Page 103 of A Baby to Seal the Duke’s Fate

Leopold’s breathing changed. Isolde saw it.

“She knew the scandal would draw attention, that the duke would be compelled to keep the child while he investigated where she came from. Then she could enter your household under a false name.”

Leopold stared at her. The explanation was insane. It did not make sense that a woman could ever believe she could get away with such an egregious hoax.

And yet, the false name, the unexplained familiarity, the agency confusion, the way Cecily had reached for her, the question about cold compresses, the bag she had never unpacked, the fact that she had known things she should not have known about Cecily that he told himself were just general things that she could have known about any child all came to mind. He felt the first crack of doubt. Not in Isolde. In himself. Had he been deceived?

Isolde went on, gently enough that the words sounded almost kind. “The entire thing was arranged: the baby, the false name, the position, everything.” Her eyes remained steady on his. “She intended to enter Belgrave and become indispensable.”

Leopold felt the old anger rise. “Why?”

“Because she needed a future.”

His voice dropped. “For herself.”

“And for her child.”

Leopold turned away. The fire cracked behind him. He stared into the flames.

Isolde said, “She knew exactly what she was doing.”

“She has been good with Cecily.”

“I do not deny it.”

“She cares for her.”

“Of course she does. She is the child’s mother.”

Leopold closed his eyes. He remembered Phoebe sitting on the floor beside the crib. The way she read, the way she held Cecily, the way she looked at the baby when she thought no one was watching. His own mother had pointed out how maternal Phoebe had seemed to be toward the child.

“She has been able to soothe Cecily when no one and nothing else could.”

Isolde spoke again. “That does not make her a nursemaid. I believe it offers more proof of her relationship with the child.”

Leopold turned back.

“She used her own child as a prop to infiltrate your household.”

He stared at her.

“I still do not understand what she would gain by leaving Cecily and then returning here, when Cecily would be cared for, regardless of her presence.”

Isolde looked as though she was explaining etiquette to a child.

“That woman wanted access to you. And perhaps more than access.”

Leopold’s jaw clenched. “You think she wanted to seduce me.”

Isolde’s expression was sympathetic. “I think she knew exactly what she was doing.”

Leopold looked toward his mother. His mother sat perfectly still and suspiciously silent. She did not meet his eyes. That mattered more than it should have.

He looked back at Isolde. “How certain are you?”

“Very.”

“You verified the agency records.”