Page 53 of His Accidental Duchess

“Oh, she’s the sweetest little thing ever! Good morning, Katherine. What a lovely name you have. Would you like some sugared almonds?”

Kitty perked up, her eyes going wide. “I like sugared almonds.”

“So do I, but Mama says I eat too many.”

“You do,” Octavia said in the tone of a woman who had argued this point many times before.

“We have tea and cake upstairs,” Emily chimed in. “Would you like some, Katherine?”

“My name is Kitty,” Kitty said, smiling shyly.

Emily smiled back. “Kitty, then. Shall we?”

The twins held out a hand each, and Kitty took them, her shyness forgotten, and they bounced towards the house. At a nod from Anna, Martha followed in their wake, leaving her alone with her mother.

Octavia was still eyeing the coach and horses with visible approval.

“I take it this is not his only carriage?”

“No, Mama.”

She gave an approving grunt. “You’ve landed on your feet, Anna, plain and simple. I’m proud of you. Come, walk with me.”

Octavia looped her arm through her daughter’s, and Anna leaned against her mother’s shoulder. Frankly, she’d missed the easy intimacy between a family. She missed her mother, she missed her sisters. Seeing their ramshackle old house again only sent a pang through her chest.

Homesickness,Anna thought miserably.It’s only to be expected.

“The… the Earl,” she managed, at last, noticing how her mother stiffened at the mention of the man. “He hasn’t visited, has he? Since my wedding? I don’t intend to let him bother you now.”

“I haven’t seen the man, no. But let us talk of better things and better men, Anna. I’ve hardly been able to exchange two words with you since the wedding,” Octavia said, staring ahead of her. “How are you? Are you well? Happy? Settled? How is… how is His Grace?”

Anna could read between the lines well enough.

How is he treating you? Is he the cold-hearted monster we feared?

She couldn’t, of course, talk about the deal she’d struck with Theo or therulesshe had reluctantly agreed to. Even if she’d wanted to, it would be too awkward to broach the subject withher mother. Besides, what advice could her mother possibly give on such an outlandish idea?

“I’m happy enough,” Anna said firmly, speaking quickly in case her silence was interpreted as something else. “It will take me a while to settle in, I think. Everything is different. The house is… it’s huge, and the household is so complicated. The housekeeper introduced me to some of the servants, and I can hardly remember all of their names. And that wasn’t even all of them! I can’t remember their titles and ranks, and I think people will be terribly offended if I get it wrong. I took a look at the accounts, andthatwas terrifying. They spend more on candles every week than we spend on food, Mama! It’s just money, money, money coming in and out in constant streams, and I can’t keep track of it all.”

“It can be overwhelming, learning to manage such a large, noble house,” Octavia said carefully when Anna had run out of breath. “But you’ll manage—I’m sure you will. This housekeeper seems efficient.”

“Mrs. Haunt? Yes, she’s very pleasant. I like her. The servants are all very kind, you know, but I can’t help feeling as though they pity me. You know, because I’m so clearly out of my depth.”

Octavia sniffed. “They probably do pity you for that reason. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you earn the respect of those around you, and that comes from hard work, kindness, and efficiency. I’m sure you have those three qualities in abundance. That is how I raised you, after all.”

Anna smiled up at her mother. “Do you know, you have a way of making me feel as if everything will be perfectly alright?”

Octavia chuckled. “Yes, mothers have that sort of quality, generally speaking.”

“Do you think I’ll end up that way with Kitty? I do like her, you know.”

“I don’t see why not. Motherhood comes naturally to most women.”

Anna was silent for a while, absorbing this. “And what if I’m not the sort of woman it comes to naturally?”

“Then you’ll just have to work a bit harder. Don’t worry about it now, though. Time will tell, when you have your own children.”

Octavia looked as if she wanted to ask another question—probably about children, and conceiving the Duke’s heirs, but Anna hastily interrupted her.

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