Well, there all of London agreed with her, of course. The two ladies exchanged significant glances. They had both given their spouses an appropriate number of children who were housed and cared for out of sight. Out of sight and out of danger, one might add. It chilled the bones to see a young thing perched on top of a great beast like that black monster of the earl’s.

Charlotte had no thought about the proprieties of children in the park. The sight of a smiling Pippa wiggling vigorously within her father’s arm and drumming her heels on the back of a jittery stallion awakened all the maternal feelings she had buried three years ago. She slipped off her own horse, Jamaica, handing the reins to her groom.

“Give her to me,” she said, standing close to Bucephalus’s hugely muscled shoulder.

Alex looked down at her in amazement. What the devil? Pippa was perfectly safe with him.

“Bucephalus is very sedate, Lady Charlotte,” he said with just a slight edge to his tone. “He’s as calm as a cow, I assure you.”

“Nevertheless,” Charlotte replied, “Pippa is not safe. I shall walk to your house holding Pippa and you may follow. It’s not far.”

Alex’s eyes crinkled with amusement. His girl had revealed she knew where he lived. She remembered Pippa’s name. She was showing maternal feelings. No matter that it made him feel like a bear with a sore head to have his decisions about Pippa questioned.

He shrugged. “You do remember what she’s like with women?”

“She will be fine,” Charlotte said firmly. She reached up her arms, and Alex dropped his daughter straight into them.

Pippa took one look at Charlotte’s face and opened her mouth to emit a titanic scream. Charlotte immediately put her down at the edge of the walk. Then she waited for a few seconds. When Pippa took a breath, Charlotte said, “I’m the not-nanny, Pippa. Don’t you remember me? I’m not a nanny.”

Pippa’s mouth closed as she thought about that. “My name is Charlotte—the not-nanny,” Charlotte hastily repeated. “Now, I am going to pick you up and carry you so that you can see your father on his horse, would that be all right?”

Pippa didn’t say anything, but she didn’t scream either. Charlotte swiftly gathered up the little girl and held her against her shoulder, so she faced backward and could see her father. Pippa gurgled approvingly. Charlotte started walking.

Sophie was still sitting on her horse, stunned. One minute they had been on their way home and the next Charlotte was biting at the man she might well marry, and then she was carrying off his brat. Sophie slid off her own horse, giving Alex an admonishing look. He looked like the devil himself, about to burst out laughing.