“Mommy, can we go to and see my pony?”
Adrian managed to get through Dorothea’s deep thoughts as she stared outside the window. She could see the duke deep in conversation with that witch, Vinessa. Her son had been pulling at her gown for some time she could tell. For how long, she was not sure. His voice had gone more high-pitched than usual and his tugs were forceful. Her son had a governess, but she preferred taking care of him herself. The nanny, Jacinta, a quiet and discreet, middle-aged woman, sat in her corner, knitting.
“Mommy is a little tired today, dearest. Perhaps Jacinta can bring you?”
The governess got up quietly and smiled at the toddler. Adrian was three and a half but precocious for his age. He could read his letters and already started riding his pony a few months be
