She looked at him in transparent confusion. “You wish us to become closer than this. To know each other better. To become friends?”

  “Of course. Perhaps that is where we should have started before I proposed,” he confessed sheepishly. “I have often been accused of rushing into things.”

  “So have I.” She clapped her hands together and stood. “Very well, my lord. We shall endeavor to get to know each other better, and in the spirit of friendship, I would like to admit to looking forward to more of your company.”

  He inclined his head, and a smile tugged at his lips at how brilliantly her eyes shone when she looked at him now. “Why, thank you, Lady Chatham. I have found the time we’ve spent together enjoyable, too.”

  “And kisses, if you can bear more.”

  “I can bear it,” he promised, hiding a smile as he remembered Amelia’s lips hard against his. Demanding his all. Her passionate nature had taken him quite by surprise. But he was better prepared now, he drew closer, bent his head and kissed her lips softly. “Good morning.”

  Amelia blushed. “I already said that to you.”

  He brushed his fingers across her cheek lightly. “It needed to be said again.”

  She gulped. “Was your rush to send me to your chambers on account of the party downstairs or something else?”

  “The party.” He glanced away, hiding his worry though. Father had not taken the news of their marriage well at all, but he didn’t want to mention that yet.

  He would never repeat the conversation with his father because that would only upset her. The guests, however, remained oblivious to Amelia’s presence and new status still. The secret would not keep for long today, though. “I did not know about the party when we set out for Stapleton Manor, and father was distracted by other matters last night. My little brother is making waves.”

  “How so?”

  “He won’t sleep without being held. I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in his company, just so my father and stepmama could return to their guests without them worrying.”

  Truthfully, though, Father had needed time away from Milo to calm himself down about the unexpected marriage. He couldn’t accept that Milo had made a sensible second marriage, but he had to, eventually. Amelia had been a true innocent until last night. She could not be set aside. She might already be carrying his child.

  His gaze fell to her belly and lingered there a moment. It would be weeks until he discovered if they were successful. Until then, well…there could be other nights spent with Amelia in his arms.

  “That is very good of you to help with your brother,” Amelia was saying.

  Milo shrugged away thoughts of the future. “Well, I was much involved with my younger sister during her childhood,” he admitted.

  “And also, your own children?” she suggested.

  Milo colored a little. “I am ashamed to say my children have had more care from servants and others than from me of late. And their mother…”

  “Their mother?” Amelia queried, when he paused too long.

  “…treated them like dolls, trotting them out to entertain her close friends and then sending them away when they made a little noise.”

  “Ah, I see,” Amelia winced.

  “You will not be like that with them,” he said, certain she would never be cruel to innocents after all she’d been through, but determined to make his wishes clear.

  Amelia nodded and put her hand on his arm. “It is my dearest wish to become their friend. It will take time for them to become accustomed to me.”

  “I expect so,” he answered, arrested by the weight of her hand upon him. They had not touched often, and last night in his bed had been the closest they’d ever been to each other.

  It was disconcerting how good even a light touch felt in the light of day. How much he craved more from her. He should have undressed and spent the whole night taking care of her needs.

  Her touch was distracting, and it wasn’t enough. Did she know that? He met her gaze warily but there seemed to be no calculation in her actions, nor had there been last night, either, he supposed, when she’d seduced him. She had just wanted to become a wife in truth.

  He covered her hand with his and pressed down, holding her firmly against his arm. A smile appeared on her lips, and he exhaled, relieved that he might be forgiven for his odd behavior last night. He stepped back before he stole another kiss from her. “Have you taken breakfast this morning?”

  “No. I slipped away from your room quite early, even before a maid could arrive. I always start my day like this.” She glanced around and sighed. “At home, I would already be at work in the garden, but I dare not touch anything here without asking.”

  He gulped. That was definitely not a request she should make to Father just yet. There was no telling how the duke would answer in his current state of mind. Milo had never known father to be so angry with him either. “Well, then, perhaps you would care to join me in the morning room, and we’ll take breakfast together with His Grace. You’ll be introduced to my father’s friends as they come down. It won’t be so overwhelming that way. They are all here for a few weeks, I’m afraid.”

  She nodded. “I should like to meet them very much, and your father and the duchess, too. But what of Lucy and Adam? Can they join us for breakfast?”

  “I’m not sure they haven’t eaten already. They can wait a while longer to meet you.”

  “I should like to meet them now,” she said firmly. “I intend to be a constant presence in their life, not a constant stranger.”

  He hid a smile. Children had been the only reason Amelia had agreed to marry him. He was still impressed by that. She hadn’t chosen him for any other reason. “You can see them now, but I must warn you that Adam can be quite boisterous in the early morning and may have swayed the maid to feed him early.”

  “It is the nature of children to seek what they need. Even if he has eaten, he should still join us. He might be hungry again. Boys often are.”

  Milo looked at her in surprise. “You are remarkably well-versed in the peculiarities of young boys, much more so than I imagined you would be…considering.”

  “Considering I’m a pariah in my family,” she murmured with a wry twist of her lips.

  Milo was shocked that she would believe such a thing about herself, or say so. “If you ever were, you are not now,” he promised. “You are the Countess of Chatham, and everyone will respect you.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Amelia giggled. “Oh, my dear husband you are kind. Marriage will wipe away the stain of a scandal in society’s eyes no doubt, but I most definitely know that I am still one,” she replied.

  Amelia was no fool. She knew what society said about her when they thought she couldn’t hear. She had relatives who delighted in telling her the worst of the gossip. She had been labeled a brazen hussy for forcing a proposal from her one-time beau, and her sister had fueled that belief to explain her own desperate flight to Gretna Green, which made her betrayal of Amelia—and marriage to Amelia’s beau—acceptable to their family.

  “The scandal was a long time ago,” he insisted.

  “Five years in the wilderness taught me who my real friends were,” she said, and then squared her shoulders. “I have spent a great deal of time trying to forget by helping my brother and his tenants. I thought helping those in need on Anthony’s estate would prove my usefulness and virtue and be welcomed back into the fold. But I came to enjoy a simpler life instead. There was always so much I could do for the tenants, and I could almost forget the betrayal ever happened. But my good deeds changed nothing for them, I’m sure.”

  Chatham caught hold of her hand and squeezed her fingers. “I think you exceeded expectations. You will make Adam and Lucy a fine mother.”

  “Yes, that is the only reason we married, after all,” she teased, throwing a smile his way, hoping they truly could become friends.

  Chatham inclined his head and let her fingers go. “It was that, and the fact that you seemed to understand my sense of humor. Your brother often does not.”

  She laughed softly, remembering their most recent dinners at her brother’s estate. “He can be a little bit dim at times. He’s very smart, of course, but also incredibly deaf to the subtle nuances of your humor.”

  He laughed heartily at that and gestured toward the manor. “I’d say you are right about that. Well, shall we introduce you to the children as their new mama, and hopefully I can introduce you to my esteemed papa as my wife shortly after.”

  Chatham walked by her side into the house, hands behind his back as they discussed her brother, but tension grew in her. What if the children didn’t like her? What could she do to win their favor? Chatham would be counting on her to make a good impression today, and while she very much hoped the children would accept her as their mother quickly, there could be friction not easily resolved.

  Chatham strode into the nursery first and was greeted by childish cries of delight. However absent a parent he believed himself to be, his children appeared oblivious to his supposed shortcomings and welcomed him back as if he were a great treat.

  He crouched down before them. “Children, I have someone special I want you to meet.”

  The pair looked around him to the doorway, where she stood. Their eyes did not linger on Amelia for long. They were much more interested in their father’s return.

  The girl, Lucy, was prettier awake, but her next words proved her dreadfully spoiled. “Did you fetch me the lady’s maid I asked for, Papa? Did you buy me a dozen pretty silk gowns to wear for you?”

  Amelia groaned inwardly. A girl of her limited years hardly needed a lady’s maid, or silk gowns to parade about in. She would be a handful.

  “She is not a maid. This is Amelia, Lady Chatham, your new mother.”

  The girl’s gaze flew across the room, and there was suspicion in those eyes. “That’s silly, Papa. Mama is Lady Chatham, but she’s dead and gone now!” Lucy exclaimed, an expression of practiced anguish on her face.

  “Yes, but if your mama is in Heaven, she cannot look after you. Amelia is the new Lady Chatham, and she will do well for you as a mother,” he promised the girl.

  Lucy’s expression hardened, then she pouted at her father as she folded her arms across her flat chest. “I don’t want her. Send her away, Papa! I only want you and my mama.”

  Chatham shook his head. “Lady Chatham will…”

  This argument could go on forever, so Amelia quickly stepped forward. “Lord Chatham, might I speak?”

  “Of course.” He stood immediately, his expression vexed as he met her gaze. He was clearly disappointed by his daughter’s reaction to his happy news. But he went to his son and tousled the boy’s hair.

  The boy was even more like his father now he was standing. He’d be tall when he was fully grown. Amelia wondered if Adam remembered his real mama, or knew what it meant to be mothered. If not, Amelia and Adam would have to learn to do that together.

  She inclined her head to the pair. “How do you do, Adam, Lucinda?”

  “We are very well,” Adam piped up, stepping forward to bow and sounding far older than his years.

  Chatham nodded approvingly at his son.

  Lucy, however, only scowled more fiercely and folded her arms over her chest tighter, refusing to greet the stranger in their midst with any degree of civility.

  Amelia was stung by the girl’s immediate rejection of her mother’s replacement, but she did her best to ignore it as she turned her attention to the maid who stood in the shadows. She was the same woman that was there last night. She was younger than Amelia had first assumed her to be. A little shorter than Amelia, more rounded, but she possessed a ready smile that set her at ease. She’d been playing with the children on the floor when they’d walked in. “May I ask your name?”

  “Jane Finch, my lady.” The woman came forward. “I look after the children every day.”

  “Jane is in our employ, not the duchy’s,” Chatham hastened to add.

  “How wonderful.” Amelia would win the maid over first and Lucy later. “Have they eaten today, Miss Finch?”

  “Not yet, my lady. I thought to wait on his lordship’s orders when I heard that he had returned.”

  It was important to show she was in charge and would brook no nonsense when dealing with servants. “I would like the children to keep regular hours from now on, no matter what my husband and I do. Say, seven in the morning for breakfast, eleven for luncheon, and five for their supper. I’ll speak to the housekeeper later to review the menu for them, but I will be joining them quite often for meals. You will not be needed during those times and may attend to other matters until called for again.”

  “Yes, my lady,” the woman agreed.

  “I assume you can read and write?”

  “Yes, my lady. I read as often as I have time to, and I read to the children, as well.”

  “We will discuss your interests in books in further detail later tomorrow. I have a few volumes with me that I can share.”

  The maid’s eyes widened with excitement at the news. “Thank you, my lady. That is very generous of you,” she exclaimed. “

  “But the children’s health and well-being are your priority, Miss Finch. I will depend on you a great deal in the coming years. Now, you will not be needed for a little while and may leave to refresh yourself.”

  The maid stood a little taller at hearing that she was considered indispensable already and had the luxury of free time. A little kindness and consideration went a long way toward creating a smoothly run household. She would miss the servants she’d left behind at Upper Folly.

  “I’ll straighten their beds and tidy up before I go,” the maid promised and started rushing around, eager to be on her way.

  Satisfied with the nursery maid’s potential, Amelia turned to face her husband. “Well, since none of us has eaten yet, shall we adjourn to the morning room, my lord?”

  Adam grabbed Chatham’s hand but bounced up and down, tugging on him, “Yes, yes! I’m ever so hungry, Papa.”

  Lucy, though, stomped her foot. “We can only go downstairs when Grandpa calls us. He makes the rules,” she announced, determined to limit Amelia’s power over everyone.

  Amelia ignored the outburst, though, and headed for the doorway.

  Adam, eager to have his stomach filled at last, quickly followed and caught hold of her hand. “It’s this way,” he whispered.

  Amelia smiled down at him, pleased by his trust…until she glanced back.

  Lucy hadn’t followed them to the door. She’d set her jaw into a stubborn line and held her ground on the far side of the room. Amelia suspected that Lucy, being the oldest, had usually led the way downstairs and influenced many of her brother’s decisions.

  Amelia would not wait for her today or any other day, because eventually the girl would have to understand she had to come second to Amelia, who was now a countess.

  Chatham watched his daughter with a frown and, under his gaze, the child’s eyes filled with tears. It seemed an attempt at manipulation, and Amelia wondered what her husband would do.

  Chatham shook his head. “You must do what Mama says.”

  Amelia turned away, relieved that Chatham would not yield to a child’s attempt at manipulation, but sorry for the pain her marriage was causing the girl.

  Chatham urged Amelia and Adam into the hall without another word.

  “Can we go riding today, Papa?”

  “No. We will visit your aunt after we eat,” he told the boy, as they started down the hall.

  Amelia was not certain which sister he meant at first. Chatham had barely spoken of his siblings so far, and her brother had no interest in them, either. “Will we?”

  “Yes, the Whitfields’ home is not far. Just a short stroll through the grounds. Easy for the children’s legs.”

  The youngest sister had married a Whitfield. She nodded.

  Adam tugged on her hand. “Papa said beef pies are not for breakfast, but Grandpa always gives me one. Do you like pie?”

  “I do, very much, but never for breakfast,” she told him.

  The boy heaved a sigh. “Cook always lets me have what I want.”

  Was it any wonder the children were happy to spend time here without their father? However, they would not be spoiled too often anymore. Amelia disliked giving children everything they wanted, because they often wanted more than was good for them.

  Adam seemed to be the easiest to win over, though. All Amelia would have to do was feed the boy well, and he’d be putty in her hands.

  Amelia glanced behind her, hoping to see Lucy had joined them. But she was still not there by the time the stairs came into view. How stubborn could the girl be?

  Chatham just shook his head. “Shall we go down?”

  He gestured for Amelia to lead the way.

  By the time they reached the bottom of the first flight, Lucy had caught up, but she was still pouting. She rushed toward them, or rather directly to her father, reaching for his hand to hold.

  Chatham was dragged to the head of their little procession, and the child skipped along at his side.

  “Adam,” Lucy called after a few steps. “Come and join Papa and me.”

  Adam released Amelia’s hand immediately and rushed forward to join the pair, leaving Amelia to walk alone.

  She sighed, missing the warmth and trust of a little boy she already liked very much.

  Lucy lifted her nose as if Amelia was insignificant.

  Chatham ruffled his son’s hair, shook off Lucy’s clinging grip, and stopped to wait for Amelia ahead of a pair of large doors.

  “Give her time,” he whispered.

  “I intended to,” she whispered back, keeping an eye on Lucy as a pair of identical footmen opened the doors ahead. A child’s heart was easily broken, but it didn’t have to be that way. Amelia would treat her gently, if given a chance.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Milo discovered his father and the duchess just beginning breakfast, sipping tea in the morning room, with young Charles playing in a corner of the room with a maid watching over him. “Good morning.”