Page 62 of Her Bear of a Duke

"Uncle Morgan!" Catherine exclaimed as she burst into the room. "Aunt Annabelle has said we can have a picnic in the gardens. Can we?"

Lady Annabelle had entered behind her, smiling sweetly. Morgan hesitated, his eye falling to Dorothy's bruised arm, which she quickly covered with her sleeve again.

"I do not think that is such a good idea."

"Please?" she asked. "We have not had a picnic in so long, and I would so love one."

"It will not be too long," Lady Annabelle assured him. "She was telling me about the cakes your Cook makes, and I was hoping I might be able to try some."

He turned to Dorothy, who was not comfortable with it, but it was as she had said. Their priority was the little girl, and if this made her happy then it was what would be done.

"Very well, but then you are to return home."

"Can she visit again?" Catherine asked.

"Eventually, yes, when it is arranged properly rather than by a rushed letter."

Her smile faded, but only slightly. She took Lady Annabelle's hand, and they disappeared.

"She seems to care for Catherine," Dorothy said helpfully. "At least there is that."

"Yes, but that does not mean I am pleased that she is here."

"Are you truly going to have her back again?"

"I would rather that than go there. Perhaps we could invite your friends at the same time, so that she is not led to believe she may come and go as she pleases?"

Her eyes sparkled.

"I should like that very much. I have not seen them in a while now. You are also yet to meet them."

"Indeed, and from what I am told you have a friend that is rather frightening. That may well be of use to us."

"Cecilia is harmless," she giggled. "She simply does not like it when gentlemen swarm her. She has no intentions of marrying, you see, but as a beautiful lady she receives many offers."

"She sounds very interesting, indeed. Very well, then, it is settled. We shall arrange for another visit with Lady Annabelle, and you may invite your friends too."

It was enough to calm her, and it made Morgan feel better too. He did not like it when he did not have control, as it never ended well, but at least that way he could feel as though it had been his own idea.

He left for his study later that afternoon, and he watched as the sky turned dark. It had to mean that Lady Annabelle had left, of that he was certain, and so he decided that he could leave the room and go to dinner.

As she rose to his feet, however, the door swung open.

Lady Annabelle had clearly been crying, and though his instinct was to instruct her to leave that instant, he pitied her.

"Lady Annabelle, I–"

"Please, I only ask that you listen to me for a moment, and if you still wish to be rid of me then I shall go."

With a sigh, he motioned for her to speak.

"Today has been wonderful. I had not known about Catherine. Elizabeth disappeared after our engagement was cancelled. We could not find her, but you know how my family was. My father refused to accept any help in finding her, and so they crafted a story that she had gone to live in the country with a cousin to practice as a governess for a while. It satisfied theton,and nobody questioned her whereabouts."

"Is that to say that she had vanished completely?"

"Indeed. I only knew of her passing because those that found her informed my father. He paid them handsomely to never breathe a word of it. I never thought that my sister would do something like that, so drastic. She never told us that she was with child, especially with your brother's. My father would have pushed for the marriage had he known."

"And your sister would have been ruined. It is a shame that she fell in love with him, but there was no changing his mind. He met the business end of a shotgun to avoid it."

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