Page 64 of A Remarkable Rogue

But her attention was still rapt on her son, her green eyes bright with unshed tears. He’d never seen her more vulnerable than at that moment.

“Did you bring your warhorse with you, Captain?” Robert asked.

“No, sir.” He tore his eyes away from Sydney to the boy. “I left him in London at the Horse Guards.”

“Well, I have a pony, and I’m a very fine rider. I can trot and canter, and Beasley has promised to teach me to jump!”

“Mr.Beasley,” Miss Jenner corrected, doing her best to fade from the group and not look at Sydney, who was dripping emotion as she stared at her son.

“Mr. Beasley,” Robert repeated automatically. “Someday I’m going to be a dragoon and fight for the Horse Guards, too!”

“We can always use a good man like you,” Nate said.

Excitement lit the boy’s round face. “Will you ride with me tomorrow, Captain, if it’s not raining?”

Nate sent a look toward Sydney to seek her permission to lie to her son as he had every intention of being on the road to Scotland by then. But her eyes never left Robert. “Yes, sir. I would be happy to.”

The boy cheered.

“Now that introductions have been made,” Miss Jenner said as she placed her hand on Robert’s shoulder to gain his attention and stop him from jumping up and down in excitement, “you must leave your guests to settle into their rooms, and you need to go to the breakfast room to eat your dinner.” The governess glanced quickly at Sydney as a self-reprimand darkened the woman’s face. “Robert takes all his meals in the breakfast room, my lady,” she explained as Sydney finally rose from her knees where she’d been kneeling since talking to the boy. “I know it’s unusual. But it doesn’t seem necessary for him to take his meals in the nursery any longer, and the dining room is too big for just the two of us. That is, unless you’d prefer we followed tradition, even in your absence.”

“The breakfast room is fine,” Sydney answered, deferring to the governess. “You know what’s best for Robert.”

Nate narrowed his eyes sharply.

“Thank you, ma’am. We’ll make certain not to bother you and the captain unduly while you’re here.”

Sydney gave a curt but absent nod because her attention was still focused on Robert. And on the way Miss Jenner continued to rest her hand possessively on the boy’s shoulder.

“Go along, then, Robert,” Miss Jenner ordered.

“Yes, miss!” He turned on his heels and ran toward the door with the same enthusiasm and energy he’d had when he’d entered.

“Walk, please.” Miss Jenner turned back toward them. Finding Sydney’s gaze staring at the door after the boy, she swiftly slid her smile to Nate. “My apologies. Robbie can be a bit of a handful.”

“No apologies necessary,” he assured her, but his concern for Sydney grew with each heartbeat. “It’s been a long day. Perhaps we can be shown to our rooms now.” He lowered his voice as he added, “And send up a hot bath for her ladyship. I’m certain she’ll want to freshen up before dinner.”

“Of course,” Miss Jenner answered in the same quiet voice. She gestured toward the door. “If you’ll follow me, please.”

Miss Jenner preceded them from the room. Distracted, Sydney walked after her, with Nate following closely behind.

When they reached the door, he took Sydney’s elbow and stopped her.

“Wait,” he ordered beneath his breath. Then he said louder to the governess as she stood in the hall, “I need to speak to Lady Rowland. We’ll only be a moment.”

He closed the door to give them privacy, not caring that he’d just broken half a dozen rules of propriety.

Sydney didn’t move except to squeeze shut her eyes and inhale deeply, as if willing her racing heart to calm and her breath to come normally again.

He gently took her shoulders and turned her to face him, and with his hand at her chin, he tilted her face until she had no choice but to look at him. Regret and sadness glistened in her eyes. But more emotion swirled inside her from the encounter with her son that even now had her trembling…

Fear.

Impossible. How could a woman so brave and confident in all other aspects of her life be afraid of a small boy?

No, he realized grimly. Not afraid of the child—

She was afraid to be his mother. So afraid, in fact, that she was letting another woman raise him in her place.