11. Chapter 11
It seemed fortune was on his side this morning. As he and the boys headed across the field to set down their picnic basket and get their kites prepared, Tyler yelled out, “Look, Father! It’s Max and Will down there by the pond!”
“Can we go say hello?” Grayson asked.
“Of course,” Andrew replied.
He let the boys run ahead as he watched carefully to see what Miss Whittingham’s reaction would be to see them head her way. He was a few feet behind the boys when they approached their new friends enthusiastically.
“Hullo!”
“Hullo!”
“We are here flying kites. What are you chaps up to?”
Emma’s head swung around, and his gaze locked with hers. The energy between them was palpable, transporting him right back to the night before. The softness of her skin, her sighs of passion, her warm heat as he sank into her body. She had to be his mystery woman.
Emma’s breath hitched at the smoldering heat in the duke’s gaze. What was he doing here? She couldn’t believe her bad luck. She quickly shifted her attention to the boys.
“We are making paper boats to sail on the pond.” She smiled at Andrew’s sons, trying to ignore the duke’s penetrating stare.
“Paper boats? Don’t they sink?”
“Not if you make them correctly. I was just showing Max and Will. Would you like to make one as well? I have plenty of newsprint.”
“Father, may we? Please?”
“Yes, of course. May we join you, Miss Whittingham? We have a picnic lunch we can share in return for boat-making lessons.”
Emma nodded, still trying to avoid glancing at the duke.
She was being silly. He didn’t know it was her from last night.
Still, she didn’t want him to catch her staring at him with longing.
Lord, he looked so handsome this morning.
Freshly shaved, his black hair combed back from his brow.
His coat fit him like a second skin. Which only reminded her of his strong, muscled arms which had been wrapped around her last night.
Lud! She needed to get a hold on her runaway emotions.
She handed a piece of newsprint to each of the four boys and started her demonstration from the beginning to show them how to properly fold the paper into a little boat.
Grayson, being the oldest, caught on quickly, but the little boys, being only five and six years old, needed a little help here and there.
The duke surprised her by sitting down in the grass with the boys to help them fold their boats.
Finally, everyone had a boat, and the boys raced down to the water’s edge to sail their ships.
“I didn’t think you would know how to make a paper boat, Your Grace.”
Andrew looked up at her from his spot on the grass, the sun on his face. “Believe it or not, I was once a small boy myself. Building paper boats is a rite of passage. I thought we agreed you were going to stop calling me Your Grace.”
Emma was unable to resist a small smile. “We did, but only in private. The park is a public place. You should get up off the ground before someone sees you kneeling at my feet and gets the wrong impression.”
“Ah, we can’t have that.” Although before he rose, he took her hand and pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles, giving her a wink. Emma gasped, snatching her hand away.
“Gilchrest, really!” She glanced around, but there was no one nearby, thankfully.
Andrew settled himself next to her on the bench. Leaning back, he crossed one leg across his knee. “If you are so worried about propriety, where is your maid? An unmarried young woman shouldn’t be walking about London on her own.”
“I am not alone. I have Fergus.” At hearing his name, Fergus, who had been lying near the bench at her feet, rose and laid his large head on her knee. Emma gave him a scratch behind the ears. She turned to Andrew. “He is my protection.” She raised one eyebrow, daring him to argue.
“Did you and your sister have a nice time at the Lansdowne’s ball last night?”
“Yes, thanks to you and your brother, Lucy’s dance card filled. She had a lovely time. And I as well, although I felt we made a scene with our laughter during that dance. Your mother seemed a bit shocked at our behavior.” She grimaced.
“Don’t worry, I think she was just shocked to see me laughing at all. It has been a hard year.”
“Yes, of course.” She looked down at her gloves. A breeze blew through, ruffling her hair and the feathers atop her hat.
Andrew reached out to tuck a piece of her hair behind one ear. His fingers lingered at her throat. “You always seem to find the humor in any situation. I admire that. I need more laughter in my life.”
Emma could feel a blush creep up her cheeks. All of a sudden, he seemed so close. He had taken off his gloves to make the paper boats, and his bare fingers were warm as they played along her skin above the rapid beat of her pulse. Her breath hitched on a sharp intake of air.
A deep woof caused both her and the duke to startle. She glanced down at Fergus. The dog looked up at her with concern in his eyes. She scratched his head again and chuckled. “It’s all right. Go lie down, Fergus.”
Andrew pulled his hand back and unfolded himself from the bench. “Shall we set up the food? I am certain the boys will be famished after the initial excitement of the boats wears off.”
He spread out a blanket on the grass a few feet away and started unpacking the lunch. Emma settled herself on the blanket, enjoying having someone else take care of the details. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the boys came up from the pond.
“My boat sailed all the way to the middle.”
“My boat sank!”
“Mine too!”
“We will just have to work on your construction,” Emma said. “After you make a few, they will get better. Come and have some food.”
“Will you have many callers this afternoon?” Andrew asked after passing out chunks of bread and cheese to the boys.
“Callers?”
“Generally, after an event, a young lady will receive callers the next day. My mother and sister will be setting themselves up in the drawing room this afternoon to receive callers, I expect.”
“I had no idea! What time would callers come?”
“If I was calling on you, I would generally plan to visit around two. Didn’t you ever have callers, Miss Whittingham?”
“I was never out during the season. I was betrothed the summer I turned twenty. The year before, my mother had been expecting the twins, so my season was postponed. And then she died.” She glanced away.
It still ached to think of her mother. She only hoped she could do half as good a job in raising the younger children as her mother had done with her and Lucy.
“You were engaged?”
“Yes, briefly. He died in a horseback riding accident before we married.” Emma shut her mouth. Why did she always end up telling him more than she meant to about her past? They must go home and check on Lucy. “What is the time?”
Andrew pulled his watch from his breast pocket. “Half one.”
“Oh dear! I’d better head home. I shouldn’t have left Lucy home unchaperoned with the possibility of callers coming. Max, Will, we must head home.”
“No,” the twins chorused.
“Come along. Lucy needs us.”
At that, the boys immediately stood. Their sense of family duty made her proud.
“Thank you for sharing your picnic.” She gave the duke a quick curtsy. The boys gave sunny smiles and waved before the three of them hurried off down the path.
They did indeed have callers that afternoon.
Thanks to the duke’s advice, Emma made it home in time to change and have tea prepared.
Lucy was over the moon because she received three bouquets of flowers that morning, all from prospective suitors.
They received three gentleman callers. All seemed rather nice and rather bland to Emma.
Lucy was, of course, the epitome of good manners.
Emma was impressed at the amount of small talk her sister managed so beautifully.
The next day, Emma made an extra trip with Mrs. Fenway to the market for more food.
Having so many visitors was going to be taxing on their grocery budget.
After the market, she came home to find Lucy supervising the children in their studies.
Lucy looked up with excitement in her eyes when she came into the drawing room.
“Emma, look at all the invitations that came today! Six just for this week alone.” She held up a handful of envelopes. “Come help me decide which to accept.”
When the duchess had offered to sponsor Lucy, she had no idea it would have such a great impact on their social standing.
Thank goodness they had the foresight to order a good variety of gowns.
Perhaps not so many as some debutantes, but enough so Emma had been worrying a good bit about paying for the modiste bill.
It would be worth the expense now that they had parties to wear them to.
Hopefully, Uncle Charles would be by soon with the proceeds from the bracelet and earrings she had given him to sell.
Emma pushed her worries to the back of her mind and gave her sister a smile. “Let’s see what we have here. How exciting.”