Page 24 of Duke of Fyre

"Of course!" Lydia said, offering her hand. "Captain Peter, your ship awaits!"

They quickly made their way to the garden, Mug bouncing excitedly around their feet. Peter's initial hesitation quicklymelted away as Lydia helped him transform a gnarled old oak tree into a pirate ship, with branches serving as crow's nests and lower limbs as gangplanks.

"Look out, Captain!" Lydia called dramatically. "Enemy ships approaching from the starboard bow!"

Peter, perched on a low branch, played his part with growing enthusiasm. "Quick, First Mate Mug! Sound the alarm!" The little dog barked on cue, making them all laugh.

Even Miss Nancy, initially standing stiffly to the side, was eventually drawn into their game. She proved to have a surprising talent for pirate voices, though she insisted on incorporating educational elements by teaching Peter the proper nautical terms for different parts of their "ship."

As they played, Peter gradually began to open up, sharing little snippets of his life with his father. "Father never plays," he confided during a quiet moment when they were supposedly hiding from rival pirates. "He says it's beneath our dignity."

Lydia's heart ached at the loneliness in his voice. "Perhaps he's forgotten how," she suggested gently. "Sometimes grown-ups need to be reminded that play is important too."

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "He used to smile more, I think. Before... before Mother died." He paused, then added in a rush, "I don't remember her very well. I was very small when she left."

Lydia reached out to squeeze his hand. "That must be very hard," she said softly.

"Father never talks about her," Peter continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sometimes I think... I think it makes him sad to look at me. Miss Nancy says I look like her."

"Oh, Peter," Lydia murmured, pulling him into a gentle hug. After a moment's hesitation, he melted into her embrace, his small arms wrapping tightly around her waist.

"I try to be good," he said into her shoulder. "I try to be what Father wants. But sometimes..."

"Sometimes you just want to be a boy," Lydia finished for him. She pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes – so like his father's, yet filled with a vulnerability Elias never showed. "Listen to me, Peter. There's nothing wrong with that. You can be both – a future duke who takes his studies seriously, and a child who enjoys playing and laughing."

Miss Nancy, who had been pretending not to listen, cleared her throat. "Your Grace... Lydia... you should know that His Grace means well. He loves the boy fiercely, in his way. He's just... he struggles to show it."

"I know he does," Peter said quietly. "But sometimes I wish..."

"What do you wish, darling?" Lydia prompted when he fell silent.

"I wish he would just tell me," Peter admitted. "Just once. That he loves me, I mean. That he's proud of me."

Lydia felt tears prick at her eyes. In that moment, she made a silent addition to her list of duties as Duchess of Fyre. Somehow, some way, she would help bridge the gap between father and son. It wouldn't be easy – Elias was nothing if not stubborn – but she would find a way.

"Well then," she said brightly, pushing aside her emotions for now, "shall we return to our adventure? I believe I spotted some suspicious-looking clouds that might be hiding treasure!"

Peter's face brightened immediately, and soon they were back to their game, with Mug playing the part of a fearless sea dog and Miss Nancy serving as their resident cartographer. The thirty minutes she had initially granted them stretched into an hour, then two, as none of them could bear to end the magical morning.

Finally, Miss Nancy insisted they return to their lessons, though her usual stern demeanor was somewhat undermined by the leaf stuck in her hair from their "jungle expedition."

As they made their way back to the library, Peter turned to Lydia, his face serious once more. "Thank you," he said softly. "This was... this was the best morning I can remember."

Lydia squeezed his shoulder gently. "Then we shall have to have more mornings like it, shan't we? Perhaps next time we'll be explorers discovering new lands, or knights on a noble quest."

Peter's eyes lit up at the possibility, though he quickly glanced at Miss Nancy. The governess sighed, but there was a fond smile playing at her lips.

"I suppose," she said with exaggerated resignation, "that we might be able to incorporate some... alternative learning methods into our schedule. In moderation, of course."

"Of course," Lydia agreed solemnly, though she winked at Peter when Miss Nancy wasn't looking.

As she watched Peter return to his studies, his face notably more relaxed than before, Lydia mentally reviewed her expanding list of duties. Be a good wife, manage the household, maintain social connections – these were all still important. But now she had added two more crucial tasks: bring joy back into Peter's life, and help heal the rift between father and son.

It wouldn't be easy, especially given Elias's stern nature and apparent aversion to anything resembling frivolity. But as she thought of Peter's bright smile and the way he had clung to her during their brief embrace, Lydia knew it would be worth any amount of effort.

Perhaps, she mused as she left the library, this was why fate had brought her to Fyre Manor. Not just to be a duchess or a wife, but to help this broken family find their way back to each other. And maybe, just maybe, in helping them heal, she might find her own place in this grand but lonely house.

With her chin lifted and a steely gaze in her eyes, Lydia headed towards her chambers to change out of her now slightly dirt-stained dress. She had a feeling she would need all her wit and determination for the challenges that lay ahead.

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