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After a round of courtesies, Hugo led his visibly irritated fiancée toward the door in search of their hostess.

Lady Knowe, Maddie, and Ophelia said nothing until Lady Woolhastings and the duke had left the room.

Then Lady Knowe said, with a cackle of laughter, “I thought all the naughtiness would be effectual, but you found the perfect weapon, Lady Penshallow!”

“Please, call me Maddie,” she said, reaching out and taking Lady Knowe’s hand. “I have a feeling that we might become much better acquainted in the near future. Phee is my dearest relative and I cannot bear to lose her to the wilds of Cheshire.”

Ophelia felt herself turning pink. “I believe this conversation is uncalled for,” she said. “Nothing . . . That is . . .”

“Surely my brother has thrown himself on his knees and declared his love? Because he does, you know.” Lady Knowe regarded Ophelia with bright eyes. “He’s in love. Simply dizzy with it.”

“I don’t know why,” Ophelia said, glancing at the door, but their hostess had not reappeared, and neither had the duke. Presumably he was escorting Lady Woolhastings to her house.

“I’ll leave the whys up to him,” Lady Knowe said. “If I know my brother, he’ll be able to convince you of his reasoning. All I can say is that I haven’t seen him so happy since Marie died. He made a mistake with Yvette, but he had the best of intentions.”

“He was trying to find a mother for his children,” Maddie said, nodding. “I thought that was why he asked about Phee. But then it turned out he didn’t even know that Phee is an excellent mother. He didn’t know who she was at all.”

“He’s not in love with her for that,” Lady Knowe said. “Mothering is the least of it. I will warn you, my dear, that my brother seems to be extraordinarily potent. Yvette complained endlessly and swore he wasn’t allowed to come near her without a French letter, but to no avail.”

Ophelia discovered that she didn’t want to hear anything more about Yvette. Or Hugo’s beloved first wife either.

Lady Knowe apparently read her expression, because she turned to Maddie without taking a breath. “So, tell me, when will your child be born?” she asked, gesturing toward Maddie’s pillow.

She turned a little pink. “Three months. Or so.” She cleared her throat.

“Maddie will stay with me until the child arrives,” Ophelia said, giving Lady Knowe a look that told her the subject was closed.

Lady Knowe broke out laughing. “In case I didn’t think that you had the gumption to be a duchess, the glance you just gave me would have proved me wrong.”

Ophelia felt herself turning pink again. But there was one question she had: “Will you really be leaving the castle and moving to Kent?”

“I would not wish to be in my brother’s household if it would cause the least disquiet in his marriage. It can be difficult if two women share domestic duties.”

“Oh, please,” Ophelia said, putting her cards on the table. “I adore my daughter. I am growing . . . fond of the duke. But I think about walking into the castle and eight children . . .” She stopped hopelessly.

“You will grow to love them, because they are vastly lovable,” Lady Knowe said, smiling. “Even when they are naughty.”

“I was charmed by them yesterday,” Ophelia said. She turned to Maddie. “The three youngest had made up some questions to determine who would be a good mother. Unfortunately, I failed all three.”

Maddie blinked. “I can’t imagine a better mother than you!”

“She doesn’t have any false teeth, she would like another baby, and she doesn’t care for the idea of a pet rat,” Lady Knowe said. “Flat failure on all counts and yet, you’ll be happy to know that the nursery was unanimous in their declaration that Hugo should choose you. Horatius announced their decision at dinner last night.”

Ophelia could feel herself turning pink. “That was very kind of them, given that Betsy informed me that there are no free beds in the nursery.”

“I have been informed that the nursery thinks a white rat would make a perfect wedding gift,” Lady Knowe said.

“I would be very grateful if you would consider making your home with us,” Ophelia said to her, ignoring the prospect of a pet rodent. She hadn’t yet accepted the duke’s proposal, but here she was, making domestic arrangements. “I have no wish to manage a castle by myself or, truly, to manage a castle at all.”

Lady Knowe’s eyes searched her face.

“Far more importantly, as I see it, you are the children’s mother,” Ophelia said. “To rip you away from them would be terrible. I cannot imagine moving away from my daughter, Viola. Nor would she be happy without me.”

“I will admit that I find the idea of leaving them painful.”

“You were never planning to leave,” Maddie said. “You just told Lady Woolhastings as much to frighten her off.”

“No,” Lady Knowe said. “If I felt that my brother’s happiness was hanging in the balance, I would leave. They are not my children, after all.”