Page 79 of Her Tiger of a Duke
“I wished to see the children too, of course,” she continued. “You have such sweet ones, and I enjoy spending time with them.”
“And they love you. Very well, if this is what you want, I shall give their nanny a day off and you can care for them. Should you and your husband be going your separate ways, I can assume that there shall be no heir, and if I am to be a mother, you are to experience it yourself for the day.”
Beatrice laughed softly, thanking her friend profusely. Within the hour, she was out walking in the village with the children in tow. They were all good children, particularly the eldest. He held Beatrice’s hand dutifully, and though he was still young he could clearly sense that something was wrong.
“Why have you come to see us?” he asked. “Mama usually tells us if we are to have guests.”
“She does, but this time it was urgent. I had to come here for a short while, which means I will be taking care of you sometimes. Will that be all right?”
“I suppose, although I like Mrs. Wyndham. She gives us sweets.”
“I can do that. I like to make them myself.”
“What? But you are a lady. Ladies do not make sweets.”
“I do. It is an enjoyable thing to do. Your mother and I have a friend that likes plants, and another that likes to write. Ladies can enjoy doing all sorts of things!”
“I like to climb trees. Is that good?”
“It is indeed, though I cannot say your mother would be most pleased if I let you.”
The little boy’s shoulders slumped, clearly upset that his plan had not worked. Unfortunately, Beatrice knew that her friend had been gracious in making space for her. If it led to the injury of her son, she would have felt dreadful.
“Where is your husband?” he asked. “Mama told me not to ask, but I cannot help it. He was strange.”
“Strange?”
“He is really big, but he was scared of us. He hardly came near us when we came to visit you.”
“Oh! You see, he was not scared at all. He simply–”
He had a sister that died as a child, scarring him. Even the sight of children has proven too much for him to bear. It was not that Owen avoided children, but that their presence overwhelmed him, and reminded him of his helplessness.
Was she any different?
“He was afraid of hurting you, because he is so tall and strong.”
“Nothing can hurt me! I am a big boy now, and I will be the Duke of Lupton one day. I am going to be in charge of looking after everyone.”
In spite of everything, Beatrice could not help but smile. She and her friends had faced so much difficulty as girls, but Emma was not allowing her own children to suffer in the same way. Her children were always going to feel that they could do anything, and it showed in how they carried themselves.
“You certainly have ambition,” she smiled.
“Of course! Papa has not told me everything about being a duke yet, but I know enough, I think. I want to be the Duke, but not yet.”
“Because you are still too little?”
“I am seven! I am not little!”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, I do not want to be the Duke yet because it will mean that my papa has died. I do not want that to happen.”
Even though his smile remained bright, Beatrice saw it falter, and she heard a slight tremble in his voice. The notion of titles being inherited was difficult for any child to comprehend, but he seemed to understand it well. Even so, Beatrice did not want the child to think about his father dying, especially not when the other children were within ear shot.
“Of course not,” she chuckled, noting the river they had come to. “Do any of you swim?”
“No, but we like to throw stones in the water.”
