“Oh, Charlotte,” her mother said in agony. “You’ll simply have to forget about this man! Everyone is talking about him and anyone who marries him will have to face the harshest scrutiny … can you imagine? What if he is capable and you gave birth to a child who didn’t resemble him? What would everyone say then? No, no,” she said with decision. “I don’t know why he is even trying to get you to marry him. He will have to settle for taking his brother’s child as heir, that’s all.”

Charlotte absorbed in silence the news that all London was talking about Alex. Her heart was wrung by the idea of people laughing at him. Did he know? He must know. He showed no signs of distress. And no signs of worry about his … capability, she thought slowly. In fact, even remembering the moment when he jerked her body against his, at the picnic, made her feel flushed.

“He wants to get married because his daughter won’t accept a governess,” she said softly, looking up at her mother. “He was quite honest about it.”

Looking at her daughter’s miserable face, Adelaide felt a sympathetic pulse of sadness. Alexander was devastatingly handsome, with his dark hair and eyes. She took her daughter’s hand comfortingly in hers.

“Your father thinks he may have had a riding accident, dearest.”

Charlotte thought about this for a while.

Her mother cleared her throat. “You do see, darling, that his suit is impossible? You are far too lovely to become a mere governess. I want you to fall in love and—to be able to make love. And to have children.” She stroked her cheek lovingly. “You children have been the greatest source of joy in my life. I would hate to see you unable to experience that.”

Charlotte nodded silently.

“Perhaps you could direct Alexander to speak to your father,” her mother prompted. “Marcel could make it quite clear that he would never accept his suit, and the man could look for a nursemaid elsewhere. Really.” She frowned. “I dislike him more for pursuing you for that reason than I do for any disability he has.”

“It’s not that reason alone,” Charlotte said, almost in-audibly.

“I am sorry, darling,” her mother said, instantly understanding. “But there’s nothing to be done about it.”

“I would prefer to tell him myself.”

“Yes.”

There was a short silence.

“You will have to be very resolute, Charlotte. Perhaps it would help if you kept your mind fixed on what happened three years ago.”

“Yes,” Charlotte said.

“I meant what I said about your father, dearest. We have shared, well, life together for more than twenty years. I know that you can find a man who takes his private life seriously. If he loves you, he will,” Adelaide added firmly.