Julian arrived at the estate precisely on time, which was to say he arrived ten minutes early because Arianne had messaged him a reminder that he had volunteered for this.
"I didn't volunteer," he'd said. "I was tricked. There's a difference."
"There's absolutely no difference," Arianne had replied. "You said yes. Now go take care of your godson."
"He's not my godson. He's my—" Julian had paused, trying to work out the exact familial relationship. "He's your son. I'm your second cousin. What does that make us?"
"Family. Go."
So he'd gone.
Aunt Estella was already there, of course. She was always there, a constant and steady presence in the household, and she had Lexx settled in his bassinet in the sitting room before Julian even arrived. The baby was asleep, had been asleep for the past hour according to Aunt Estella, his tiny face peaceful, his fingers curled into loose fists, his brow furrowed in an expression that was almost comically serious for someone so small.
