Page 25 of The Secret Love of a Gentleman
She nodded her agreement.
‘We shall return in a moment, George, and continue the game. Move our horses to the far side and set up a cavalry charge.’ So that was why George had laughed, they were on the same side.
Robbie lifted a hand, encouraging Caro to leave the room ahead of him. She stopped on the landing, only a couple of feet away from the open door. Robbie closed the door, concealing their conversation from the ears of the nursery maid. When he stood close to her the inches he had on her height were unsettling, he may even be a foot taller.
His hand lifted. Instinctively she stepped away from it.
A frown creased his forehead. ‘Caroline, I must apologise again. You will become bored of hearing me say sorry, because I seem to always be putting my foot in my mouth. I should not have mentioned your marriage yesterday. It was crass of me. I am sorry I upset you, again. I hope you will continue to give me a chance to be your friend.’ The hand that had lifted swept back his hair, brushing his fringe from his forehead. ‘I did not intend to make you feel uncomfortable. I remembered everyone applauding Drew a few years ago, you see, and I wanted you to know I realised I should have applauded you. Will you forgive me?’
‘You need not ask for forgiveness. I became emotional because your words stirred up memories. I am sorry I made you feel uncomfortable. You are a guest here. It was rude of me to walk away.’
‘Aun’ie Ca’o! Aun’ie Ca’o!’ The nursery doorknob rattled.
‘Master George! Come back and play, your aunt will be here in a moment.’
Caro turned to the door.
Robbie’s fingers closed about her upper arm. The touch twisted the nerves in her stomach. ‘May I ask one thing of you, Caroline? Please join us for dinner in the evenings. I feel as though I am intruding on Mary and Drew, as I am sure you must when you are here alone. I presume that is why you often stay upstairs. So why not make the most of my company.’
‘Au’nie Ca’o! Play!’ George shouted as the doorknob rattled again.
Caro looked at the door then back at Robbie. She was becoming accustomed to his touch on her arm.
‘Shall we take him outside?’ Robbie said. ‘He is shouting for you not me. He must be bored of our war game. We could play on the lawn with him; the day is not too hot yet.’
She looked into grey-blue eyes that expressed nothing but… friendship. ‘That is a good idea,’ she answered.
His hand released her arm and turned the doorknob. ‘Are you causing trouble, George?’ he said as he opened the door.
‘I am sorry, sir,’ Nanny Jones said.
‘There is no need to be sorry. We will take him outside to play in the garden.’
George’s eyes lit up. ‘Want my boat!’ He ran across the room and pointed to the sailing boat on a high shelf. ‘Sail my boat, Uncle Bobbie?’
Robbie crossed the room. ‘Yes, we shall sail your boat.’ Georgelifted his arms. Robbie picked him up so George could lift the boat off the shelf.
‘I need to fetch my bonnet,’ Caroline said. ‘I will meet you outside.’
She hurried down the attic stairs. Then ran along the landing to her rooms. The day was warm, so she did not bother with a shawl, just picked up a straw bonnet and tied the burgundy ribbons in a bow beneath her chin. The colour of the ribbons matched the flowers in the printed pattern on her muslin dress.
Her heart raced as she hurried downstairs, not from fear, but with the same sensations of expectation and excitement she had known the day he arrived here for his stay.‘I should have applauded you.’No one had said such things to her.
In the beginning, Albert complimented her often, highlighting aspects of her beauty. Robbie looked beyond appearance and considered what was inside, and he had seen courage in her.
Courage…A brief sound of amusement slipped from her throat as she hopped from the bottom step of the stairs. Her feet were so light it felt as though she skipped through the drawing room. The French doors stood open, and she heard Robbie talking outside and George squealing with excitement. She could not see them from the house, the pond was further into the garden, beyond the tall hedges.
When she rounded the corner of the second tall hedge separating the garden’s spaces, she found Robbie on his knees at the edge of the pond beside George. They were leaning forward, palms pressed on the pond’s stone rim, blowing as hard as they could at the boat. It moved a little, wobbling through the water and sending out ripples.
Caro laughed fully, the sound bursting from her throat. She could not remember the last time she had laughed like this, but they did look funny.
Robbie looked up, smiling broadly, clearly seeing the humour in his actions too. ‘We are making our own wind for the sails because there is no breeze. It is good to hear you laugh by the way,’ he added, ‘even if it is at our expense.’ His lips twisted into a wry smile. ‘Will you help us blow our boat?’
George looked up too. ‘Aun’ie Ca’o, help.’
She lifted the skirt of her dress and knelt on the grass, on the other side of George to Robbie. ‘Who is on your boat, George?’
‘Uncle Bahbah and the pi’ates.’
