The Bridgertons Happily Ever After Read Free Page B

sign that he understands you,” Daphne said. “I would be much more concerned if he did not.”
    “Everything else about him is completely normal,” Penelope said passionately. “He runs, he jumps, he eats. He even reads, I think.”
    Colin turned to her in surprise. “He does?”
    “I believe so,” Penelope said. “I saw him with William’s primer last week.”
    “He was probably just looking at the illustrations,” Colin said gently.
    “That’s what I thought, but then I watched his eyes! They were moving back and forth, following the words.”
    They both turned to Daphne, as if she might have all the answers.
    “I suppose he might be reading,” Daphne said, feeling rather inadequate. She wanted to have all the answers. She wanted to say something to them other than I suppose or Perhaps . “He’s rather young, but there’s no reason he couldn’t be reading.”
    “He’s very bright,” Penelope said.
    Colin gave a look that was mostly indulgent. “Darling . . .”
    “He is! And William read when he was four. Agatha, too.”
    “Actually,” Colin admitted thoughtfully, “Agatha did start to read at three. Nothing terribly involved, but I know she was reading short words. I remember it quite well.”
    “Georgie is reading,” Penelope said firmly. “I am sure of it.”
    “Well, then, that means we have even less to be concerned about,” Daphne said with determined good cheer. “Any child who is reading before his third birthday will have no trouble speaking when he is ready to do so.”
    She had no idea if this was actually the case. But she rather thought it ought to be. And it seemed reasonable. And if Georgie turned out to have a stutter, just like Simon, his family would still love him and adore him and give him all the support he needed to grow into the wonderful person she knew he would be.
    He’d have everything Simon hadn’t had as a child.
    “It will be all right,” Daphne said, leaning forward to take Penelope’s hand in hers. “You’ll see.”
    Penelope’s lips pressed together, and Daphne saw her throat tighten. She turned away, wanting to give her sister-in-law a moment to compose herself. Colin was munching on his third biscuit and reaching for a cup of tea, so Daphne decided to direct her next question to him.
    “Is everything well with the rest of the children?” she asked.
    He swallowed his tea. “Quite well. And yours?”
    “David has got into a bit of mischief at school, but he seems to be settling down.”
    He picked up another biscuit. “And the girls aren’t giving you fits?”
    Daphne blinked with surprise. “No, of course not. Why do you ask?”
    “You look terrible,” he said.
    “Colin!” Penelope interjected.
    He shrugged. “She does. I asked about it when we first arrived.”
    “But still,” his wife admonished, “you shouldn’t—”
    “If I can’t say something to her, who can?” he said plainly. “Or more to the point, who will ?”
    Penelope dropped her voice to an urgent whisper. “It’s not the sort of thing one talks about.”
    He stared at her for a moment. Then he looked at Daphne. Then he turned back to his wife. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said.
    Penelope’s lips parted, and her cheeks went a bit pink. She looked over at Daphne, as if to say, Well?
    Daphne just sighed. Was her condition that obvious?
    Penelope gave Colin an impatient look. “She’s—” She turned back to Daphne. “You are, aren’t you?”
    Daphne gave a tiny nod of confirmation.
    Penelope looked at her husband with a certain degree of smugness. “She’s pregnant.”
    Colin froze for about one half a second before continuing on in his usual unflappable manner. “No, she’s not.”
    “She is,” Penelope replied.
    Daphne decided not to speak. She was feeling queasy, anyway.
    “Her youngest is seventeen,” Colin pointed out. He glanced over at Daphne. “He is, isn’t he?”
    “Sixteen,” Daphne murmured.
    “Sixteen,” he