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“That sounds enchanting,” Lily said. “What about you, Mummy?”
“Auntie Iris and I visited with Her Grace and Miss Landon a bit. Did you know that Miss Landon and Auntie Iris were best friends as girls?”
“No, I didn’t. Auntie, why have you never mentioned that before?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I had too much else to think about when the earl was alive, I suppose. It was good to talk to Lucy again.”
“Tell me, do you know why she never married?” Lily asked.
“Yes, she was head over heels in love with an Irish sailor. They were betrothed, but he died at sea. Lucy’s father never approved of the match and made no secret of the fact that he was glad Nolan had perished. A month later, Her Grace married the duke, and poor Lucy was forgotten.”
“How sad,” Alexandra said. “She never met another man that she wanted to marry?”
“No, never,” Iris replied. “Her Grace made a place for Lucy here, so she could escape their parents. She has lived here since, and she and I lost touch eventually.”
“I’m so glad you’ve gotten reacquainted,” Rose said. “How is it that you first met Miss Landon?”
“She and I are the same age. The Landons had a London townhouse near ours.”
“Is Her Grace older or younger than Lucy?” Sophie asked.
“Older. She’s fifty-four.”
Lily did some rapid calculations in her head. That meant she had been twenty-two when she had Daniel.
Aunt Iris continued, “We all spent time together when our families were in London. Her Grace was being courted by an earl when she was seventeen, and the three of us used to follow her around and spy on them.” Aunt Iris laughed. “She was actually quite good about it. Lucy and I were fifteen, and your mother but eleven. What fun we had!”
“An earl?” Lily said. “What about the duke?”
“The earl had his heart set on someone else, actually. He broke Her Grace’s heart, and he didn’t marry until many years later. Her Grace married the duke when she was twenty. They had known each other for only a week. The duke approached Her Grace’s father, and a betrothal agreement was reached before Her Grace had even met the duke.”
“I wonder why the duke chose Her Grace,” Rose said. “He probably could have had whomever he wanted.”
“Maggie—I mean Her Grace—was exotically beautiful,” Aunt Iris continued. “Her hair was dark blond and her eyes the most remarkable emerald green. Her hair is lighter now, but she’s still a handsome woman for her age. Her intelligence was well known also. Most likely the duke thought she would bear smart and handsome heirs, which she did, of course.”
“That’s fascinating,” Lily said. “Whatever happened to the earl she was in love with?”
Aunt Iris grinned. “He married your mother.”
Lily widened her eyes into saucers. “You’re joking. Mummy!”
Lady Ashford smiled. “I was just a child when your father was courting the duchess. We renewed our acquaintance about six years later, when I was seventeen. By that time Her Grace had been married to the duke for two years. She had already produced an heir and was expecting another.”
Daniel. Lily smiled to herself, imagining the beautiful boy slumbering in Her Grace’s belly, with hair more tantalizing than his mother’s and eyes like no other.
“You look dreamy, Lily,” Rose said. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing,” Lily said abruptly.
“It is incredibly romantic,” Sophie said.
“What’s so romantic about it? The duke forced Her Grace to marry him.”
“Actually, Her Grace grew to love the duke,” Aunt Iris said. “They had a happy marriage. She was devastated when the duke and Morgan were taken from her last year. Thank goodness Lucy was here to take care of her. The duke—that is, the new duke—was no help at all.”
“You shouldn’t speak ill of our host, Iris,” the countess said.
“You’re right of course, Flora. I’ll say nothing mo
