Mary Balogh: A Secret Affair

And today the elderly residents of Land’s End were indeed marvelously entertained as Matthew was placed in their arms one at a time by his papa and cooed up at them and occasionally, with some coaxing from his father’s finger wiggling over his stomach, favored them with a toothless smile.

Hannah meanwhile was talking to those few who could not hold the baby or even talk or respond to what went on about them. She talked to them anyway, telling them about the three weeks her two nieces and one of her nephews had spent at Copeland during the summer after their mother returned home to Lincolnshire with the youngest two-she had come to give Hannah some support and help with her confinement-and about Lord and Lady Montford’s daughter, whom they hoped to see no later than Christmas, before her first birthday anyway, and about the new litter of puppies, for whom Cyril was attempting to find homes.

And then the visit was over, and Hannah settled herself beside Constantine in the carriage and watched him as he held Matthew on his lap facing him, both hands behind the baby’s head, and made faces at him and spoke nonsense to him.

The baby’s eyelids drooped. He was not in the mood to be amused.

Whoever would have expected, Hannah thought, that Constantine Huxtable of all men would turn into such a tender, doting father?

The devil, tamed.

Except that he had never been a devil. Not even close.

He had been a man full of secrets. A man full of love.

She rested her cheek against his shoulder, and he turned his head to look down at her.

“I have just been trying to picture the Duchess of Dunbarton in my mind,” he said. “But the face of Hannah keeps getting in the way.”

“The duchess served me well,” she said.

“I am glad,” he said, “you do not need her any longer.”

She sighed with contentment.

“I am glad too,” she said. “Matthew is sleeping. Let me hold him.”

He turned and set the baby in her arms without waking him, and stayed turned to gaze first at his son, and then at his wife.

“Have I told you that I love you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said.

He smoothed one gentle hand over the baby’s head and sat back in his seat.

“You can tell me again, though,” she said. “In fact, I absolutely insist that you do.”

He laughed softly.