When Sterling approached Dahlia and held out the handkerchief. Her shaking hand gently plucked it from his fingers.
As he watched her, he noticed her eyes had a sad expression when she gazed up at him. Her tiny voice cracked. Dahlia was doing all she could to fight back her tears when she thanked him. "Thank you for your kindness, your Grace,"
Noting her distress, the Duke asked with concern, "Will you be alright?"
"I will be fine in a moment," she said, responding to the Duke's question. "I'm just feeling a tad bit emotional and wishing my parents had been better people so they could have shared this special day with us."
Dahlia looked at her sister and managed a timid smile. She stared intently at the little girl as if she were reminiscing about something special from their past.
