Page 71 of The Duke Who Loved a Widow
Where the kingfisher flies,
You might find a muddy pail,
Lurking among the treetops high,
Almost reaching to the sky.
“I’m impressed,” said Robert, handing the paper back. “You have a talent for this, My Lady. This treasure hunt is turning into quite an event. It might even overshadow the midsummer ball. Mama is planning to organize one of her picnics,”
“She can organize those every day of the week for me,” said Elinor. “I rarely have time to sit and eat and a picnic is just the thing. Mama excels at the art of picnics,” she told Arabella.
“I haven’t forgotten that I offered to row you across to the island. I assume you want to work out where to place clues there?” Robert asked them.
“Exactly,” replied Elinor.
“We can ask Jason Brown to hide the clues on the morning of the treasure hunt,” suggested Robert. “Shall we go now? I’ll go and check with Nathaniel if it's convenient. I asked Jason to arrange for the estate boat to be brought round. Ah there it is.”
He went to discuss the practicalities with Nathaniel, and soon, two boats set out onto the lake. Robert rowed the estate boat with Elinor, Arabella, and the boys. Nathaniel rowed Emma across in the Avalon.
The boys helped push the boat out onto the lake, and then Robert helped them to jump aboard. They were already wet and full of excitement. Henry trailed his fingers in the water, and he noticed Arabella, obviously feeling the sun’s heat on her straw hat, did the same. The water was fresh and cool as the boat moved slowly forward.
“The water is so clear,” Arabella said, splashing her fingers in a fan movement on the surface. “Often, these lakes seem green and sludgy.”
“The stream flows into it over there and then out at the other side,” explained Robert. “I think the flowing water makes a difference.”
“I can see the shadows of fish under the water. Look,” Arabella pointed out, “those reeds there are exactly the sort of place to find a giant pike.”
Henry and Freddy leaned so far over that she tugged their shirts to pull them back. He really did need to start those swimming lessons.
Robert asked if the boys would like to help pull on the oars, and they sat one on each side of him, getting the rhythm of the strokes surprisingly quickly.
Arabella and Elinor had screamed, then burst into laughter as the boat rocked when the boys moved gingerly across to sit with Robert. This felt like family, and suddenly, he knew with certainty this was the family he wanted in his future life.
He looked with affection at his sister, bringing up Freddy alone while Colonel Rathby served with the Duke of Wellington in Belgium. She’d brought Freddy back to Montbury so he could grow up part of a family, with the support of her strong and capable mother. His mother exasperated him on many occasions, but she supported her daughter solidly, and her love for her grandson was evident to all.
And there was Arabella, her face filled with laughter, relaxed and happy, trailing her hand in the water as the boat moved gently through the water.
At this moment, all his troubles and cares were banished. If I could row more slowly, I’d try to make this moment last forever, he thought, aware of a warm glow of contentment as he sat in the boat.
He smiled, looking down at the heads of the two boys, who were trying so hard to help him move the oars. It will take a little longer this way, but they are learning, and that’s important.
When they got to the island, he tied the boat to a willow tree, noting for a moment how the branches dipping down to the water reflected back in the sunshine. He showed the others the image projected on the water. “It’s so beautiful,” said his sister. “I think I might come over one day and try to paint it. It would be a beautiful watercolour, and it’s so long since I painted anything.”
He could see what she meant, even in the water, the different greens merged together, appearing and disappearing as the water rippled at the water’s edge.
Arabella stood gazing out towards the other boat, which moved slowly towards them. Her image reflected on the water’s surface in the same way, clear, then merged with the silvery surface. He wondered if she’d sensed him looking at her as she looked towards him with a smile that lit up her whole face.
I think it might be all right. She must believe me about what she saw with Rosalind. It was a lot to ask, as he had held Rosalind in his arms, but he had told Arabella the truth and knew that, at some level, she must recognize that.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she said, pointing into the distance. “You can see the tower and battlements of the castle and the high hills beyond.”
He stood beside her, basking in the closeness, following her gaze. “We should walk to the top of that hill one day. You can see the dale, as we call it, all the way down the valley, and it’s a magnificent sight.”
“I’d love to,” she said, turning to face him, almost, but not quite touching. “This island is a very special place. Did you come here often as a boy?”
“All the time. Even when I was older, it was a place to escape in the school vacation. Simon and I made a den over there, under that oak tree. We used to climb all the trees and watch what was going on at the castle. Endless, wonderful summer’s days.”
“It’s important to have those memories. I’ve become quite an expert on memories in the last two years as I’ve tried to keep Henry’s father alive in his memory,” she said quietly.
