Reluctantly, Jasmine finished nursing Pyotr and Bry. She handed Bry over to Molly and Penelope, instructing them to tend to the babies while she was at the dinner. Jasmine then said goodbye to Patricia, though the farewell was not as long as she would like, as the maid was insistent upon getting Jasmine to the dinner shortly.
Jasmine then followed the maid through the halls of the Keep, eventually making their way into a grand dining hall. Though Jasmine would have preferred to eat far from the head of the table, out of the spotlight, there was an empty chair right next to Richard near the head of the table. She knew where she was expected to sit. Jasmine walked to the empty chair. Richard jumped up to pull the chair out for her. She sat down.
“Thank you, Richard,” she said softly. Richard sat down in his own chair.
“Anything for you, my beloved,” he purred. Jasmine then addressed the table as a whole.
“I apologize for ducking away. I had to feed my daughter Bry, who is still nursing.”
“You have a child?” asked Lady Sascheme, whom Jasmine was not happy to see sitting across from her. Jasmine nodded. “I would like to meet her.” Jasmine hid a grimace. She wasn’t sure if the magic that had transformed Bry could be sensed on her daughter. Patricia had sensed it months ago, but mentioned that it was undetectable now. Of course, Patricia was a very weak witch.
“She is sleeping and should not be disturbed,” Jasmine said quickly. “Bry is teething, so whenever I can get her to sleep, it is for the best not to wake her.”
“I will be staying in town for quite some time,” Lady Sascheme said. “I need to ensure the new Duchess adjusts properly. There will be plenty of opportunity for me to meet your daughter.”
“Bry is not only Jasmine’s daughter,” Richard interjected. “Though I will adopt her on the day I wed my beloved, I have already begun to think of young, sweet Bry as my own.” Richard kissed Jasmine on the cheek. “I look forward to seeing Bry grow into a woman as lovely as her mother.” Despite herself, Jasmine blushed at the compliment. She felt a strange surge of affection and attraction towards Richard. It truly was most kind and sweet of him to want to raise another man’s child as his own. Not many men would do such a thing.
“You truly deserved to be ennobled,” Lady Sascheme said to Richard. Richard puffed up proudly. “Only a man worthy of a noble title would do such a thing.” Lady Sascheme turned her attention back to Jasmine. Before she could speak, however, servants entered the room with the first course. Jasmine let out a soft sigh of relief. She desperately wanted to avoid any conversation with the creepy old witch. Hopefully she could duck away again after dinner.