Page 81 (1/2)

Prologue

Evangeline, the Duchess of Kingston, lifted her infant grandson froly in a soft white towel Chortling, the baby braced his sturdy legs and attempted to stand in her lap He explored her face and hair with grasping wet hands, and Evie laughed at his affectionate rabbed the double strand of pearls around her neck “Oh, I knew I shouldn’t have worn those at your bath time Too much t-teh it was now very slight compared to what it had been in her youth

“Your Grace,” the young nurse toward her “I would have lifted Master Stephen out of the tub for you A fair armful, he is Solid as a brick”

“He’s no trouble at all,” Evie assured her, kissing the baby’s rosy cheeks and prying his grip from her pearls

“Your Grace is very kind to help with the children on Nanny’s day off” Carefully the nursemaid took the baby frolad to do it, since you have s to attend to”

“There’s n-nothingtime in the nursery—it reminds me of when my children were small”

Ona chuckled as Stephen reached for the white ruffled cap on her head “I’ll powder and dress him now”

“I’ll tidy up the bath things,” Evie said

“Your Grace, youto strike an effective balance between sternness and pleading “Not in your fine silk dress—you ” As Evie parted her lips to argue, Ona added fully, “Nanny would have my head if she knew I’d let you help as much as I have”

Checkmate

Knowing that Nanny would have both their heads, Evie responded with a resigned nod, although she was unable to resistan apron”

The nurse Stephen to the nursery

Still kneeling on the bath rug in front of the tub, Evie reached behind her back for the flannel apron ties Ruefully she reflected that it was no easy task to satisfy the servants’ expectations of how a duchess should behave They were deterher tea with a silver spoon And while she was a grandmother of two, she was still slim and fit—easily able to lift a slippery infant froh the orchard Just last week, she had been lectured by theover a stacked stone wall to retrieve a few stray toy arrows

As she fumbled with the stubborn apron knot, Evie heard a footstep behind her Although there was no other sound or sign of the visitor’s identity, she kneho it was, even before he sank to his knees behind her Strong fingers brushed hers away, and the knot was freed with a deft tug