Page 57 of A Baby to Seal the Duke’s Fate

“It is not disapproval.”

He looked up. “You are in a generous mood.”

She did not smile. “Do not be flippant when I am counting figures.”

Leopold leaned back slightly and closed the ledger. “Then why are you here rather than Sayer?”

“Because Sayer is not your mother.”

“That is the very reason why he is my steward.”

She gave him the sort of look that meant she had not come to be entertained.

“I came to ensure all is well with the estate.”

“I am sure that I, as a duke, am perfectly capable of handling the affairs of my estate.”

His mother glowered at him, but her eyes told him her intentions before she spoke them.

“The accounts are not the only reason I wanted to speak with you.”

Leopold’s expression cooled at once. “Of course they are not.”

His mother set down her pen. “The Season is approaching.”

He said nothing.

She continued. “You will need to be seen in London.”

He sneered, shaking his head.

“I attend the requisite dinners before and after the Season, and I am never absent from a mandatory meeting at Parliament. You cannot convince me that I owe society any more than that.”

His mother’s eyes narrowed until he could barely see what color they were.

“A duke who hides at his country estate with a foundling baby and a nursemaid of unknown origin is a duke who invites talk.”

Leopold nodded slowly, not hiding his sardonic attitude.

“I am aware.”

“Being aware is not the same as remedying the situation, which is far more important to everyone.”

Leopold looked up. “You make it sound worse than it is.”

“I make it sound accurate.”

“It is far from accurate,” he said. “And anyone who knows us already knows the exact situation.”

His mother pressed a dramatic hand to her forehead.

“And those who do not know us will not be satisfied with second-hand explanations. They will speak as they will on the matter.”

He gave a faint, tired exhale. “The talk will pass.”

“Only if you give it somewhere else to go.”

He held her gaze. “I am not sending Cecily away.”