Lena scrunched up her nose at the very notion. She supposed she ought to really – it would make her mother happy if nothing else – but she had never understood quite what one was to gain when it came to observing babies. Theseus was different; he had reached an age where he had his own personality and was therefore interesting. Helga’s new children were noisy blobs for the time being.

“I don’t want to talk about that,” she parroted back, slumping back against a cushion the moment the housekeeper was out of the way. “It’ll only give mother ideas if she sees me near a baby and everyone always asks the most interminably boring questions.”

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