Mrs. Borens’s expression cleared, as though in relief. Was she imagining that now that Della was hobnobbing—she’d have to share that word with Sarah—with a duke’s heir that she wouldn’t give help to the women who found her?

Bosh.

“We don’t have a separate room, but she might be about Becky’s age. I could put her in there.”

Della grimaced at someone having to share a room with Becky. The girl was fine, but she was a bit silly. But that was no cause for not offering help, although she did feel badly for the potential new arrival. Although sharing a room with a silly girl was likely far better than whatever she’d escaped.

“Bring us tea, Mrs. Borens. And tell Mrs. Wattings I have not left after all.”

“Excellent, my lady.”

Della shook her head as she headed toward the sitting room. Thwarted in her desires first by her sister, then by some random girl who’d heard about Della’s soft heart.

Lord Handsome would have to wait, although she wasn’t certain she could.

The girl stood by the window, turning when Della entered. Her condition was obvious, although she was probably not more than four months along. Della gave a reassuring smile as the girl’s eyes widened at seeing her.

“You are—drat, my housekeeper did not tell me your name. I am Lady Della,” she said, extending her hand to the girl to shake.

The girl’s hand was soft, so she was likely a governess or something where she wasn’t doing manual labor. She looked awfully young, and Della bit back the anger at the person who caused the situation—probably some young nobleman down from college, seeing a vulnerable girl who could not refuse his advances.

“I am Miss Mary Ol—that is, Miss Mary,” the girl said, nodding her head in confirmation.

Della gestured to the sofa. “Would you care to sit down, Miss Mary?”

The girl glanced at the sofa, then stepped over and lowered herself down, her hand on her belly.

“How can I help you?” Della asked as she sat in the chair opposite. “Do you need a place to stay until the child is born? We have some funds, although not a lot. But enough to get you somewhere else, if that is where you want to go.”

The girl stared at Della for a moment, her eyes wide. She was very pretty; Della could see why some blackguard would want to seduce her.

And then the girl burst into loud, sobbing cries, which meant that Della couldn’t waste time thinking about what might have happened to her. She yanked a handkerchief from her pocket and went to sit beside the girl, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and holding the linen square up for the girl to take.

The sobbing continued for a few minutes, Della murmuring nonsensical words that she hoped sounded reassuring.