AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Royal frowned. “No, she asked me to make sure the baby was taken care of. I was happy to agree.”
Lady Margaret narrowed her rheumy gaze on him. “That’s not what she told me.”
Clearly, the old woman had misunderstood. “Well, thank God no such action is necessary, but it does raise the issue of what happens next. Ainsley suggested last night that plans had not, er, been finalized.”
The old woman snorted. “I’ve been trying to get the lass to make a decision for weeks.”
“She told me you’d offered to raise the baby.”
“Yes, but we both know that’s no good solution. I’m practically at death’s doorstep.”
Lady Margaret then sighed and thumped over to a high-backed chair, sinking into it. With such a forceful presence, it was easy to forget she’d passed her eightieth year some time ago. But now she looked frail and much too old to deal with so fraught a problem.
“Surely not,” he said gently. “But I agree a longer-term solution must be found. And I suspect you’ve given it some thought.”
She stacked her wrinkled hands on the knob of her cane and thoughtfully met his gaze. “There is a family I think will do quite well. They’re distant relations and members of our clan, so they’re loyal and very respectable. They own a tidy farm some hours north, so it’s ideal in that respect, quite out of the way. I, of course, would make financial arrangements and monitor the situation for as long as I could.”
Most would find that a more than suitable arrangement for the illegitimate child of an aristocrat, since it was rare for by-blows to be raised within their own families. They were generally—and quietly—placed somewhere in the countryside. That would certainly be the expected solution for a girl in Ainsley’s situation.
“Then why does Ainsley not agree?” Royal asked.
“She thinks it too precarious a situation for the child. Especially since I am a decrepit fossil with one foot in the grave.”
“Did she actually say that?”
“What do you think?”
He smiled, sure of the answer. “I have to say, I do see her point. You won’t be around forever, and it would be dangerous if Ainsley maintained contact with the family.”
“It would be fatal. She would have no peace of mind. Most importantly, she must leave no trail for Cringlewood to follow. I will not have either my niece or her baby put in danger of discovery by that man.”
For the last twenty-four hours, Royal had been suppressing his questions and his anger about the marquess, but he was done with that. “What thehelldid the bastard do to her?”
Lady Margaret snorted. “You may be able to intimidate the averagetondandy with that glower, Royal Kendrick, but it is wasted on me. Ainsley knows what she is about. If you are indeed her friend, you will support her, not question her.”
“Of course I’m her friend,” he snapped.
“Then leave it alone. Nothing good can come of drawing attention to her situation, I assure you.”
Royal blew out a frustrated sigh and crossed his arms. “So, that’s it. She gives the baby away and returns to London, as if nothing ever happened.”
“That is exactly it. If this situation can be managed, she is still young enough—and rich enough—to attract an excellent match. Although her other suitors are not as wealthy or as influential as Cringlewood, most would certainly make better husbands.”
While Royal’s heart rebelled at the notion of the lass wedded to another man, Lady Margaret’s reasoning was sound. If Ainsley could overcome the trauma of giving away her child, she could return to the former life that had suited her so well.
“But for some reason, she will not agree to the plan,” he said.
“No,” she said. “Which is unfortunate. Ainsley is already growing attached to the babe. We’d hoped to have the wet nurse on the premises when she went into labor, so the child could have been removed right away. But the blasted woman won’t arrive until late tomorrow.”
When she started to rise, he helped her up.
“Thank you,” she said. “Now, make yourself useful. Go in and see how the girl does.”
“You’ve already seen her?”
“Before the doctor came.” She suddenly flashed him a sly grin. “Besides, she’d much rather see you than me.”
He narrowed his gaze, suspicious. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”
