The Duchess

two of the countess's servants with us. The old cook, Therese, killed the head of the Committee for Public Safety so we might escape. And remember when you thought it amusing that Honor learned to speak French? Well, Papa, it was Honor who was our greatest heroine. She pretended to be our leader, and knew just how to speak to this dreadful man. She had him quite intimidated, Papa. I don't know what we would have done without her.'

Lord Morgan sighed. 'It is over now, thank goodness, but Allegra, I hope that you and Quinton will never do such a foolish thing again.'

'No, Papa, we are going home to Hunter's Lair in a few days,' Allegra told her father. 'We have had enough excitement, and enough of London now to last a lifetime.'

'I want you to stop down at Morgan Court before you go home,' he told her. 'Your stepmother has not been well at all, and wishes to see you both.'

'Papa! What is the matter?' Allegra looked truly worried.

'Nothing dire, daughter, but Olympia wants to see you. That is why I came up to London. I shall return tomorrow. Then you and Quinton will follow in a few days' time when you have made all your good-byes.'

***

“Aunt Mama has not been well for several months,' Allegra told her husband later that evening as they cuddled together in their hed. 'I wonder what the matter can he. She and Papa love each other very much. I should not like to see him hurt. You don't think she is going to die, Quinton, do you?' Her violet eyes were troubled.

'Your father said it was nothing dire. I believe we should take him at his word, my darling,' the duke replied. 'Now, I seem to recall that before we left for France, you made me a rather earnest speech about our need for heirs.' His look was mischievous. 'I believe we should now begin attempting to remedy our lack, Duchess, eh?'

To his surprise she pushed him away. 'Forgive me, Quinton, but I am too worried about Aunt Mama to involve mysell wholeheartedly in passion. Do not be angry with me, please.' She kissed him lightly.

He was admittedly surprised, but he actually understood. 'I love you, Allegra, and nothing can change that,' he told her.

'You are so good to me, my darling,' she responded.

***

They set off for Morgan Court two days later. It was a journey of several days from London, and then their own home was another few days farther. The inns in which they stayed were comfortable, but Allegra found herself more worried about her stepmother as each mile passed. Olympia had virtually raised her, and Allegra loved her. She had been so happy to marry Lord Morgan, and he had certainly been happy to have a wife after all his years of enforced bachelorhood. What could have gone wrong?

They reached Morgan Court at teatime. A footman hurried from the house to open the coach door. He lowered the steps of the vehicle, and helped the Duchess of Sedgwick dismount her carriage. Her dark green velvet cloak with its beaver-trimmed hood clutched about her, Allegra went straight into the house, flinging her cloak to a footman, her husband following behind. Her father came forth to greet her.

'My dear child. Come, Olympia is waiting for you both,' he said, and led them into a small salon where his wife awaited their visitors.

Lady Morgan arose from her settee, and came forward, her hands outstretched in greeting. 'Allegra. Quinton,' she said, greeting them.

Allegra gave a little shriek of surprise. 'Aunt Mama! What has happened to you?' she cried, quite distressed. Her stepmother's body was swollen and misshapen. 'What is this terrible and abnormal growth that has taken ahold of your body? Do not tell me, I pray you, that you are going to die. I could not bear it!'

Olympia Morgan laughed softly. 'Thank you, my darling, for loving me, but no, 1 do not expect to die. Sit down, Allegra. Your father and I have news to share with you. We would have told you sooner, but we could not believe it ourselves, and for several months ignored the signs. I am expecting a child, Allegra. Come May, you and Sirena will have a new baby brother, or sister. Both your father and I assumed we were past such things as infants, but it would appear that we are not. I have not told Sirena yet for her time is too near, and I would not shock her as I have obviously shocked you,' Lady Morgan concluded.

Allegra's gaze went from her stepmother to her father. They were having a baby. Together. They were old. Old! Yet they were having a baby. She had been wed over five months, and she was not with child, and she was young. Quinton was young. Her father and Aunt Mama were old, but there her stepmother sat, fat and burgeoning with new life. She did not know if she could tolerate it. It was simply too awful!

'We shall, my lord, have to discuss the terms of Allegra's marriage portion,' Lord Morgan said to the duke, 'and renegotiate it under the circumstances, as I will now have another heir to consider.'

'Of course,' Quinton Hunter agreed. 'I perfectly understand, sir.'

Allegra stood up. 'I want to go home,' she said, and walked from the salon without so much as a farewell to her father and stepmother.

'It is late, the horses are tired,' the duke called alter her.

'We will take fresh horses from the stables,' Allegra said in a stony voice. 'I want to go home!'

'There,' Lady Morgan said to her husband. 'Did I not tell you we should have told her sooner, Septimius? Now Allegra is upset, and heaven only knows how Sirena will respond when we finally speak to her.'

'I will fetch her back,' the duke told them. 'She has gone out without her cloak.'

'No,' Lady Morgan said. 'I know Allegra better than you, sir, and believe me, this has come as a terrible shock to her. take her home, and let her digest all of our news. Until she can come to terms with herself she will be unhappy. And, Septimius, there will be no renegotiations regarding Allegra's status until after our child is born. Is that understood?'

'Yes, m'dear,' Lord Morgan said. Then he turned to his son-in-law. 'Go along, Quinton. We will talk again eventually.'

The duke found his wife huddled in their coach shivering. He wrapped her fur-lined cape around her, having retrieved it from a footman. 'Where are we going?' he asked, his voice laced with humor.

She glared up at him. 'How can you jest, sir, in light of this revolting development? There is an inn about two hours away on the road home. It is respectable enough though not grand.' Then clutching her cloak about her she turned away from him, and remained silent for the next few hours until they had reached their destination.

Although they had never stayed at the Ducks and Drake, the innkeeper recognized them at once. Bowing, he ushered them into his establishment, apologizing that it was small, and he could but offer them his largest bedroom.

'We are grateful you are able to accommodate us at all,' the duke told him graciously. 'We will want supper. Do you have a private room where we may dine, sir?'

'Indeed, my lord, I do,' the innkeeper assured him, bowing again. 'And I have smaller rooms for your servants, too.'

'Excellent,' the duke said heartily. 'Now if you will show us to our