Page 46 of The Duke of Lies
“Yes, I can see that,” Verity said with a smile. “While your father is not.”
Beau looked over at him, then, without hesitating, dragged his hand through the water and splashed a fair amount of water across Rufus’s legs. “Now he’s wet!”
Rufus laughed before narrowing his eyes playfully at Beau. “We’ll see who’s wet.”
Beau trudged through the shallow water seeking to get away, but his efforts were making him wetter, so it was a hopeless endeavor. Verity giggled as she watched them in the silliest chase she’d ever seen.
But suddenly Rufus went down, landing backside first in the water. Verity rushed forward, and Beau looked over his shoulder.
“Are you all right?” she asked with concern.
“Better than your shoes.” Rufus looked down at her feet, which were submerged in the edge of the pond.
She hadn’t paid attention to where the water started. She’d been too focused on him. Her gaze found his, and she realized he knew it too.
Beau walked to Rufus’s side, his little face scrunched up with worry. “What happened, Papa?”
“Well, it wasn’t a sea monster,” he said with a wink. “I just slipped.”
Beau’s eyes grew round. “Are there really sea monsters? Why haven’t you told me about them before?”
Rufus laughed. “There are no sea monsters. There are very big fish and whales and sharks and octopuses, but they aren’t monsters.”
“What’s an…octo-puss?” Beau dragged out the last letter.
“An eight-legged sea creature.”
Beau cocked his head to the side, unsurprisingly interested in anything to do with animals. “Like a spider?”
“No. I’ll draw a picture for you. You need a book about sea creatures,” Rufus said. “And I need to get out of this pond.”
“I’ll help you, Papa.” Beau took Rufus’s hand and pulled. Verity knew Rufus rose of his own accord, but smiled nonetheless when he thanked Beau and complimented his strength.
“Come, let’s get your shoes and stockings on,” Verity said, taking Beau’s hand as he walked from the water. “I’ll dry your feet with the blanket.”
While she administered to Beau, Rufus took care of himself and finished packing up the basket.
Beau looked Rufus up and down. “I’m sorry you got all wet. I didn’t make you fall, did I?”
“How would you have done that?”
“Because you were chasing me. I’m very fast, and you tried to keep up.”
Verity saw the slight quirk of Rufus’s lip, but he didn’t laugh. “Youarevery fast,” he said, “but you are not responsible for my clumsiness.”
Beau gave him a dubious look. “Are you sure you didn’t fall just to make me feel better since I fell earlier?”
Now Rufus laughed. “You’re a suspicious lad, aren’t you? No, I didn’t fall to make you feel better. Should I have?”
“I didn’t feel bad at all. I didn’t even cry.” The pride in his voice made Verity proud too.
Rufus picked up the basket, and when he tried to take the folded blanket from Verity, she shook her head emphatically. “You won’t let me carry it because I’m wet?” he asked.
“Not at all. The blanket is damp from drying your and Beau’s feet. I’m carrying the blanket because you don’t have to doeverything.”
“I like doing everything. You’ve doneeverythingby yourself for so long. I only want to ease your burden.”
“Nothing has been a burden.”Not since you disappeared. And I thought your return would be horrible, and it isn’t.She felt as though she were in an opposite world.
