Simone rolled her eyes, pushing away her half-eaten roll. “The master must have finally let her out of that bed. I hope she can walk.”

Keating gave her a slanting frown. “Don’t you talk that way about the master,” he growled.

Simone wrinkled her nose at his back as he dashed up the servants’ stairs. “Regular hoity-toity, he is,” she muttered to herself. “Just what does he think his beloved master was doing in bed all day yesterday? Playing chess?”

Sophie greeted Simone with a blissful smile. “Will you ring for my bath, please? I shall wear the green riding costume.”

Simone concealed a grin. Just what the master and mistress had been up to needed no explanation, to her mind. Just look how happy Lady Sophie was!

She did wonder whether the mistress had told him yet about the baby. Simone had guessed long ago, but the master seemed to have no idea. She looked around the room. He was sure to give Lady Sophie a piece of jewelry, or some such, when he heard the news. Diamonds, maybe. Everyone knew the master was a nabob.

For her part, Sophie was so happy that she floated into Braddon’s carriage when he arrived. She and Madeleine were planning to address the intricacies of table manners.

They had included Braddon in the afternoon lesson. For the most part Braddon had to be banished from their lessons because he spent all his time staring at Madeleine or, worse, trying to angle his way around the room so that he ended up sitting next to her.

“Men,” Madeleine had explained in delightful shorthand, “think only of kissing women, all the time. This I learned from my papa. He never let me meet any of the gallants who frequent the stables, because he said they would all try to steal kisses.”

“Then how did you ever meet Braddon?”

“Oh, Braddon.” Madeleine’s little laugh erupted. “One day the stables were not yet open, and I was taking care of my favorite mare, Gracie. I remember I had made her a mixture of warm oats. She’s getting a bit old,” she explained, “and I like to give her a treat now and then. Well, I looked up and here was a blond giant looking down at me. It was Braddon. He had lost his cane the day before and came to find it.”

She giggled. “Papa was right. Men do try to kiss you every chance they get.”

In fact, Braddon was now serving as a perfect example of why Madeleine’s father had protected her from the London gentlemen who visited his stables. He constantly looked at Madeleine as if she were a truffle he longed to devour.

“Braddon,” Sophie said severely. “If you cannot behave, we shall have to ask you to leave us.”

Braddon’s blue eyes took on a wounded innocence. “I wasn’t doing anything,” he said, quickly pulling his arm from around Madeleine’s waist.