Amelia was still hesitant. She eyed her curiously, a little bit nervous, then looked at Frederick, who nodded for her to speak.

“I… I want to explore the forest.”

“Oh, fun.”

“There is… there is a pond there that…” Amelia bit her lip. “That I want to swim in.”