Before their wedding he’d soon discovered that her beauty was pretty much all there was to her. She enjoyed being admired, pampered and kissed but that was as far as it went. In the early days of their marriage, he’d convinced himself that things would improve with time, but they hadn’t and it was this that had made him seek his pleasures elsewhere. Not that this was any excuse for the way he had treated Amber Ainsley. Time and time again he wished he could go back and undo the wrong he had done her – the day he had seen her gipping herrings on that cold quayside he had felt like the lowest of the low. He cringed when he remembered the scorn in her eyes when she looked at him, and the worst of it was that he really couldn’t blame her.

Bringing his thoughts sharply back to the infant in his arms, he stared down at him. He was the double of himself, with fair downy hair and blue eyes, whereas the girl’s hair was a darker blonde and already her eyes seemed to be changing colour and he suspected that they would be dark.

‘You’d never believe these two came from the same womb, let alone that they were twins, would you?’ the nanny remarked as she took the full, contented girl from the wet nurse’s arms. The boy was tiny and quite scrawny whereas the girl was plump with long silky eyelashes that rested on her chubby cheeks as she contentedly blew milk bubbles.

‘I just wish he was as fond of his milk as she is,’ the woman went on as she sat the little girl on her lap and began to tap her back to wind her. ‘This little madam would suckle till the cows came home if you let her, whereas his lordship here has to be encouraged to take every ounce. And already they’re different in nature an’ all. She’s a sweet, contented little soul whereas he cries a lot – not that he ain’t a bonny little thing,’ she added hurriedly when Barnaby raised his eyebrow. Standing up, he gently laid the boy into one of the cribs that stood on either side of the fire and then took the girl and held her against his chest. She really was the sweetest, prettiest baby he had ever seen, and once again a feeling of love surged through him. It was just as well, he thought wryly. Because his wife had made it more than plain that there would be no love forthcoming from her again.

‘Have you thought of any names for them?’ the nanny asked.

Barnaby shook his head. ‘I don’t think Louisa has been well enough to give it much thought yet,’ he admitted.

‘Hm, I heard she had a really bad time of it at the birth.’