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Dubois could use some help in the kitchen. How long has he been doubling as a chef? I’m sure he could use a break.”
    Nell sobbed again, and everyone turned their eyes on her. When she noticed she was being watched, she said, “Poor Lord Randall! He’s the one who’s dying, and yet he’s being so considerate to all of us! He’s so… sensitive to our needs!” She buried her face in the handkerchief.
    “Yes… well…” the viscount said, clearing his throat as he spoke. “Ask her if she’d like to go to Berkshire with you, John… that is, if you think it’s a good idea.”
John gave a nod. “I think it’s a brilliant idea, sir.”
    A brief silence fell over the room. There was another topic he needed to address, but he was waiting for Nell to collect herself. When she seemed calm enough, Tristan said, “I have something else to say. When we go to Berkshire, I plan to go there with a wife.”
    He thought he heard Nell draw a breath. Dubois’ frog eyes were bulging.
    “I know what you’re thinking,” Tristan said. “It should be wrong to take a wife, knowing I could make her a widow in a week. But I don’t want to leave this world without knowing companionship. I don’t expect love to come out of such a union, but I want someone by my side when I draw my last breath. I don’t want to be like my father…dying alone.”
    “But my lord,” it was Dubois who finally spoke up. “Are you sure about zis? Won’t it be difficult to find a wife so qweeckly?”
    Tristan felt a little tug on his heart, like someone reached into his chest and gave it a pinch. Was it his heart condition, or was it the thought of marrying that made his heart contract?
    Leaning forward in his chair, the viscount answered, “Actually, Dubois... I already have someone in mind.”

Chapter Six

    Leona stayed in her room for several days. After the way he treated her, she didn’t care to see her father. She hated to have to rely on him for anything, let alone her means for existing. Was there really nothing she could do for herself?
    For awhile, Leona thought she might starve herself. Mary brought her several meals, which Leona didn’t touch. Her appetite was gone, even though she was supposed to be eating meals for two. When two breakfasts and two suppers were completely untouched, Leona’s maid got on her hands and knees and begged her to put something in her mouth.
    “Please eat!” Mary had tears in her eyes as she spoke. “I know about the baby, miss!”
    Leona gasped. “You… what?!”
    “I overheard what you and your father were saying! I couldn’t help it, he was shouting so loud! No one else knows! And I promise I won’t tell anybody! But you must eat something! You have to keep your health!”
    “Are you trying to blackmail me into eating?”
    “No, miss!” Mary gasped, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her dress. “How could you think such a thing? I never would! I just don’t want to see any harm come to you is all!”
    Leona lifted her fork and dropped a carrot in her mouth. When Mary seemed so concerned about her, it was impossible to disappoint the girl. The maid wasn’t a handsome woman, but she had the warmest, gentlest eyes. To see disappointment in those eyes would have been heartbreaking. “I’m so ashamed of myself, Mary. You must think I’m a terrible girl.”
    “It’s not my place to judge you, miss,” Mary answered solemnly. “And even if it was… my opinion of you hasn’t changed. We all do things we’re not proud of, don’t we? It’s part of being human.”
    “Oh, Mary… it’s so kind of you to say that. I just wish my father felt the same way.” Leona stabbed another carrot with her fork and held it in front of her face. She could eat the carrots, but the smell of the duck made her nauseous. “To be honest, I understand why he’s acting the way he is. A lady of my class has to set an example, and I’ve let him down. I’ve lost my virtue. I’ve lost the very asset which