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"I do not like it," she admitted, looking away.

James's expression softened. "I know."

She glanced back at him, surprised by the gentleness in his voice. He gestured toward the distant line of trees.

They continued walking, and Olivia soon spotted the small cottage nestled beyond a cluster of trees. It was charming rather than grand, surrounded by a neat garden and protected from the view of the main house by the surrounding woodland. Her heart immediately softened at the sight.

"May I come here with Louiza?" she asked, turning toward James. "If I cannot have him at the manor, at least let me visit him whenever I wish."

James hesitated.

The pause was brief, but Olivia noticed it. "You do not trust her?"

"That is not what I said." He looked toward the cottage before returning his attention to her. "If you trust your sister, then yes. She may come."

"I trust Louiza completely."

"I know." His voice became quieter. "But only my uncle knows about the baby besides us."

Olivia studied him, understanding at last why he was cautious. The secret was not merely inconvenient; it was the foundation upon which their entire future rested. She reached for his arm as they resumed walking. "Then Louiza will keep it safe."

James looked down at her hand resting against his sleeve, and something unreadable crossed his face before he nodded. "I hope so."

Olivia looked ahead at the cottage, where the baby waited for her, and felt a little of the unease inside her ease. Whatever James might say about arrangements, secrets, and practical necessities, she knew one thing with absolute certainty.

I will not allow the little boy to feel abandoned again.

She had promised herself that much the moment she had first heard him crying, and no duke, no secret, and certainly no enormous manor was going to make her forget it.

When they finally reached the front door, she saw a neat stone building tucked behind a stand of old trees, its windows bright beneath the afternoon sun and a small garden flourishing around the front door. It was modest compared with Glenmore Manor, but there was something warm about it that immediately eased her uneasiness.

"I have arranged for a trusted servant and a wet nurse to care for the baby, he said.

Olivia was relieved to see evidence of that care everywhere, from the tidy garden to the clean curtains and the faint smell of fresh bread drifting through an open window.

"Let us go inside?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

The moment she stepped inside and heard the baby's familiar little sounds, something inside her loosened so suddenly that she nearly cried. She had not realized how frightened she had been during the journey back to Northumberland, nor how much of her mind had been occupied with wondering whether he was warm, whether he was being held, whether he had been fed, and whether he remembered her at all.

The wet nurse smiled when she saw them, while the trusted servant gave a polite curtsy before taking James's coat, but Olivia barely noticed either woman because the baby was lying in a small cradle near the fire.

She crossed the room at once, bent over him, and when she lifted him into her arms, the familiar weight against her chest made her feel as though she could finally breathe.

"Oh, there you are," she whispered, pressing her cheek gently against his soft hair.

The baby wriggled once, then settled against her as though he recognized her, and Olivia's heart nearly broke with relief. "I have missed you terribly, little one."

James stood nearby watching her, and Olivia noticed that his expression had softened considerably.

"Give some time alone," he said to them.

"Yes, Your Grace."

The servants withdrew to another room, leaving them alone together with the baby, and Olivia settled into a comfortable chair. She looked down at the tiny face and smiled, tracing one finger carefully along his cheek before glancing toward James.

"Would you like to hold him?"