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watching him more closely. I should never have let him get out of the carriage before I did. We should just stay in the country where he won’t get into so much trouble.”
    â€œNow, Sophie,” a masculine voice said firmly. “You are not a terrible mother. You must, however, stop your screeching before you terrify this poor girl.”
    â€œOh, yes, of course,” Sophie agreed. But in a few moments she was sobbing again. “I cannot believe this has happened. If Charlie had been hurt, I don’t know what I would do. I would just die. I would. I would just wither up and die.”
    The man sighed. “Sophie, please calm yourself. Do you hear me? Charlie is fine. There is barely a scratch on his body. We just have to realize that he’s growing up, and we need to keep a closer eye on him.”
    Emma moaned softly. She knew she should let these people know that she’d regained consciousness, but in all honesty, her eyelids felt so terribly heavy, and her head was pounding uncontrollably.
    â€œIs she coming around?” Sophie queried. “Oh, Alex, I shan’t know how to thank her. What a brave maid. Perhaps I should hire her. Maybe the people she works for now don’t treat her nicely. It would just break my heart if she’s mistreated.”
    Alexander Edward Ridgely, the Duke of Ashbourne, sighed. His sister Sophie had always been something of a chatterbox, but she did seem to prattle on even more than usual when she was nervous or upset.
    Just then Charlie spoke up. “What’s the matter, Mama? Why are you crying?”
    Charlie’s voice only served to make Sophie cry even harder. “Oh, my baby,” she wailed, clutching the boy to her chest. She took his face between her hands and started covering it with loud kisses.
    â€œMama! Stop that! You’re getting me all wet!” Charlie attempted to wriggle out of his mother’s grasp, but she grabbed him closer until he hissed, “Mama, Uncle Alex is going to think I’m a sissy !”
    Alex chuckled. “Never that, Charlie. Didn’t I promise to teach you how to play whist? You know I don’t play cards with sissies.”
    Charlie nodded vigorously as his mother let go of him rather suddenly. “You’re teaching my son how to play whist?” she demanded between her loud sniffles. “Really, Alex, he’s only six years old!”
    â€œNever too young to learn the way I see it. Right, Charlie?”
    Charlie broke into a wide toothless grin.
    Sophie sighed loudly, despairing of ever keeping a firm feminine hand on her brother and son. “You two are both scoundrels. Scoundrels, I say.”
    Alex chuckled. “We are, of course, related.”
    â€œI know, I know. More’s the pity. But enough about cards. We must attend to this poor girl. Do you think she will be all right?”
    Alex picked up Emma’s hand and felt for the pulse on her wrist. It was strong and steady. “She’ll be fine, I imagine.”
    â€œThank goodness.”
    â€œShe’ll have a hell of a headache tomorrow, though.”
    â€œAlex, such language!”
    â€œSophie, stop trying to play the prig. It doesn’t suit you.”
    Sophie smiled weakly. “No, I suppose it doesn’t. But it does seem as if I ought to say something when you curse.”
    â€œIf you feel you absolutely must say something, why don’t you simply curse back?”
    Amidst this banter, Emma let out a small moan.
    â€œOh my!” Sophie exclaimed. “She’s coming around.”
    â€œWho is she, anyway?” Charlie suddenly demanded. “And why did she jump on top of me?”
    Sophie’s mouth fell open. “I cannot believe you just said that. You, dear boy, were almost run over by a hack. If this nice lady hadn’t saved you, you might’ve been trampled!”
    Charlie’s little mouth formed a large o . “I thought maybe she was just a