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“And I suspect they didn’t try very hard.”
Donella smiled and went back to stacking her bandeaus and ribbons in a neat pile.
“So, you’ve decided to leave us,” Victoria said after a short silence.
“Eden and Alasdair arrived in town this evening, and I can work more efficiently if I’m staying at Breadie Manor. There’s still a great deal of work for the Christmas party.”
Victoria sighed. “I’ll miss you, but it’s no wonder you wish to leave. Logan has made a complete ass of himself. All I can say is that thereisa reason for his ridiculous behavior tonight. One that makes quite a lot of sense.”
“I’m not owed any explanations, Victoria.”
“Of course you are, dear. We all know Logan was courting you. He’d been making quite a show of it. Trust me—everyone noticed.”
Donella looked down to see she’d crumpled some of the ribbons she’d just folded. “It . . . it doesn’t matter. He obviously doesn’t wish to—”
Victoria stood. “Since you’re still awake, I wish you’d come to the nursery with me.”
“But—”
“Nurse says Rowena is fractious this evening, and I want to check on Joseph, too.”
Donella’s heart jammed in her throat. “Oh, dear. I hope Joseph didn’t hear the argument. He’s so sensitive about anything to do with his father.”
Victoria headed for the door. “Let’s go find out, shall we?”
When Donella hesitated, the countess tilted her head. “Joseph will surely wish to see you if he is upset. You have a splendid knack for making him feel better when he’s out of sorts.”
Donella smiled wryly. “You’re quite good at that.”
“What?”
“Making people feel guilty.”
Victoria chuckled as she led Donella out of the room. The long corridor was hushed and dim, lit only by a few lamps on half-moon tables.
“I hope I don’t run into anyone, dressed in my nightrail and wrapper,” Donella said.
“I ordered all the men upstairs. Everyone’s finally in bed, thank goodness.”
They took the stairs to the nursery floor, where the schoolroom and music room were also located. Kendrick House was a lovely, spacious mansion, which amply served the comings and goings of a busy family. It was a home in the best sense of the word—warm, welcoming, and usually a great deal of fun.
For a moment, Donella couldn’t help missing Blairgal Castle and her own family. Yet Blairgal no longer felt like home. While she’d been in the convent, her relatives had moved on with their lives, getting married and starting families. Oh, they’d welcomed her back with open arms, but she no longer really fit in.
Victoria opened the door to the nursery. “Good evening, Lucy. How is my daughter this evening?”
The head nursemaid was sitting in a rocker next to the rosewood cradle. She glanced up with a grimace. “I think the wee mite has a new tooth comin’ in, my lady. She’s still fussin’.”
Victoria crossed the long room, cozily tucked up under the eaves of the big house. Bookcases and shelves lined the walls, each one stacked with toys, puzzles, dolls, and chalkboards. The floor was covered with a thick-piled carpet, perfect for a baby to crawl upon or for a little boy to play with a set of toy soldiers. Joseph’s set took pride of place in front of the hearth. The little wooden soldiers were lined up in neat rows, ready to march off to whatever adventures awaited them.
The countess peeked into her daughter’s cradle and chuckled. “Wide awake, I see.”
Deftly wrapping the bairn in the light blanket, Victoria scooped her up.
Rowena Caroline Kendrick was five months old and an absolute darling. A plump, happy baby, she had her father’s black hair and her mother’s sapphire eyes. She laughed a good deal more than she cried, and never protested when a boisterous Kendrick male hoisted her over his head or planted bristled kisses on her cheeks.
Her favorite, naturally, was her papa. Normally a serious, dignified man, Lord Arnprior’s face lit up like a blazing comet whenever he saw his daughter. He spent a fair amount of time with her, more so than the average aristocratic male, in Donella’s experience. The earl sometimes seemed a bit sheepish about his tendency to haunt the nursery. According to Victoria, it annoyed the nursemaids, but Donella found it to be an endearing quality in such a powerful, busy man.
“Lucy, why don’t you get ready for bed?” the countess said. “I’ll rock Rowena and see if I can get her to sleep.”
