by Diana Lloyd
“Oh.” Elsinore’s hand flew to her mouth. “Hippolyta. I forgot to mention that part.”
“I heard.”
“You did? How?”
“I do occasionally speak to the servants, you know.”
“It seemed a harmless prank at the time.”
“I was concerned for you and asked what your maid knew. Don’t be cross with her. She was quite reluctant to confess it.”
“She’s still with the household, then?”
“I penned a glowing letter of recommendation, and she is now employed in the household of Lord Hightower.”
Elsinore smiled. So, Yvette had gotten closer to her beloved footman after all. “If you knew about my deception, why did you insist that Quin and I be married?”
“Just because I was amused by your antics doesn’t mean I failed in my duty as your father. His finances were sound, he was right-thinking in his politics, and he seemed—despite his feeble protests—to both need and want a wife. You’d never have been happy with a dull, boring fellow. You needed a marriage where you could stand with your husband on equal footing. Wasn’t it you who insisted you wanted an adventure?”
“That seems a lifetime ago.”
“Quite,” he replied, and then his face grew serious. “I found Lord Graham to be an interesting and honorable man. He needed a strong, intelligent wife. Did I choose poorly?”
“No,” she answered quickly. “You chose well. He needed me. He didn’t know it, but he needed me exactly. I have come to love him, Papa, and I dare to believe he loves me, too.”
“Love is a precarious thing to base a marriage upon. But,” he said, placing his hand gently on her shoulder, “it worked out quite well for your mother and me.”
“Thank you, Papa. I have everything I ever wanted with Quin.” Elsinore smiled and gave her father a rare hug.
“Good. Now, when your mother arrives, she can help you put this place back to rights. She will have this place running like clockwork in a fortnight.”
“Mother? Mother is coming?”
“Of course she is. I had to convince her a coach was fast enough; otherwise, she’d had made the entire journey riding side-saddle beside me.”
“You worried about me?”
“Of course we did. Why does that stun you?”
“I feel a bit ridiculous now. I was so childish in my thinking only a month or two ago.”
“That’s the way it happens once you’re married; everything that happens to you before that time seems downright silly. When you have children of your own, you’ll understand. The thought of them being in peril, or even being unhappy, is unbearable to a parent.” His words struck a chord and, without thinking, Elsinore pressed the palm of her hand against her abdomen. The small life there would soon prove to its parents how great their happiness could be.
“Huzzah.” Her father gathered her up in a fierce hug. “Oh, my darling girl, tell me you have happy news.” He began dancing her around the room. “Over the moon,” he sang out. “Your mother will be over the moon with joy.”
Cold cloth over one eye, Quin walked into the room and squinted his good eye at them. “What the hell is going on?”
“You’re going to have to keep me around if you want to find out.” Elsinore smiled and placed her palm against her stomach. “I can count, too.”
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Acknowledgments
It’s been a long and bumpy road to publication, but I didn’t travel it alone. Much love to my husband and children who walked along the road beside me. Special thanks to AP and EP who suffered through early drafts, LL, EM, PG, and AS who became my writing family, and SM & BG who are so much better at commas than I will ever be. Eternal gratitude to Entangled Publishing, LLC and my editor Alycia Tornetta who took a leap of faith to meet me along the road. Thank you.
About the Author
Diana Lloyd, mother of gingers, writes stories with kissing and cravats. Diana is a member of the Hearts Through History chapter of Romance Writers of America and was a 2017 RWA Golden Heart Finalist. Her Regency romp, How to Train Your Baron, is the first book in the “What Happens in the Ballroom” series. Connect with Diana at https://diana-lloyd.com or on Twitter at @DianaLloydBooks.
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