Page 86 of Duke of Seduction

“She certainly will,” Ezra agreed.

“Bring her here,” Lydia implored, holding her arms out for her daughter.

Helena immediately brought the child over to her mother and placed her gently in her arms.

“Here you go, Miss Francesca Marie Fernside,” Helena sang softly, “Back to your mama where you belong.”

Frannie breathed contentedly through her tiny nostrils and snuggled into Lydia’s bosom as she felt her mother’s touch, all without rousing from her sleep.

“Come, everyone,” Alice urged, rising from the side of Lydia’s bed with a smile. “Let us give them some privacy.”

One by one each family member came to kiss Lydia’s cheek and hug or shake Ezra’s hand, and left the couple to marvel over their new babe.

“What a darling blessing,” Morgan murmured when they were all in the hallway.

He found Helena, seemingly unable to keep his hands off her for too long, and massaged her shoulders as they walked slowly towards the stairs.

“She is perfection,” Alice sighed, leaning into Duncan’s side. “Pure perfection. Come, husband, let us go check on our own bundles of joy.”

“Of course, my love,” Duncan replied, throwing a goodbye nod to Ambrose and Morgan.

“We should also check in on our little one,” Barbara gently urged Ambrose, who had wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulders.

“Indeed,” Ambrose murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of her head, “And then perhaps it is time we start working on another.”

“Ambrose!” Helena scoffed, then laughed.

“And you look down onusforourbehavior?” Morgan teased, throwing up his hands in mock astonishment at Ambrose’s rather tawdry words.

“It does not feel good to hear such things about your siblings, does it?” Ambrose shot back, throwing a devilish smile over his shoulder at Morgan.

“Do not be so brash, brother,” Helena teased, shoving Ambrose’s arm.

But she laughed, happy that their family was finally as it should be. It had taken a little time, but Morgan and Ambrose’s relationship was stronger than ever, and though he sometimes muttered complaints, his initial begrudging approval of their impending marriage had become a genuine one.

“You are staying here tonight, are you not?” Ambrose asked Morgan, moving on.

“Of course,” Morgan replied. “I cannot leave now. Ezra is bound to panic at least a dozen times before breakfast.”

Ambrose smirked and nodded.

“No doubt,” he agreed. “I trust you will behave while you share a roof with my sister?”

“Ambrose!” Helena gasped, and even Barbara echoed her surprise.

“Go check on your children, brother,” Morgan chuckled. “Your sister is well in hand.”

“Very well in hand,” Helena agreed mischievously, to which Ambrose groaned and rubbed his eyes.

“Your jokes separately are hard enough to put up with, but now that you have joined forces I fear you have grown much,muchworse. I must remember that.”

They all laughed as Barbara patted her husband’s chest and told him to breathe as they veered off down the hallway to Beau’s room.

“Your brother has a point. We truly do work well together, do we not?” Morgan whispered in Helena’s ear.

“Unequivocally,” she replied, stepping before him to stop their walk to their rooms.

“Can you imagine our children?” Morgan chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Sarcasm will be their first language, not English.”

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