Page 14 of Snowdrops and Winterberry
“He wasn’t, Adam.”
“You didn’t like when he talked to you last time.”
He’d noticed that, had he?
“Well, he was friendlier this time.”
Adam assumed the expression of fierce determination she was all too familiar with. “He’d better keep being friendly. I already don’t like him.”
That was not a reassuring evaluation. Adam didn’t like a lot of people. He’d too vast a history of being hurt. And yet one ought never to be dismissive when a child felt an instant distrust of someone.
Perhaps it would be best if Robbie kept up the interactions with Mr. Simpkin as they prepared for the surprise festivities. She could keep an eye on him, just as he’d sworn to keep an eye on Adam.
Chapter Seven
To Robbie’s surprise, Adam wenton another adventure with Lord Jonquil. This time, he didn’t need convincing. They weren’t going up a mountain or doing anything else that the little boy might consider dangerous or unusual. They were going to take the pony cart to the nearby village of Alnbury and spend a jaunty afternoon larking about.
While Robbie knew the outing would afford her an opportunity to begin preparations for the surprise Christmas celebration, she also felt confident that Lord Jonquil genuinely enjoyed spending time with Adam. But did he realize how much the boy needed it? His father had been nearly all of Adam’s little world. To have another gentleman make room for him and spend time with him would help the void left in his life by his father’s death feel a little less like it was going to swallow him.
Mr. Simpkin stood in the entryway, hat in his hands, when Robbie arrived there. His nod of acknowledgment was not gushing with friendliness, but neither was it insulting. The plan for the afternoon was for Robbie and Lady Jonquil to join him in the pony cart and discover what greenery was available for making their Christmas decorations.
“Has your stone still not arrived?” she asked. She couldn’t imagine he would have agreed to this outing otherwise.
“It has not.” His brows pulled together. “I don’t usually have this much trouble.”
“Fortunately, you’ve a bit of distraction at hand.”
He smiled a little. It was a nice change in him. “I do like evergreens.”
“Is there a variety of tree you don’t like?” she asked.
His light smile remained. “I can’t say there is.”
Lady Jonquil stepped into the entryway. She looked pale.Worryingly so.
“Are you unwell, my lady?” Robbie asked.
“I confess I am feeling a little poorly.” Her hand pressed momentarily to her middle. “That hasn’t happened as often of late.”
Ah.“A lady I worked for a few years back also felt a bit poorly when she was—well...”
Lady Jonquil saved her the trouble of finding the right level of delicacy and simply nodded her understanding.
“She found some relief from ginger tea,” Robbie said. “That and a lie down would likely help tremendously.”
Lady Jonquil pinched at her bottom lip. “I wouldn’t disappoint Adam for all the world.”
She had a good and generous heart.
“I’ll make certain you have all the greenery you need,” Mr. Simpkin said. “And I’ll happily scout it out as well. You look after yourself, my lady.”
That was an unexpected kindness.
“I can’t ask you to do that,” Lady Jonquil said, shaking her head. “We are pulling you from your work as it is. Requiring you to see to this errand on your own when it was not yours to begin with would be terribly unfair.”
“I’m more than willing,” he insisted.
“While I do appreciate that, I cannot countenance allowing it.” Her expression turned determined even as her pallor increased. The poor lady would work herself into true illness if she did not take care. And yet her concern over burdening the garden builder might very well push her to it.
