My Last Duchess, стр. 30

He shook his head. “Your arms are aching, are they not?”

Lady Knowe and the children arrived before she could respond, milling about them and shouting, two grooms laden with parcelsin the rear.

Lady Woolhastings and Lady Knowe were acquaintanced, and Ophelia watched with a rather jaundiced fascination as Lady Woolhastingsdropped into a deep curtsy. Of course, Lady Knowe was to be her sister-in-law.

“Are these children all yours?” Lady Woolhastings asked a moment later. “I knew, of course, but there are so many!”

“Yes, they are,” the duke answered. “Lady Knowe, may I introduce Lady Astley? I am holding her daughter, Viola. And Lady Astley,this is my twin sister, Lady Knowe.”

Ophelia dropped into a curtsy.

“What a pleasure to meet you!” Lady Knowe said. She had an angular face; what was handsome in her brother looked somewhatincongruous shaped in womanly features. But when she smiled, her eyes lit up with true charm and she looked positively beautiful.

Ophelia beamed back at her. “I feel the same; your brother told me so much about you.”

“He has?” Lady Woolhastings drawled. “I was under the impression that my fiancé and you were scarcely acquainted.”

The word “fiancé” slid down Ophelia’s back like an icicle.

“Everyone loves to talk about me,” Lady Knowe said, turning to Lady Woolhastings and smiling. “Come, Edith, you know perfectlywell that my brother has the habit of chatting about me in moments when he has nothing else to say. Eccentric relatives aresuch a gift to polite conversation.”

Ophelia put on a serene expression and said, “Certainly I couldn’t describe my relationship with the duke as more than casual,since we recently met for the first time, and yet I am aware that you live mostly in the country and have kindly cared forHis Grace’s children, Lady Knowe.”

Beside her, Hugo made a sudden movement, as if he was about to refute the word “casual,” but Ophelia turned her head and alloweda flicker of authority to cross her eyes. He shut his mouth, which she appreciated.

“His Grace is certainly lucky that you were there to run the household during his misfortunes,” Lady Woolhastings said toLady Knowe.

“Which reminds me that I must introduce the children!” Lady Knowe cried. “Or would you prefer the privilege, Hugo?”

“I shall take it on,” the duke said. He raised the hand that wasn’t holding Viola, and the children flocked to his side.

“Lady Woolhastings, and Lady Astley, my children: Horatius, North, Parth, Alaric, Leonidas, Betsy, and Alexander. The littlest,Joan, remained in the nursery today.”

Ophelia flinched. She was party to the introduction of the children to their future stepmother? She opened her mouth, aboutto announce that they would return home. She could take a hack if she had to.

“I am very pleased to meet all of you,” Lady Woolhastings said before Ophelia could intervene, her eyes ranging over the assembledchildren. “Which are you?” She addressed a smartly dressed young man with a somewhat forbidding expression.

“Horatius, my eldest,” the duke said. The youngster bowed elegantly, first before Lady Woolhastings, and then before Ophelia.The dowager inclined her head and Ophelia followed suit, giving the lad a warm smile.

“Horatius is at Oxford, and the next three are at Eton. Alaric, followed by Parth and Roland—who prefers to be called North.”

“North, as in the direction?” Lady Woolhastings clarified. Her eyes rested thoughtfully on Parth, who was clearly not a Wildeby birth. “Ah, I remember now that you have a ward.”

“Parth is my adopted son, not just a ward,” the duke said, an edge in his voice.

“Just so,” Lady Woolhastings said.

The boys turned from her and bowed before Ophelia. She met Parth’s eyes and was reassured by the gleam of steady confidenceshe saw there. Lady Woolhastings had engaged the duke’s daughter in conversation, so Ophelia smiled at Parth.

“Is that your little girl?” he asked, nodding at Viola, who was sound asleep in the duke’s arms.

“Yes, she is,” Ophelia said.

“So, you’re married?” He nimbly jumped to the side when North kicked him in the ankle. “I’m making polite conversation!”

“I’m widowed,” Ophelia told him.

“So many males,” Lady Woolhastings commented. “Five of the seven, am I correct?”

“Six of the eight,” the duke corrected.

“Lady Betsy has lovely features, and I’m certain she will make an excellent marriage,” Lady Woolhastings announced.

Leonidas chortled and said, “Not if the fellow gets to know her first!”

Without a word, Betsy darted over to her brother and kicked him in the ankle.

“Now, Betsy,” her father admonished mildly.

His daughter kicked Leonidas once more for good measure, smiled up with angelic innocence, and tucked her hand into Ophelia’s.“Are you coming wif us on the sleigh?”

“Stop lisping. No one thinks you’re adorable,” Leonidas said, rubbing his ankle.

Lady Woolhastings watched this with a noncommittal expression. “A stern governess is needed,” she said to the duke.

“I have a governess,” His Grace replied, somewhat shortly.

“I agree with you, Edith. We need someone far more fierce,” Lady Knowe chimed in. “Shall we make our way to the sleighs? Allthree are ours for the afternoon. The older boys can ride by themselves in the middle sleigh.”

The four of them took off, three boys running and Horatius pacing solemnly along behind.

“I must apologize for interrupting what is clearly a family occasion,” Ophelia said.

“Not at all,” Lady Woolhastings said, one of those empty phrases that mean nothing except by inflection—and Lady Woolhastings’saccent was so frightfully well-bred that Ophelia had no idea how to interpret it.

“We must divide up,” Hugo said.

“You and I shall travel in the first sleigh,” Lady Woolhastings stated. “We’ll take your daughter, Boadicea, with us. An oddname.”

“She prefers Betsy,” the duke responded.

“Smacks of a housemaid,” his fiancée said in such a calm voice that at first Ophelia didn’t think she’d heard her correctly.

“The younger boys can be in the third sleigh, with Lady Knowe and Lady Astley,” Lady Woolhastings continued. “You both areaccustomed to children and will be of help.” Her brows flexed just the smallest amount. “You really mustn’t leave the housewithout a full complement of nursemaids and grooms, Duke.”

Ophelia could interpret this without need of parsing the lady’s accent. She and Lady Knowe