Page 85 of A Mother for the Blind Duke’s Orphans

Instead, he said, “The children are becoming attached to me.”

Jasper frowned. “Well…that is a terrible development. Children in one’s household becoming attached to their own uncle is utterly preposterous.”

“And Poppy.” Hector ignored his jibe.

Jasper’s levity faded again as Hector set the glass down because he did not trust his grip.

“She has changed the house.”

His friend frowned. “Wives tend to do that.”

“Not just the furniture.” He struggled, irritated by the inadequacy of words. “There is too much noise now. And movement and color.”

Hector exhaled before he continued. “Before she came, the house was orderly, quiet and manageable. I knew what each day required. I did not—” he stopped.

“Want more?” Jasper supplied the words for him.

Hector nodded. “Now the children sleep in a fortress made of blankets because she understood what they needed and tried to make them comfortable. Aurora offered to guide me through my own house. Princess quiets when Poppy dances for her, and Mrs. Patterson apparently commits treason at her request. While I⁠—”

He stopped again, but Jasper did not rescue him this time.

Hector’s hand found the head of his cane. Its familiar shape steadied him. “Whatever she had brought with her…it has changed everything in the dukedom.”

“And that would be unbearable for you?”

Hector did not reply right away as he thought about life without Poppy. A quiet sadness enveloped him. It was surprising and new to him. Hector found it hard to understand why he could not picture even a day without her.

Jasper’s voice drew him back again. “Sterling, loving one’s own wife is hardly the end of the world. Uncommon, perhaps, but it is not a tragedy.”

“I do not love her,” he said too quickly.

“No?” Hector perceived Jasper’s raised brow.

“No.”

“Then what name are we giving this fear of losing her, this fascination with her happiness, and this sudden poetic appreciation for too much sound and color in your home?”

That was a good question, but he would not admit it. Especially to Jasper.

“It is merely my responsibility and my duty as her husband.” Hector avoided Jasper’s eyes because his friend would see too much.

Jasper tilted his head back and laughed. “You always were ambitious with lies.”

Hector turned his face toward him. “I know duty, and I know obligation. I know what happens when a household depends on a person and that person fails to consider the consequences. Poppy is good for the children and the house. It is natural that I should wish to preserve that.”

“All right, then explain the fact that you look as if someone has taken a knife to you when you say her name?” Jasper crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for an answer.

“That is your imagination, Jasper.”

“My imagination has excellent eyesight.”

Hector’s mouth hardened at the jab, while Jasper let the silence stand.

“I was content,” he said eventually. “Before this marriage and adoption.”

“Were you truly, Hector?” Jasper inclined his head and listened intently.

Hector thought about the sleepless nights and effort he put into the dukedom by himself. The halls of Sterling House were eerily silent, and he saw no colors, shapes, or movements, no matter how hard he looked around. He was utterly alone.