Page 17 of The Scarred Duchess Deal
Leo laughed. “I thought you said you were picking flowers?”
Tessa nudged his shoulder with hers and laughed easily. “If we are making confessions, then I suppose that I should come clean about the fact that I presumed we would find something that would somehow be the key to everything. Obviously, it is a silly notion to think there would be a note left for me specifically with his escape plan, exact whereabouts, and how to find him – but I wished that was what we would find anyway.”
“I think the letters will give us a good indication. It is my intention to study them further and, hopefully, track down one or two of the senders to see if they might have any information or if they have heard anything.”
“Even after all of this time?” Tessa did not wish to sound overly eager, but it was the first hope she had been given in three years. It would be impossible not to run with it.
“Perhaps. The memory of those with grudges tends to be long and detailed. Should they believe that I am in league with them or looking to collect my own debts, then they are more likely to share information with me. The enemy of my enemy and all that.”
Tessa sighed. “I know that you are correct, but it is simply impossible for me to actually believe that Mortimer was the enemy of anyone. He kept that part of his life wholly separate from me.”
“Would you have wished to know about it?’ Leo asked honestly.
Tessa glanced up at him in surprise. “I have never truly considered it before. I suppose I would have been disapproving – at least at first. I would have wished to help him in any way that I could, naturally. I say that because it was my first instinct when the constables began pointing the blame at him. I argued even then that should he have been desperate enough to do something so horrible, it would only mean that he needed help… they did not care for that.”
“Naturally not. Though the image of a small, wounded but fierce woman attempting to boss about the constables is rather amusing.” Leo laughed.
“Oh, if only you had–” Tessa paused as Leo quickly pulled her from where she stood directly off of her feet. He pulled her in close to his body just in time to prevent her from being smacked in the side of the head by a child’s toy. The large red ball whizzed past them and landed in the grass just beyond them with a softthunk.
“Oi! Wotcher!” Leo called in a less-than-refined accent. It was the sort of tone of voice he had employed often while playing sports at the university. He had not had many occasions to slip into it outside of that.
Two small boys came running up to them, repentance glowing on every inch of their cherubic faces. They were clearly frightened of what they might have caused to happen with their accident, and Leo was of a mind to scold them. His father certainly would have done a lot worse than shout at him for such a misstep. Leo would have lost not only the toy but also his playing rights and the ability to sit properly for a week.
He kept his body between Tessa and the children out of reflex, and was shocked when Tessa started to laugh. Not the sort of polite laughter that he had heard thus far, but something richer – far more like the laughter that she had displayed for getting one over on her cousin the other day.
He was perplexed, but there was more than that too. He watched her face in pure joy; there was a light feeling in his chest. It felt like he ought to laugh too so that he could enjoy her good mood – her happiness spreading all around her. The tension melted from the children as they jogged around the couple and quickly snatched their ball back up.
“Sorry, Ma’am,” the first boy said quickly and then elbowed the second roughly. “We meant no harm… sorry, Sir.” He dipped low into a bow that made Tessa chuckle.
Tessa lowered herself to one knee to speak to the child so that she would be on the same level as them. “Oh, there was no harm done, child, never you mind us. It has been a good while since we have had such lovely weather. You are perfectly right to spend the day frolicking and playing with your friends. It was a very impressive kick! I am afraid that I missed it. Do you think that you could show it to me again?”
Leo blinked at her curiously. He had never had a natural ease with children. He did not think that he had even properly enjoyed the company of other children when he had been a child himself. He had not liked to spend time with them any more than he had enjoyed the childish activities that they relished. His youth had been spent with private tutors and coaching. He had not been allowed the time to do such wasteful things. He had not wanted to then… but he had more than made up for that lack of time in his adult years.
“Yeah! Ma’am, are you watching?” the young boy exclaimed and jogged back a good way. He made a dramatic show of rearing his foot back and then kicking animatedly forward, only to wholly and completely miss the ball. Tessa covered her mouth with her gloved hand to keep from showing that she was laughing.
The second young boy promptly kicked the ball across the gardens before the first had even been given the chance to stand up again. Now covered in grass stains, his play clothes were soiled as he beat at his thighs to try to rid himself of the dirt as he kicked dejectedly at the rock that had apparently caused him to fumble his kick.
“It is not fair! I want to try again!” the first proclaimed.
“No! My kick was proper! Right, Ma’am? Did you like it? Was it good?” the second boy called to Tessa.
Tessa clapped happily. “I think that youbothdid a wonderful job. Even if you fell, your form was spectacular. And you? Your kick was marvelous! In fact…” she paused to fish into her bag, “I think that I might even have… ah yes, here it is.” She produced a small box of sweets from her pocket. He had no idea why she had it or where it had come from but it did not matter. The faces of both of the boys were illuminated as if she had just offered them bricks of gold.
“Really? Can we?”
“Of course!” Tessa answered happily. “Two a piece, all right? Promise me that it will not spoil your supper. I cannot have your mamas come looking for me, cross that I spoiled your appetite.”
“No! Of course not! Never!” they both agreed as they spoke over one another. It only took a small squabble and the four bits of candy were divided evenly among the two children and they ran off happily.
Tessa rose to her feet and brushed her hands off on her skirts feeling very light of spirit.
“You are the youngest member of your family, is that correct?” Leo asked curiously.
“Yes, I am. Why do you ask?”
“You seem to have a natural ease with children that I simply do not possess, I was not certain if you had younger siblings you might have once watched over,” Leo admitted.
Tessa shrugged modestly. “Children do not look at me with fear – sometimes it is easier to be near them because of this. Their sense of wonder is always so refreshing. Not yet overly burdened with too much responsibility or need to present themselves in one particular way or the other. I suppose I cannot explain it properly, but I always expected to have many children someday. Well, I had hoped to, anyway.”
