Page 25

M organ had planned his surprise perfectly.

He would wait until their guests had retired to their bedchambers, and then he would find Dorothy and bring her to the glasshouse at night. The moonlight would shine onto the flowers he had purchased, and he would tell her what he had been trying to say for the last few days.

He was falling for her, and he had no intentions of stopping himself.

He did not know if she would feel the same, or if she would tell him that they had their arrangement and she wished to keep to it, but he had to tell her or else he would burst.

Unfortunately, his gift had slipped his mind entirely when he allowed the ladies and Catherine to visit the glasshouse, and the surprise was ruined. That did not matter to him, however, as Dorothy was smiling and that was all that he cared about.

"I feel as though this would be more special if we knew their meanings," Lady Beatrice chuckled softly. "Dorothy, have you ever told us what these mean in flower language?"

"I have not," she replied, "but the bird of paradise is my favorite flower, and the tiger lily is His Grace's."

Morgan placed a hand on Catherine's shoulder gently.

"And when you are older," he explained, "you may choose your favorite, and we shall place it with them."

"Oh, Uncle, that would be lovely! My favorite is tulips now, but that is not nearly as interesting."

"I would disagree," Lady Cecilia said kindly. "Personally, I love tulips. They need not be exotic to be interesting."

"Yes, they are my favorite too," Lady Annabelle said, perhaps a little too quickly. "Especially the yellow ones."

Catherine wrinkled her nose.

"I do not like the yellow ones. The pink ones are nicer. Aunt Dorothy told me that they mean love and good wishes."

"Indeed," Dorothy said warmly, "although the yellow ones mean happiness which is just as lovely."

She was trying to keep the peace with Lady Annabelle, but their guest was quite clearly opposed to that.

It was evident that Lady Annabelle had very little interest in being a friend to his wife, but as she was not doing anything outwardly hostile, he let it lie.

Lady Annabelle had always expected that she would be successful, and she had been hit with the realization that she was not and it was normal for her to envy the Duchess that she could have been.

When the time came to leave the glasshouse, they did so in pairs.

Dorothy walked beside him, Lady Beatrice with Lady Emma, and Catherine with Lady Cecilia, leaving Lady Annabelle alone.

She clearly seemed disgruntled by Catherine not choosing to walk with her, but she soon shook that from her and walked with Morgan and Dorothy instead.

It had only been a few short days, but he was already quite prepared for her to return to her own household and leave him be.

He hated the reminder of all that had happened between them, and he hated that it clearly made Dorothy think of something that, while she had not shared it with him, bothered her a great deal.

"Might you grow a yellow tulip with the pink one?" she suggested to Dorothy.

"If that is what Catherine decides, although I do not believe that she will want a yellow one. She said herself that she dislikes them."

"Yes, but if it is to be a family garden, with each member of it having a flower, then you ought to add mine too. We are family, after all."

"I shall ask my husband," she replied politely.

Morgan knew that he would say no, of course.

"Uncle Morgan!" Catherine called suddenly. "Come and look at this!"

He turned to see that his niece and Cecilia were looking at something in the ground, and as he had always done he went to look at it with her.

It was only as he reached them that he realized he had left Dorothy with Lady Annabelle, but he knew nothing would happen.

The other two ladies were far too close, and Lady Annabelle knew not to jeopardize her position as a guest.

It was a ladybird, which was one of her favorite insects. She held out a finger, and it crawled across it before sitting itself in her palm.

"Is it not lovely?" she asked.

"Very much so. Do you still have the little home for them?"

"Yes! I had forgotten all about it. Wait here."

She skipped off with the ladybird, leaving Morgan with one of the ladies he knew disliked him greatly. He turned to look at her, and already she had her arms folded and was wearing a scowl.

"I do not know what you said to Dorothy to make her happy, but I know my friend. She does not like this guest of yours."

"Lady Cecilia, I know what you think of me, but I assure you that I only have the best intentions."

"Yes, for every gentleman with good intentions leaves his wife without warning, and then sits in a room alone with an unmarried lady that he once courted."

"That is fair, but it was not how it seemed. I will admit that my sudden absence was wrong, but it was for the child. I have been searching everywhere for her mother, and at the time I did not know how to tell Dorothy. She and I have discussed it, and I no longer have anything hidden from her."

"Be that as it may, you did not see how she changed when we entered that room."

"I was in there because I do not completely trust her, either. I simply had nobody else to watch her with Catherine. It was foolish, I know, but again I have already discussed this with my wife."

"And what of those snide remarks that this lady continues to make? Do not pretend that you cannot hear them. I know that gossip between ladies is perhaps more insidious than how you gentlemen are, but you must have heard it."

"As far as I know, it is harmless, and if it is not, Dorothy knows to tell me."

"And if she does not?"

"She will," he snapped. "I understand that you are protecting her, but she is my wife. If something is making her unhappy, she is more than capable of saying as much. It is admirable of you to go to such lengths to care for her, but she is not a child."

"I did not say that."

"No, but you are implying that she does not know how to speak for herself."

"A lot of the time, she does not. I am not accusing you of anything, nor am I doing so to Dorothy.

I am simply saying that she does not tend to make a fuss.

She prefers to let things lie, and when it comes to an unmarried lady trying to stake her claim over Dorothy's home, I will say something if she cannot. "

"Here it is!" Catherine said brightly as she returned, forcing him and Lady Cecilia to replace their smiles.

"That is so lovely," Lady Cecilia commented. "Shall we put the ladybird inside?"

Catherine nodded, shaking her hand gently until the ladybird flew inside. They rejoined the others, though they were in no rush, but when they returned Lady Annabelle was missing.

"She has retired for the night," Lady Emma explained. "I may well have to do the same soon enough."

"That is no surprise to me," Dorothy smiled. "Your child shall soon be here. You must rest."

"If you need to sleep, you are more than welcome to," Morgan agreed. "I shall take no offence to it. Would you like your dinner brought to you?"

Lady Emma nodded gratefully, and Morgan had a maid accompany her to her room. He had not asked how soon the baby was to be born, but one look at her was enough to say that it was approaching time.

Mrs. Herrington took Catherine for her meal so that they could have some time as adults, and Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the parlor room.

"I am so pleased that you are here," she sighed happily. "I hardly see you."

"That may change," Lady Beatrice suggested. "As it is not the Social Season, we are able to come and go as we please."

"Your father may have something to say about that."

"My father is aware that I am in the company of a duke. He is also of the belief that said duke knows other dukes and eligible bachelors that I may make acquaintances with. Therefore, he is more than happy for me to spend my time here."

Morgan could not help but smile at her. Dorothy's friends were indeed more outspoken than Dorothy herself, and he was pleased that, of the four of them, he had married the most agreeable one at least. She was not a troublemaker like the others were, not that he minded them either.

He liked that they made noise, and that with them in attendance the household felt livelier.

"As for me, my father has all but given in," Lady Cecilia grinned. "He has at last accepted that I am destined to be a bluestocking spinster collecting dust. I rather like it that way."

"Are you not afraid that he will send you to the country?" Dorothy asked. "He has threatened to do so before."

"And yet, I remain with him. It is an empty threat, I assure you. Even if it were not, I believe I would quite like the country. I could be a governess, and truly do something good rather than simpering for a husband that I cannot stand. That is not meant as a comment to you, of course."

Morgan wondered whether or not he should have taken offence, but Dorothy laughed and so he assumed there was no need to.

Lady Cecilia was biting, but Dorothy had assured him that there was no real harm in her.

He hoped that was the case, for he wished to at least forge friendships with her friends.

He could see how important they were to her, and so even if they disliked him he would do all that he could.

"You must not pay her any heed," Lady Beatrice explained. "She is the most determined of us all not to marry, which means that when she does it shall be all the more entertaining."

"That is assuming that I shall change my mind, which will not happen."

"I thought that, once," Morgan replied, and all three ladies looked at him.

"What do you mean?" Dorothy asked. "I thought that you always knew it was your duty."

"I did, but that did not mean I was going to find a wife. I decided that I had no other choice when I saw the path that my brother was going to follow, but when I was younger I thought I would remain a bachelor, traveling the world and researching exotic plants."

"I had the same hopes for myself as a girl, though it was far less attainable for myself."

"Well, we could still do that," he suggested, and Dorothy looked at him with curiosity. "You and I never truly had a honeymoon. There is nothing stopping us from doing so."

"What about Catherine?"

"She can stay with Mrs. Herrington. It is what was done before we were married."

"But it is an awfully long time for her to be left alone. Perhaps it might wait until she is older? If we leave it long enough, she might even be able to join us?"

He loved how selfless she was. He would have said as much if they were alone, but he did not wish to say it in front of her friends for fear of seeming disingenuous.

He had never thought about taking Catherine outside of the home, given her condition but also the circumstances surrounding her birth.

He liked that Dorothy wanted to take her with them, but that would have to wait a long time.

In any case, it was a discussion that they would have when they were alone.

He saw that Lady Cecilia, however, was looking at him approvingly now. He had done something that had pleased her, and though that had not been his sole intention he was pleased that he had done so.

Suddenly, the door flew open once more, and Lady Annabelle came bursting into the room in tears.

"What is it, Lady Annabelle?" Dorothy asked.

"Do not come near me," she snarled. "Not after what your supposed friend said to me."

Morgan looked at Dorothy quizzically, but she seemed just as uncertain as he was.

"Lady Emma," she continued, "mocked my sister."