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“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

Chapter 18

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"Do not become dense. I have three children; I recognize evasion."He laughed once, then stopped because her face was serious. "Are you certain?""No."That answer steadied him more than yes might have.She continued: "I am not certain of painless futures. I am not certain of your family, though Lavinia is improving and Cook has clearly chosen Kit. I am not certain society has exhausted itself. I am not even certain you will never again make a doctor's appointment at me.""I will ask first.""You had better." She touched the suitcase. "But I am certain that you stayed after the chapel. You stayed after scandal. You stayed for thunder counts, legal drafts, pony cowardice, biscuit diplomacy, and Pippa's questions. You learned without demanding reward."His throat closed. "Evelyn...""So ask."He did not kneel—not on the nursery carpet beside an emergency suitcase. That seemed too theatrical, even for him. He took her hand."Evelyn Hart, I loved you before I understood what love owed. I love you now with debts I will spend my life paying—not because you demand them, but because they are true. Will you marry me when you choose, keep your name where you wish, and let me be father in work as well as blood?"Her eyes filled. "That was almost too good.""I can worsen it.""Please do not.""Is that yes?""That is yes. Provisionally.""Provisionally?""Marriage is daily. So is yes."He lifted her hand and kissed it.The nursery door opened. Pippa stood there. Of course she did. "Are you marrying now?""Inside? No."Milo appeared behind Pippa. "Is there cake?"Kit pushed between them. "There should be. Engagements need cake."Rowan looked at Evelyn. She laughed helplessly. "He is not wrong."Before anyone spoke of another wedding, Evelyn asked for work—not money, not jewels, not a new wardrobe, though Aunt Lavinia had opinions about the brown gown that had survived chapel rain. Work.She asked Rowan for the unused wash house near the west courtyard. He brought her the key before asking why; this showed progress. Then he ruined it by asking three questions at once: "For sewing? For yourself? For income?"Evelyn took the key from his hand. "Yes."That answered none of them clearly; it answered all of them efficiently.They stood in the west courtyard while Pippa measured puddles with a stick, Milo tried to teach a stable cat manners, and Kit attempted to trade a biscuit crumb for a feather. The wash house had good light, cracked plaster, and a drain that smelled like historical defeat.Rowan looked around. "It needs repair.""Most useful rooms do.""You want it as a workshop?""As a sewing room and a school.""For whom?""For girls who need wages before marriage, after marriage, or instead of marriage."
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“Daddy, Don’t Marry Her!” — Three Triplets Crashed the Duke’s Wedding, and He Recognized Them

30 Part