Page 4 of Snowdrops and Winterberry
They walked around the area where Lord Jonquil wished for his garden to be. Howard asked every question he could think of. His patron asked many as well. This garden was meant to be a mixture of formal and inviting. It was meant to be walled while still needing sunlight. Lord Jonquil was not certain stone could be obtained that matched the existing stone of the wall. All those things would complicate the job.
“If you give me today,” Howard said, “I’ll take measurements and sketch up an idea for you.”
Lord Jonquil nodded. “I look forward to seeing it. Do youneed anything to accomplish that?”
“I travel with all I need. I’ve a coach I remade myself. Outwardly, it simply looks like a worn old traveling coach, but the inside is something of a home. I’ve equipment, paper, and pencil lead. I can have something ready for you in a few hours. Of course, that’s assuming you don’t mind having my coach on your property. It isn’t an eyesore, I swear to you.”
“I don’t mind. And your horses can be stabled here.”
Howard was fortunate to have found a potential patron who was not merely enthusiastic but also generous.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of a young boy walking beside a woman dressed in the plain clothes of a servant but holding herself with more confidence than a mere chambermaid.
Lord Jonquil must’ve noticed where his gaze had shifted, because he explained, “Our guest, the young Duke of Kielder, and Miss MacGregor.”
Weren’t that a strange thing? The boy couldn’t have been more than seven or eight years old and already a duke. Duke or not, young boys were rambunctious and often caused trouble. Heaven help Howard, having a little one about might very well set him behind schedule or wreak havoc on his work.
He couldn’t afford for his work not to be his very best this time. His entire future depended on it.
He would keep an eye on this tiny duke. If there were so much as a spot of trouble, he’d have a talk with the woman looking after the boy.
Chapter Three
“But I don’t understand thepurpose.” Adam had made that objection several times.
Lord and Lady Jonquil had suggested a number of games that any child would enjoy. Adam, as Robbie knew well, was not “any child.” They were being very patient with him, but they were clearly baffled.
“The purpose of a bilboquet is... entertainment,” Lord Jonquil said. “It’s a challenge to try to catch the ball on the stick. The attempts often go hilariously wrong, making it humorous to try and also to watch.”
“The purpose is to laugh at people?” Adam’s dark brows pulled inward, and his wee mouth tensed into a tiny twist of lips.
“Notatpeople,” Lord Jonquil was quick to say. “Withpeople, certainly.”
Robbie sat a bit apart from the couple and her little charge. Nursemaids weren’t meant to participate in these things, but the situation was an unusual one. Adam was visiting without a parent, and he hadn’t a governess—yet. He was left to navigate this uncharted territory without the usual support. Ought she to intervene? To explain a bit more about Adam?
His expression remained hard. “Sometimes people are laughingatsomeone even though they say they aren’t.”
“That won’t happen here,” Lady Jonquil said. “We would never permit it.”
Wariness remained on that little face. Robbie’s heart broke to see it. He’d always been a cautious boy, but the past months had turned his vigilance to fear. Too many people had disappointed and abandoned him. He expected it now.
“Do show him how to use the bilboquet, Lucas,” Lady Jonquil said to her husband.
While Lord Jonquil demonstrated, his wife rose from her chair and crossed to sit beside Robbie. “Has he truly never played with a bilboquet? I thought most children had.”
“I’ll not speak ill of the late duke,” Robbie said, “but I will tell you that Falstone Castle was a solemn place while this duke was a wee thing. He had a few toys, but not many. And his departed father was nae one for games and such, so our wee duke didn’t learn to enjoy them.”
“Ah.” Lady Jonquil nodded. “Hence, the reason he couldn’t fathom the purpose of the toy. He did not grow up realizing that toys don’t need a ‘purpose’ other than enjoyment.”
“I did try to teach him,” Robbie said.
Lady Jonquil gave her a reassuring smile. “I am absolutely certain you did.”
They were a generous-hearted couple. Robbie had realized that straight off.
“Do you suppose Adam would be more inclined to play if he thought the toy he was playing with had some educational value or strategy to its use?”
“Aye. ’Tis how I convinced him to learn chess and draughts. The strategy of them are good for the mind, he decided.” A hint of sadness touched her as she thought back on those discussions. How she wished he could have been a lighthearted little boy. The weight of a title and responsibilities had landed on him far too soon, and he’d lost his chance at being a child.
