Page 90 of His Duchess of Scandal
“She will love it,” Hermia assured him.
Together, they joined the small crowd rushing through the gates. Charles held out the tickets he had already purchased, leaving Hermia wondering how long he had planned the trip.
The sun beat down on them, pleasant without being overbearing. Pathways branched out in different directions, and a map of the menagerie was displayed right at the start. Charles strode over to Phoebe, and the two of them bent over the map.
“Where would you like to go first?” he asked.
Hermia’s heart swelled. She knew it was not easy for him to give Phoebe the choice of roaming wherever she pleased.
“Hmm,” Phoebe said dramatically, looking around as though it was a difficult decision. “It says there is a bird sanctuary. I want to go there first!”
Hermia joined them, biting back a laugh when she saw that the bird sanctuary was the farthest from their starting point. “Then we shall.”
“You may lead the way, Phoebe, but do not run out of sight. Understood?” Charles gave his daughter a long, pointed look.
Phoebe nodded diligently, even as her mischievous gaze flitted around at the crowds that branched off in different directions. She looked ready to bolt, and Hermia could only hope that she did not.
Instead, Phoebe skipped ahead towards the bird sanctuary, her dark hair bouncing with the movement.
Charles kept an eye on her as he offered his arm to Hermia. After a moment, he looked at her.
“Shall we?” he asked. “Before she runs off and tests my patience.”
Hermia laughed softly, looping her arm through his as he guided her after Phoebe.
On the way, they passed a whole host of animals that did not yet interest the girl, if her silence was any indication. Instead, she was focused on getting to her destination—the bird sanctuary.
They walked past a trio of ladies, and although Hermia tried not to pay them any attention, she couldn’t help but feel their stares.
The gossip still had not quite died down.
“My sister would love this,” she said, eyeing two zebras that ran alongside their gated enclosure, tossing their heads and flicking their tails. “Alicia, I mean. She is five-and-ten, and although she has the strongest head that I have ever seen on a woman, I still see her young side peeking through. In many ways, she grew up quickly, eager to oppose mine and Isabella’s behavior. Isabella is the next eldest after me, and she… well, she and I have often clashed, but she is my sister still.”
“There are four of you, yes?”
“Yes. Me, Isabella, then Sibyl, who is the most hopeless romantic I have ever known, and Alicia is the youngest.”
“She has not yet debuted, then.”
Hermia shook her head. “And I am grateful she is still a year or two too young. She will be a queen on a chessboard, I fear.”
Charles laughed at that. Although he listened, he kept an attentive eye on Phoebe. “You must have raised them well.”
Hermia’s steps faltered at the casual acknowledgment that she had indeed been the one to raise her sisters. “Is it obvious that I did?”
“I did not speak much with them at the wedding, but there is something about the way you mention them. A fondness that… that is not often present among family.”
His brow creased into a frown, but she knew it was not the place to press.
She thought of Lady Mercy and the distance she had maintained from Phoebe, then she thought of her own mother, who had been happier letting her raise her sisters than do it herself.
“I love them,” she said simply. “We can fight pettily, but they are my sisters.”
“Sometimes familial titles are not always enough to foster love,” Charles said, “but I can see that it is the case for you. And I am certain they feel the same. I recall how fiercely they embraced you after the wedding.”
Hermia nodded. “They have often asked about you. Sibyl, mostly. Alicia just wishes to know how I am using my new title to empower myself.” Her face flushed as she spoke the next part. “However, I am hesitant to admit that it is my husband who empowers me, mostly. Especially in… in your chamber several nights ago.”
Despite the command he had over her in those moments, Charles looked away, but Hermia could see the smile on his face.
