As she rose, Florence jumped off the sofa and took her hand.
‘Pleasedo not leave me.’
Grace looked down at the little girl, but she addressed Wolf: ‘Lady Davenport should be here.’
‘She has taken Meggie riding,’ offered Florence.
‘Oh,’ said Grace. ‘Perhaps Lady Phyllida could—’
Florence shook her head and clung even harder to Grace’s hand. ‘She is lying down.’
‘Well, we must fetch someone,’ said Wolf. ‘Miss Duncombe has to leave. Sir Loftus will be waiting for her.’
‘Do you mean the man who came to see you earlier?’ the little voice piped up again. ‘He left a long time ago. That’s why I came here, looking for you.’
Grace felt Wolf’s eyes boring into her.
‘He leftwithoutyou?’
* * *
Wolf had entered the room, expecting to see Florence with her aunt and instead he had walked in upon a tête-à-tête between his daughter and the woman he thought he could not have. But if Braddenfield was gone and Grace was still here...
He must go carefully, she was looking as nervous as a hind and might bolt at any minute.
‘Well then, if Miss Duncombe does not have to leave immediately, perhaps she would consent to bear us company while we become acquainted.’
‘No!’ cried Grace, distracted. ‘Sir, we have nothing to say to one another.’
‘But I have much to say to my daughter, Miss Duncombe. And she wants you here while we talk. Is that not so, Florence?’ Wolf dropped to one knee before the child and smiled. ‘There, my dear, I am far less threatening now I am not towering over you, am I?’ He shot a quick glance up at Grace. ‘I really do not wish to frighten anyone away.’
She was frowning, but he guessed she would not leave while Florence was still clinging to her hand. He turned back to his daughter.
‘So, Florence, you were looking for me?’
The child nodded silently, apprehension in her eyes.
‘Florence wanted to become acquainted with you before everyone meets in the drawing room this evening,’ Grace explained.
Wolf marvelled at her kindness in speaking for his little daughter, even when she would clearly prefer to be anywhere else.
‘An excellent idea,’ he said. ‘I wish I had thought of it.’
Florence looked at him warily. ‘Do you?’
‘Why, yes. One can never say everything one wants to say in a crowd. For instance, we must decide what we are going to call each other. I would like to call you Florence, if I may?’
‘Of course, that is my name.’ She looked at him shyly. ‘And may I call you Papa?’
Wolf smiled. ‘I should like that very much. And there is something else that I need to say. I must apologise for behaving like a brute.’
Florence giggled. ‘But that’s silly. We have only just met, so there is no need to apologise.’
‘Oh, there is.’ Wolf risked looking directly at Grace, hoping she would read the message in his eyes. She averted her gaze and he turned again to Florence. ‘I am very sorry that we have not been able to meet until now, but you see, I only recently learned I had a daughter, and as soon as I could I came to England to see you.’
‘You, you did? Uncle Alex said it was dangerous for you to come here. That you were very brave when the bad man shot you.’
‘It was Miss Duncombe who was the brave one. Did you know she nursed me through the night? And I was so ungrateful that I said some very cruel things to her. Things I did not mean and for which I am deeply ashamed. But you see, I thought she was going to marry someone else and I could not bear it.’
