Page 31 of Raising the Duke’s Unexpected Twins

He made some sort of grumble in his throat and then she heard him moving to the door.

“Mrs. Wright assisted me,” he demurred.

“She told me you picked it all yourself.”

He grumbled something again. “It was nothing. I have some business to attend to.”

“Very well. I will get myself settled.”

He nodded, the teasing now gone out of his eyes. “I must tell you, Cordelia, that I have no intention in being a father figure to Olivia and Tim.”

“What on earth do you mean?” Cordelia said with a breathless laugh. “You already are. We married for this sole purpose.”

“I mean that I will provide for all of their needs, and they will never want for any necessary thing, but I will not replace their father. I am a mere guardian.”

“But Nicholas, you cannot mean this. David would want you to be a father figure, not some distant provider. You are good with the children; it’s obvious.”

“Don’t argue with me about this, Cordelia. I have agreed to all this, but it does not mean they are my children or that I am their father. It is better this way. They do not need me. They need their true parents, but they have been robbed of them.”

Cordelia’s body shook with hurt and rage. “We have lost them too, you know, and we are doing our best to act in their stead. That is what they would have wanted.”

Nicholas turned away and placed both hands on either side of the doorway as if he was physically keeping himself from running out of the room.

“I know David. He always thought me better than I was, and he did not specify in the will how I was to act as the children’s guardian. This is my decision. Do what you will, Cordelia, but I will act in this manner. As I said, it’s best for everyone.”

And before Cordelia could argue again, Nicholas was off, loud, pounding footsteps walking quickly down the hall and fading away into the afternoon.

Back in her bedroom, a bath was already waiting for her, and Cordelia was delighted at the prospect. Sinking into the warm water, she lay for a long while with her eyes closed, thinking back to that scene in the nursery.

Clearly, Olivia adored him. Why does he fight it?

“Perhaps he merely wishes to keep himself from being shackled more than he already is,” she mumbled to herself.

However, his words had hurt her. She would never replace Helen by any means, but as their godmother, she was going to endeavor to be a mother figure to them. Why was that so hard for Nicholas to do as well?

When a young maid returned to help her to dress, Cordelia was kind but found herself distracted. She wished to fill her mind with something else.

“I am to be your lady’s maid, Your Grace,” the young woman said.

“Oh, wonderful. And what is your name?”

“Anna. You must let me know whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Anna.” Cordelia was at least comforted that she had such a kind-looking young woman to assist her. “Once I am dressed, please tell Mrs. Wright that I am ready to speak to her, if she has time, of course.”

“Of course, Your Grace.” The blonde maid helped her dress and then dipped a curtsy and was gone, leaving Cordelia to stand in front of the long mirror in her bedroom, admiring the gown. It was one of many she’d found in the wardrobe, all new from Nicholas, made of the finest materials, fitting her body perfectly. She also couldn’t help but admire the room itself.

It was beautiful and soft, with flowered wallpaper and lovely paintings of landscapes on the walls. The canopy on the bed was a dusty rose, and everywhere she looked, she saw softness and comfort but not gaudiness. The bathroom too had been made for a woman, but it was not overly ornamental. It was everything she could have dreamed of in a bedroom, a safe space away from the world.

“Your Grace,” a knock came at the door.

“Do come in, Mrs. Wright.”

The old woman entered, her keys hanging on her chatelaine. She folded her hands and smiled.

“The duchess’s room. It is a beauty, isn’t it? I am so grateful that someone is now going to use it, now that the former duchess can no longer.”

“Nicholas’s mother?”