The Villainess Is Shy in Receiving Affection

Melody's world is upended when she discovers she is the doomed villainess of *The Duke's Four Children*—the daughter of a cruel slave dealer, fated to be punished alongside her mother for tormenting the duke's cherished daughter. Refusing to meet such a grim end, she resolves from the very start to treat the novel's heroine with nothing but kindness. When her mother abducts Loretta, Duke Baldwin's long-lost child, Melody does everything she can to comfort the frightened girl—feeding her, tucking her in, and playing with her—all in hopes of securing a peaceful future for herself. Instead, her sincerity wins Loretta's heart completely. The little girl dotes on her endlessly, showering her with affection and insisting she will never leave Melody's side. By the time the duke locates his daughter, the two have become inseparable, and so he brings both girls home to the Baldwin estate. One by one, the entire household falls under the spell of Melody's warm and generous spirit. Yet Melody, whose kindness was only ever a means of survival, finds herself utterly bewildered by this outpouring of love—will she ever come to believe that she, too, deserves to be cherished?