Page 34 of A Baby to Seal the Duke’s Fate

“Sit,” Martha said.

Honora obeyed.

The table was scarred with use, the chairs did not match, and the fire burned low. The room felt less guarded than the rest of the house.

Honora wrapped her hands around the cup Martha set before her.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.

It was not the silence of strangers. Martha’s hands continued their work among the cloths, folding and smoothing, folding and smoothing. Honora found that easier than direct kindness. It gave her leave to sit without being asked to confess why she needed the chair.

“It has been quiet since the old duke died,” Martha said, breaking the silence.

Honora looked up. “Was it different before?”

“The late duke kept to himself,” Martha said. “Her Grace filled every room he left empty. Our current duke is different from his father.” She stopped there, as if the rest was not hers to give.

“How?” Honora asked, despite Martha’s hesitation.

As expected, Martha merely shook her head. “In many ways.”

Honora nodded thoughtfully.

“There used to be fourteen staff in this house,” Martha said, as though she had just thought of something she did feel she could tell Honora. “Now there are seven, and nobody talks about why.”

“No one?” Honora asked.

“Not where I can hear them.” Martha’s mouth twisted into a dry smile.

Honora’s fingers moved once around the handle of her cup. “How long has the family lived here?”

Martha shrugged. “Long enough for the walls to be tired of them.” She took a sip of tea. “If you want a proper answer, ask someone who keeps records.”

“Like the late duke?”

Martha gave a dry laugh. “He kept records, all right. Things he wanted no one to see.”

Honora thought about her strained conversation with the dowager duchess that afternoon. She set her cup down. “Did the late duke have connections in Wiltshire?”

Martha’s eyes returned to her at once, sharp and measuring.

“Why do you ask?”

Honora kept her expression smooth. “I was curious.”

“I thought it was clear that curiosity is rarely satisfied in this house.”

Honora looked down at her hands.

“I simply wondered if he or the dowager duchess might know anyone I used to work for.”

The lie came easier now than it had before, which was not a comfort.

Martha studied her for a moment. “He had connections everywhere and kept most of them to himself.”

Honora held the cup tighter. “Everywhere is not much of an answer.”

Martha’s mouth twitched. “It is as much as this house usually gives.”