Page 26 of My Favorite Mistake
“It wasn’t him.” Fanny leaned in conspiratorially. “He has atwin.”
Lady Caroline swiveled to face her, the parasol sagging. “A twin?”
Fanny wagged her eyebrows. “Anidenticaltwin.”
Her ladyship’s mouth had fallen open in a perfect circle. “Then… then you’re not mad at him?”
“No, my lady.”
“And…” Lady Caroline’s eyes cut from Fanny to Nick and back again. “You don’t want me to send him away?”
“I don’t.” Fanny took Nick’s hand, smiling up at him. “We’re to be married.”
“Married!” Lady Caroline’s face lit up, only to fall a second later. “That’s… that’s wonderful,” she said weakly.
“Is something the matter, m’lady?” Fanny asked.
Lady Caroline waved a hand. “Only a selfish thought. I should dearly hate to lose you, Fanny. But I would not dream of standing in the way of your happiness, should you wish to resign your post.”
“Truth be told, I was hoping to continue as your maid, my lady. Although I may need some time off, should I find myself in the family way.”
Lady Caroline pressed a hand to her heart. “Oh, thank goodness! Yes, of course, we will make whatever accommodations are necessary in such a happy event. I cannot do without you.” She turned to her husband. “You agree, don’t you, Henry?”
Lord Ardingly nodded. “Quite right.”
Lady Caroline clapped her hands. “La, I have the perfect solution! I have three daughters, after all. And although it will be a few years before Georgie makes her bow, she will need a maid of her own at some point. We will go ahead and bring someone on. She can train under you, fill in when she is needed, and eventually, she will be Georgie’s maid.”
Fanny felt tears pricking. Well, this was just grand—she was turning into a regular watering pot! “’Tis an excellent idea. Thank you, m’lady. I might even know a likely candidate,” she added, nodding toward Becky, who was holding hands with Billy.
Billy’s ears turned vermillion, and Lady Caroline raised an intrigued eyebrow. “She looks extremely promising.”
Fanny laughed as she swiped her thumb at the moisture gathering beneath her eyes. “Truly, thank you for letting me stay on. I know it’s a bit irregular. But I’m none too eager to give you up, either.”
Lady Caroline laughed, then pulled Fanny in for a hug, right there in the middle of the stable yard. “When we get back home, I am going to order some ices from the kitchens. And you are going to tell me all about these identical twins.”
Fanny gave her a watery smile. “I should like nothing better, m’lady.”
Lady Caroline released her and went back to her carriage. Her husband solicitously handed her up. “Here, darling, let me help you with that,” he said, smoothly taking possession of the parasol.
As he handed it to Fanny, he clapped Nick on the shoulder. “Sometime we’ll go down to the pub and have a pint, and you can tell me your side of this tale.”
“Yes, m’lord,” Nick said.
Lord Ardingly followed his wife into the carriage. Nat and Noah approached. “I guess this is it, then,” Nat said, rubbing the back of his head.
“I suppose it is,” Nick said, his voice thick.
The three of them stood frozen, as if unsure what to do. Which made a fair amount of sense—how did one say goodbye to the brother you’d been together with even in the womb, and the nephew Nick clearly loved like his own son?
Suddenly, Nick reached out and grabbed the two of them, pulling them into a bear hug. “Come here, you great ugly gollumpuses.”
Noah was openly crying. Nat was trying to keep himself together, but his voice shook as he replied, “Who are you calling ugly? I’ll have you know I’m the handsome one.”
“You’re about as handsome as the back end of a hog,” Nick retorted.
“Yes, well, you’d best not go looking in the mirror,” Nat said, rubbing an eye with the heel of his hand as he stepped back. “You’ll be in for an awful shock.”
Noah was still clinging to his uncle’s waist, and when he spoke, his voice shook. “Thank you, Uncle Nick. For… for…”
