The Duke of Defiance (The Untouchables #5)(74)

“Mrs. Rollins is Welsh—like us,” his mother said. “She’s also widowed—like us.”

Bran had to give his mother credit. For a first matchmaking attempt, it wasn’t terrible. He’d expected her to foist eager young debutantes on him. This was much better. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Bran said.

“And I yours. It can be difficult raising children on your own. I understand you have a daughter.”

“Yes, she’ll be performing a puppet show in a while with the duke’s daughter.”

“Oh yes, the duchess told me about that before dinner. How wonderful.”

There was a beat of silence, and Bran’s mother rushed to fill it. “Mrs. Rollins also has a daughter. And she’s six, just like Lady Evangeline will be shortly.”

Bran threw his mother an incredulous look. How on earth had she found a woman who was “just like” him? If she’d spent time living in the tropics, he might have to seriously consider her.

Wait, wasn’t he already seriously considering Jo? His gaze found her again, and he saw that she was watching him. Her expression was serene and completely inscrutable.

The duke called for everyone’s attention and asked that they assemble themselves to watch the puppet show. He indicated a dais that had been set up on one side of the room with a wooden theatre with curtains.

“Allow me to introduce my daughter, Lady Rebecca, and her friend, Lady Evangeline.”

The girls entered the drawing room on cue and curtsied to a round of applause. Bran’s discomfort melted away as he watched his daughter’s excitement. She and Becky had written a short romantic play about a maid who becomes a princess and had been thrilled when the duchess had asked them to perform tonight.

As the girls made their way to the stage, Evie’s gaze found Bran’s. He smiled and winked at her, and she gave him a little wave.

“Is that your daughter?” Mrs. Rollins asked.

Bran noticed that his mother had moved away. Cheeky.

“Yes.”

“She’s lovely. How fun to do a puppet show. I understand she and Lady Rebecca wrote it. My daughter enjoys making up stories.”

Just like Evie.

He turned to Mrs. Rollins. “Have you lived in England your whole life?”

“Since I married. Before that, I lived in Wales.”

Bran exhaled, glad that he could cross “lived in the tropics” off the list of things they had in common.

The show started, and Bran was riveted. The girls had several puppets of varying genders, and they did voices for each one that were unique and, in some cases, hilarious. The maid’s father was a comical fellow who kept tripping over everything. They finished to boisterous cheers and applause. Bran had never been more proud.

“That was marvelous,” Mrs. Rollins declared, grinning. “Lady Evie is delightful. Perhaps she and my Margaret would like to meet one day.”

Bran couldn’t see why not. “That’s an excellent idea. I’ll have my secretary contact you.”

Something flashed in her eyes, but she quickly disguised it with a smile. “That would be splendid, thank you. It was lovely to meet you.” She curtsied again, and he bowed. Then she was gone.

Evie ran to him then, and he swept her up into a great hug. “You were brilliant!” he said.

“Where’s Jo?” she asked. “Didn’t you watch it together?”

“No, I watched it with a nice woman named Mrs. Rollins. And do you know what? She has a daughter your age, and we’re going to introduce you so that you can make another friend.”

Evie blinked. “Oh.” She turned her head. “There’s Jo. Put me down.”

He set her down, and she took off to Jo who held her arms out and squatted down to give her a warm hug. Watching them together made his heart ache in a way he hadn’t felt since Louisa had died. He’d been sad at her passing, but mostly because Evie had lost her mother, not because he’d lost his wife. Seeing Evie embrace another woman with such happiness filled him with joy.

“Did you like Mrs. Rollins?” His mother seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Startled, Bran turned to face her. “Yes. We had quite a few things in common.”

“I know. That’s why I introduced you. I met her the other day and arranged an invitation for her tonight. I told you I could be helpful.”

Yes, but he wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of saying so. They may have reached a truce of sorts, but he wasn’t ready to let her close to him—and he might never be.

“Well, I hope you’ll pursue getting to know her. You need to get on with things.”

She meant find a countess and produce an heir. His duty. It had been near the forefront of his mind since he’d read his father’s letter. He’d been hopeful that Jo would fulfill that duty, but with each day that she pulled away from him, his doubt increased. And then there was the matter of the heir and whether she could give him one.

“Yes, I know,” he finally said.

She smiled and patted his arm. “Good. I’m counting on you to lead as the head of the family now.” Her gaze was filled with something he’d never seen from her before: affection. He shuddered as he walked away.

Moving to gather Evie and Jo to return home, he caught Mrs. Rollins’s eye. She smiled at him and inclined her head. She was charming, self-assured, and clearly capable of having children.