Chapter 2
Chapter Two
“Oh, look at that. I think they’re about to cut the rope!” Lady Emily Stanhope said, and Edmund was glad to have an excuse to look away from her.
The grounds at Vauxhall Gardens were teeming with people, all coming for the same purpose—to see and be seen. Edmund found it exceedingly tiresome, but he’d thought that his seven-year-old son Harry might enjoy the show.
He’d been enduring the dullest conversation he’d had in a while, all because his aunt, Lady Archworth, had introduced Lady Emily to him and exhorted him to engage her in conversation while she took Harry to the pond.
He felt that he’d more than done his duty by his aunt’s friend but was at a loss as to how to extricate himself from the conversation.
“Oh, yes, it seems they are. Would you like to move closer?”
Lady Emily’s face lit up. “Of course! Shall we-?”
“Oh, I cannot.” He pointed towards the pond. “I cannot move too far from my son.”
Lady Emily’s face fell. “Oh.”
“But you should go right ahead,” Edmund encouraged while gesturing towards the clearing where the balloons were tethered.
He stepped back to give her room to pass him by on her way toward the spectacle. She hesitated, frowning at him discontentedly.
Edmund gave her a bow, pretending not to notice her unhappiness. Suddenly, Harry ran up to them. There was a huge smile on his face as he held up his hand.
“Look what I caught!” he cried.
Lady Emily screamed and jumped back, startling Edmund quite a bit. “Oh Lord, what is that?”
“It’s a frog,” Harry said, frowning at her with concern. “Can’t you see?” He thrust the amphibian at her, and she screamed louder, stumbling backward.
“Get that away from me, you wicked boy!” she squeaked.
Edmund’s brow furrowed with fury as he turned to glare at her. “You will refrain from addressing my son in such a manner.”
Harry turned to Edmund, looking troubled. “Did I do something wrong, Papa?”
Edmund immediately went down on his haunches so he could be face-to-face with his son.
“Where did you find the frog?”
Harry beamed. “In the pond. Aunt Regina said I did well.”
“She would,” Edmund murmured. He looked around for Lady Archworth and spotted her strolling towards them with a contented smile on her face. “Did she tell you to come and show it to me?”
Harry nodded vigorously, thrusting the frog at Edmund. “Do you like it, Papa?”
Edmund pressed his lips together. “Son, it is not recommended to grab frogs and carry them in your hands whilst at a public gathering.”
“Indeed,” Lady Emily sniffed. Edmund had entirely forgotten that the lady was hovering. He twisted his neck slowly just in time to see the look of disapproval on her face as she parroted his words, albeit in a sterner tone. “It is not recommended. This is the behavior of a wild child!”
Edmund glowered at her. “I thought you wanted to see the balloons.”
“Well, I can hardly leave now with your son brandishing that creature.” Lady Emily nodded her head haughtily at Harry, then hitched up the hem of her skirts ever-so-slightly, as if to indicate that even if she hustled away, she might not be capable of escaping the frog or its captor.
Edmund was appalled by her dramatics and fixed her with a frank stare. “Why ever not?”
Lady Emily harrumphed. “I cannot go because I was waiting for you to escort me, Your Grace,” she said wistfully.
Edmund’s right eyebrow hooked high on his forehead as he turned back toward his son and shared an incredulous look with Harry.
An unspoken conversation passed between the father and child.
Surely, she cannot expect me to stand by her side after she has spoken out of turn about your behavior.
Harry shrugged genially, then an impish grin spread across his face, and he held the frog tighter.
Edmund took that to mean Harry did not care what Lady Emily said. He could not abide by anyone who did not share his love of animals.
Lady Archworth arrived in time to hear Lady Emily’s last statement, and she eyed the gathering shrewdly. “Where were you to escort the lady, Edmund?”
He slanted her a narrow glance. “Nowhere, Aunt. We were merely discussing the balloons and the fact that they’re about to be hoisted. Lady Emily expressed some excitement about witnessing the phenomenon, and I was just encouraging her to get closer.”
The Dowager Marchioness clapped her hands in delight. “Well, that does sound lovely. Shall we all go?”
“I cannot budge!” Lady Emily cried histrionically. “Not while the Duke’s son is still holding onto that vile beast.”
Edmund gave a put-upon sigh, turning to his son. “Harry, it seems you are scaring the ladies. Release the frog.”
Harry’s mouth turned down. “But I just caught it.”
“An impressive feat, indeed, my boy,” Edmund said as he reached forward and patted Harry on the head. He took a moment to ruffle the soft forelocks of hair that hung near Harry’s eyes. “But one I’m sure you will be able to replicate when we go home.”
“You mean if I drop this frog now, you will help me find another once we get back home?”
The corners of Edmund’s lips twitched as he gave his son a rueful smile. That was not precisely what he’d said or meant, but he did admire the way Harry had roped him into joining the frog hunt later.
“Exactly. It’s not chivalrous to come and scare the ladies with wildlife, Harry. You’re old enough to know that when someone objects to what you are doing, it is polite to desist.”
“Do you mean I have to let go of the frog because the lady is screaming?” Harry asked grudgingly.
Edmund nodded. “Yes, you do.”
Harry gave a deep sigh, even as he opened his hand and let the frog jump away. “Farewell, my friend!” he shouted as the frog leaped toward freedom.
Unfortunately for Lady Emily, the frog jumped in her direction, and she let out a screech, raising her skirts dangerously high so that her ankle was almost on display.
Harry giggled. Edmund sighed. And Aunt Regina gave a snort of derision as she tapped the toe of her shoe on the ground near enough to urge the frog to hop again.
“Oh hush, Lady Emily,” Lady Archworth said impatiently. “The frog cannot harm you.”
Before they could further debate the matter, the frog disappeared into the long grass. Harry raised his hand in farewell. “Goodbye, frog.”
“Goodbye?” Lady Emily said in disbelief. “You should be apologizing to me—”
“Lady Emily!” Edmund snapped. “That will do. If you have a grievance with my child, you will address it to me.” He made a gesture, indicating she should speak now.
Lady Emily huffed. “I have nothing to say that you should like to hear, Your Grace.” She turned her nose up and into the air before marching away from them.
“Good riddance,” Harry muttered, and Edmund rounded on him.
“As for you, young man, you cannot go about scaring the ladies like that. For future reference, most women of my acquaintance are not fond of small creatures, so if you see a lady about, do not show them your woodland friends.”
“Not even rabbits?” Harry asked.
“Not even rabbits. If you have creatures you’d like to show off, then show them to me, your great aunt or your tutor only. Understood?”
Harry huffed. “I suppose…” His brow twisted. “But…that lady seemed so…so…”
His question ended right there, and Edmund did not blame his son for being unable to come up with an appropriate conclusion.
He could not imagine why Lady Emily had been so squeamish or offended.
If Edmund himself had been forced to describe her behavior, he might have called the young lady difficult.
But that was not something he would say in front of his son or encourage Harry to acknowledge.
So, instead of saying what he had on his mind, Edmund replied, “Because ladies do not expect to be shown woodland critters.”
Harry giggled. “But Great Aunt Regina is a lady, and she doesn’t mind it when I show her.”
“Yes, but she’s accustomed to your mischief, Harry. Other ladies are not.”
“Why is it mischief to capture critters, Papa?”
Edmund sighed tiredly. “Enough questions now. Go and find Mr. Oswalt.”
“But—”
“Harry…” Edmund interrupted, giving him an admonishing look.
Harry pouted but did as he was told and went off to find his tutor without another word.
Edmund watched him go and couldn’t help feeling a little bad that he’d upset the boy.
It’s for his own good.
“As much as you try, you could benefit from having a woman by your side to help you raise him.”
Edmund rolled his eyes as he turned to address Lady Archworth. “Not this again, Aunt.”
“Pray tell, what was wrong with Lady Emily?”
Edmund slid her a sidelong glance. “I cannot abide a woman who would speak to my son in such a way. And who doesn’t like frogs?” He arched his eyebrow at her, and Regina emitted a small laugh.
“Fine.” She waved a hand dismissively between them. “Lady Emily did overreact just now. And, she shouldn’t have spoken to Harry in such a way. But there are plenty of ladies who would be as kind as an angel to the boy. Pick one and marry her.”
Edmund slowly shook his head. “I am not interested in finding a wife.”
“Nonsense. Of course you are. Man was not built to live alone.”
Edmund groaned in frustration. “I do not live alone. I live with my son and a house full of staff.”
“Don’t be facetious, Edmund,” she chided.
“I am not.”
“You are. But I know just the remedy for you. I will be hosting a series of events soon to bring the men and women of the ton together. Never fear, for I know you will find a bride at one of them.”
Edmund took a step away from his aunt, then said resolutely, “Harry is enough of a handful without saddling myself with a blushing bride.”
Lady Archworth gave him an enigmatic look. “We shall see.”
Edmund expelled a breath as he looked around for Harry and his tutor.
He expected that they would have gone back to the pond to find another frog or that they might have begun huddling toward the balloon display.
Mr. Oswalt was good at turning these excursions into lessons without losing Harry’s interest.
Edmund’s eyes swept the fairground, a frown marring his forehead as he failed to find them. Then he noticed Mr. Oswalt, looking distraught, turning every which way. The tutor was generally unflappable, but now, he appeared to be rather frantic.
Harry was nowhere near him.
Edmund immediately began to hurry in his direction.
“Edmund?” His aunt called from behind him. “Where are you going?”
He ignored her for the moment, stalking up to the tutor and demanding, “Where is Harry?”
Mr. Oswalt was breathing hard. His face had gone pale. He fussed with the pair of wire spectacles he wore perched lightly on the bridge of his nose. “I-I don’t know. I looked away for just a moment, Your Grace. It was just a moment, and he disappeared.”
Edmund turned away from the tutor, his eyes scanning the crowd as he began to search for his son himself.
I should not have told Harry to go off on his own and find Mr. Oswalt. I should have made sure the lad was safe and…
“Edmund?” his aunt called again. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Harry,” Edmund replied bleakly, his heart pounding with fear. “He’s gone.”