Living with the Rakish Duke by Marski Renee

Author:Marski, Renee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-10T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

V ictoria spent the following morning with the girls, taking them out to the garden to pick flowers and play. She got them into a game of chase, finding that keeping up with them even in her condition was not hard at all. They giggled and squealed, running from her as fast as their little legs would take them. At one point, Victoria whipped around a tree to snag the back of Isabel’s dress, and the little girl tumbled, scraping her knee. Big tears welled in her eyes as she turned to Victoria with her arms out. “Mama.”

Victoria’s heart almost stopped at the word.

Henrietta leaned around the tree to smile at Victoria. “She said it.”

Victoria turned, her brow furrowed, Isabel clutched in her arms. “What do you mean?”

Henrietta froze, her eyes wide. She looked at the ground, scuffing at the grass with the toe of her shoe. “Nothing.”

Victoria bent to Henrietta’s level, reaching out with one hand to touch the girl’s cheek. “Henrietta, do you know why she called me ‘Mama’?”

The little girl nodded. “Because I told her to.”

Tears pricked at Victoria’s eyes, but she blinked them away. “You did? Why?” She knew the girls had never known their mothers. Having never known her mother either, Victoria knew what a hole that could leave.

The girl met her eyes, tears wetting her cheeks. “Because I hoped you would be our mama. Can you be?”

The girl’s innocent question warmed Victoria’s heart. She pulled the child into her lap, holding both of them close. “Of course I’ll be your mama.” She held them a moment longer before standing and dusting them off, then resuming their game. She could not wait to tell Frederick.

When she saw him at lunch, he looked better than he had in the past week, the bags under his eyes having significantly reduced. They had yet to talk about what to do about Isla, but Victoria did not think it was right to bring up the matter around the girls. Instead, she told him about the incident in the garden. “Then Henrietta said she wanted me to be their mama. Is that not wonderful?” She beamed at him.

Frederick smiled at her before turning to his daughters. “Is that so, girls?”

Henrietta nodded enthusiastically. “She is nice like a mama. She sings to us and tucks us into bed like a mama.” She grinned at Victoria, proud of what she was saying.

Victoria reached over to squeeze the girl’s hand. “And I love doing all those things. I would be honored for you to call me Mama.” She shot a grin at Frederick, whose shoulders seemed to relax at the exchange. Victoria could only hope that this would put some cheer in his life after the difficult week he had experienced. She dreaded their conversation about Isla, though she knew they could not put it off forever.

***

Once the girls were tucked away in their beds for the night, Victoria found Frederick in the library, settled near the hearth in his favorite winged-back chair.

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