Lord Laxton lifted Lady Blanche into his arms. “Make way, make way. She’s fainted. She needs air.”
“She’s in a park,” said Mari.
Banksford gave her a warning look. He didn’t look too pleased about his golden-haired lady falling into another man’s arms.
Something like thiswouldhave to happen. What if he’d been going to propose to Lady Blanche and Mari had ruined his plans? She realized she had no idea whether the duke was marriage-minded.
He should be thanking her, if that were the case. Lady Blanche wasn’t a suitable mother for the children at all. She was... a fribbling milksop, if ever there was one.
Ruffled skirts. French-heeled boots.
Fainting at the sight of snakes. Her corset was probably laced too tightly.
“I’m escorting her home. Don’t try to stop me, Banksford,” said Lord Laxton.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” said the duke.
Laxton left with the still-limp Lady Blanche in his arms.
Westbury touched the brim of his hat and grinned rakishly. “Very nice to meet you, Miss Perkins. I hope we may become better acquainted.” He gave Banksford a military salute. “Well done, you.”
He hurried after Lord Laxton and Lady Blanche.
“I’ll fetch the children,” said the duke.
Mari quickly rubbed away the chalk lettering with one of the curtains.
The duke emerged from the shrubbery with a twin in either hand.
“T-Trix has left us,” said Michel.
“Trix,” said Adele, starting to cry.
“He didn’t like living in a water jug, did he, Miss Perkins?” The duke turned desperate eyes to her. Obviously, he didn’t know what to do with sobbing children.
“B-but we didn’t have a chance to say good-bye,” wailed Adele.
“Please don’t be sad. How about a nice goldfish?” the duke asked with a panicked look. “Or what about a parakeet?”
Mari wasn’t going to help him out of this one.
“How about another snake,” he said. “I know, I’ll buy you a python. They’re very rare. And very long. They can swallow a whole goat.”
Michel gaped at him. “A whole goat?”
Bravo, Banksford. Gruesome topics as a distraction.
She almost felt like clapping.
Adele wiped her eyes. “I d-don’t think Mrs. Fairfield would like that very much, do you?”
“A snake that could swallow her whole?” Mari sniffed. “I should think not. Come along, children. Best foot forward. Trix will be much happier in the park. Our experiment is concluded for the day but I shall expect a written report tomorrow morning.”
The duke raised both of his eyebrows as if to saythere will be no tomorrow for you, Perkins.
Mari held the children’s hands as they followed the duke up the stairs of Number Seventeen.
The limp in his left knee was very pronounced, she realized. Why didn’t he use a walking stick?