Page 58 of Bound By the Duke

Lottie lifted her head with a sigh, then her lips curled into the faintest smile. “Really?”

“Really.” Aurelia nodded. “And when I return, you will tell me all about how brave he was, won’t you?”

“Yes.” The girl’s voice was steadier now, her blue eyes twinkling. “I will tell you everything.”

Pleased, Aurelia moved closer to kiss the girl’s cheek. This time, Lottie giggled, especially when Sir Whiskerton pawed at the hem of her nightdress.

“But where will you go? Where is the ball?” the little girl asked again, ever so inquisitive.

“To the city,” Aurelia answered with a smile, her siblings’ faces flashing through her mind. Banfield House was situated in the heart of London. “When I return, I will take you somewhere even better—my home. You will meet my family.”

“Family?” Lottie perked up.

For her, family had always been quiet and distant. But Aurelia spoke of her family with so much joy that it made the little girl wonder how wonderful her family was.

“Yes.” Aurelia laughed again as images of her chaotic family flashed through her mind. “I have two younger siblings, Nora and Louis. They are twins. When we were little, they were the most mischievous pair.”

“Mischievous? Like Sir Whiskerton?”

“Oh, my cat actually learned from them.”

Lottie burst into laughter, her little shoulders quaking.

“They would steal biscuits from the kitchen and hide them in the garden. Or sneak frogs into my mother’s sewing kit.”

“Frogs?” Lottie echoed in an incredulous tone.

“I always had to scold them before Mama saw, you know.” Aurelia chuckled, shaking her head. “But Lady Scovell is very strict. Nothing escapes her notice.”

“Your house must be so fun,” Lottie remarked.

“Of course.” Aurelia smiled. “But you know that too much fun could also turn a house upside down.”

Lottie laughed again, but the sound was quick to melt into a sigh. She stared at her hands for a long moment, hesitating before finally whispering, “I wish I had brothers. Or sisters.”

Aurelia froze at those words. Something about them made her chest tighten.

“My father says that I had a mother once,” Lottie continued, her voice small. “But—but she died when I was born.”

Aurelia’s breath hitched. She hardly heard the girl speak about her mother. She did not know the full story, and the closest she had gotten was seeing the late duchess’s portrait.

Hearing the little girl speak about her made her heart clench.

“I never met her.” Lottie shrugged. “Sometimes I think… if I had a mother, maybe I’d have more family. A fun family that would turn this house upside down as well. Maybe I wouldn’t be so…” she trailed off, biting her lip. “Alone.”

Once again, the words sank deep into Aurelia’s chest. They stirred a feeling heavy and sharp.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the girl close again and pressed her cheek to her hair.

“Dearest,” she whispered, her voice trembling with tenderness. “Can’t you see, darling? You are not alone. Not anymore. You have always had your father. You also have me now. And I promise I will never let you feel forgotten.”

She couldn’t fathom the little girl’s pain.

A child who had never known a mother. A child who lived in a house that was so cold, with a father who hid everything behind his silence.

Lottie deserved warmth. She deserved laughter. She was a sweet little girl who deserved a fun family.

Mischievous siblings.