Page 45 of Three Weeks with a Princess
Another shock had followed when Sir Dominic further revealed that he was married to Lia’s aunt, who was the mother of Griffin Steele. Griffin was Gillian’s half brother and yet another thread in the tangled web of relations Lia had recently acquired.
Remarkably, none of her newly found relatives seemed at all bothered by her dubious lineage, even though it included two notorious courtesans, one of whom still made her living on the stage. But while her half brother and cousins also carried the stain of illegitimacy, they came from good families on their maternal sides—even from among the aristocracy, in some cases. Because of that, they’d been able to establish lives within the Ton and find spouses with impeccable backgrounds. It was a feat Lia could never hope to equal.
“You have quite a large family now, my dear,” Chloe said, “and we’re all happy that you have joined our ranks. We’re quite a loyal lot, as you will find out soon enough.”
“You’re all very kind, but I cannot impose upon you forever. That would be utterly selfish of me.”
“Nonsense. William and his wife have made it clear that they would prefer you to remain with us until they return from Vienna. That is, of course, unless you’d prefer to join them instead. They will defer to your wishes, but I know they would be delighted if you went over to the Continent.” Chloe gave her another warm smile. “But Dominic and I would be thrilled if you stayed with us. It’s been a joy for me to have such a lovely niece to pamper. Gillian won’t let me coddle her at all, she’s so fiercely independent.”
Lia’s throat went tight with emotion. From the moment she’d walked through the door, Chloe had welcomed her with genuine affection and gone out of her way to make her feel wanted.
It was a startling contrast to her mother’s behavior. Mama’s tepid welcome had been bad enough; Lia could put that down to surprise and consternation over what to do with her. But when Sir Dominic proposed taking her home to his wife, Mama had leaped at the opportunity with an almost embarrassing enthusiasm. After all, not only did it resolve the problem of Lia’s immediate future, it removed her from the acting troupe and the ire of the other performers.
And then there was Jack. She’d not seen him since the night of her humiliating debut. He’d called in Upper Wimpole Street three times, but at first she’d been too sick to see him and then simply too mortified to face him. He was bound to be annoyed, if not downright angry with her.
Chloe put her needlework aside and crossed the room to join Lia and the baby on the chaise. Dom gurgled happily at his mother, enthusiastically grabbing at her.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” she said, letting her son grasp her finger. “Having a ready-made family thrust upon you can be unnerving. But I promise we’re not so scary once you get used to us.”
“No, you’ve all been splendid.” Lia shifted the baby so he could get close enough to grab Chloe with both hands. “It’s just . . .”
“Overwhelming? Believe me, I understand. I was in a similar position when Griffin and Dominic first came back into my life. After years of seclusion in the country and no contact with my family, I struggled with the change. A new life does take getting used to.” She laughed. “Especially with our large and ridiculously interfering family.”
“It’s certainly different. It’s always been just Granny and me. Well, there was Jack, too, of course, and Lord Lendale before he died.” Lia shook her head. “But I don’t know where Jack fits in anymore. He wants to take care of us, but that’s not possible. Not in the long term anyway.”
Nor was it his responsibility. It was Lia’s, and she’d spent most of the last week in bed thinking of little else. Howwasshe to support Granny?
Acting was now out of the question. Nor could she reasonably expect her half brother, William—a man she’d never met—to take up supporting herandher grandmother. Lia simply refused to put herself into the position of a poor relation, entirely dependent on the goodwill of others. As she and Granny had already discovered, that rarely ended well.
Charity and kindness were all to the good; control over one’s fate was even better.
“I can see that living at Stonefell would not be appropriate in the long term,” Chloe said. “But that doesn’t mean Lord Lendale can’t be of assistance. We can chat with him about that when he stops by this afternoon.”
The prospect of seeing Jack again set Lia’s heart on a gallop around her chest. She couldn’t decide whether the reaction was evoked by anticipation or dread.
“You can’t avoid him forever,” Chloe said, again reading her expression. “Dominic had to all but sit on his lordship to prevent him from barging up to your room the other day.”
“Jack’s not used to me avoiding him. But I don’t know how I’m going to face him after everything that’s happened. I suspect he’s quite angry with me.”
Not that he had any right to be. If anything, she should be furious with him for throwing obstacles in her path every time she tried to move forward.
“Lord Lendale is worried about you,” Chloe said. “Now, I think it’s time my little boy went back to his nurse for a bath and a nap.” She leaned over her son and sniffed. “Oh yes. He definitely needs to go back to his nurse.”
Lia reluctantly relinquished the little dear, instantly missing his comforting weight. Holding a baby always made the world feel like a happier place. “I hate to give him up. He’s so sweet.”
“Sweet is not the word I would use to describe him just now,” Chloe said, hoisting her son into her arms. Dom was a robust, squirming bundle, almost too big for his mother to lift. Chloe’s delicate beauty made her appear almost frail, but Lia had discovered she was anything but. She had a quiet strength and supervised everyone in her orbit—including her powerful husband—with calm determination.
“You’re very good with babies,” Chloe said, rising to her feet. “Dom already adores you.”
“I love children. I always spent quite a lot of time with the tenants’ little ones at Stonefell. Their poor mothers are frequently in need of help.” Lia mentally blinked as a thought darted into her head.
Could she possibly ask it of her aunt? “I don’t suppose you could use a nursemaid or helper at your establishment in Camberwell, could you?”
Chloe paused on her way to the door, glancing back with a startled look on her face. When she didn’t come right out and say no, Lia took heart.
“I could bring Granny down to stay with me,” she said, warming to the idea. “We wouldn’t need much—just a few rooms in the village. I promise I would work very hard, and we wouldn’t be a burden to you at all.”
Chloe shook her head. “My dear, I think we can do much better than that.”
