Page 30 of The Earl and His Lady

The tiniest of smiles twitched Phillip’s lips upward before he bent his head and went to work on the next boat.

His heart ached for the child. He would continue to study Phillip and one day, if he was lucky, they would be friends.

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“My lady? Oh, thank goodness I’ve found you.” Nurse Smythe, her graying curls hanging in frazzled clumps outside of her bonnet, was nearly panting as she spoke.

Virginia turned from her task in the still room, instantly alert. “Nurse Smythe? Is something wrong with the boys?”

The woman’s eyes were worried and her brows drew together. “There’s something wrong with me. I fell asleep, my lady, while they were playing quietly. When I woke up, they were gone. I have looked all over the top floor, and first, and the ground. I asked the upstairs maids to look and not a one of us has found sign of them. I was on my way to find you or his lordship. I hoped they would be with you.”

Virginia shook her head and bit back the reprimand that sprung to her tongue. It was hardly Nurse Smythe’s fault the children had gone wandering off. It was the first time anything of the sort had happened, and Nurse had been with them for years. The boys were likely somewhere inside the house, safe.

“Inform Gresham and Mrs. Hail. We will look until they are found, though it is nearly their supper time, so they ought to come looking to fill their stomachs soon. I will find his lordship to see if he has any idea where they might be.”

Perhaps they found the secret passage he told them of?

They could be playing quietly somewhere just out of sight, though if they’d heard people calling for them she thought they would come out. Her boys had never been willfully disobedient before. But Phillip had been acting less like himself of late.

Virginia went directly to Lucas’s study, kicking up her skirts as she went. Though she didn’t run, as a lady never did, Virginia moved at a rapid pace. She knocked on Lucas’s door smartly and waited. When no answer came, she knocked once more before opening the door and peeking in. She had only glimpsed his domain once, during the initial tour of the house.

His study was different from what she expected. The curtains were thrown wide, revealing tall, broad windows overlooking the front lawn and drive. The furniture was upholstered in rich red, cream, and gold patterned fabric, and his desk was dark, burnished walnut wood. He had shelves full of ledgers, and an enormous marble fireplace took up half a wall.

The room lacked one important thing, though. The earl was not within.

Virginia bit her bottom lip and stood, thinking of where else she might find her husband. She went to the bell pull in the room and gave it a tug.

Scant minutes later, a footman appeared.

“My lady?” He didn’t even appear surprised to see her there.

“Good afternoon. I am sorry, your name—?”

“Dorval, my lady.”

“Dorval. Do you happen to know if his lordship had any appointments this afternoon? I thought to find him here, but I may be mistaken in his schedule.”

“He went out a quarter of an hour ago, my lady, with Lord Heatherton and Master Edward.” His face remained straight and proper, but the man’s eyes smiled. “They took paper boats with them, my lady.”

“Paper boats? Thank you, Dorval. That will be all.” He bowed and left the room, but Virginia lingered. She went to the window, noting the world outside remained as gray in the afternoon as it had been that morning. What natural light came in was not bright. The rain had been unseasonably cold when it came, their days of sunshine were few, and none of the winter things had been entirely packed away yet. Had the boys remembered their coats before going out?

She turned her back on the window, to leave the room, when a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance.

Chapter Twelve

The boys shrieked with pleasure, the cold rain pelting down on top their heads. Lucas laughed with them as they ran up the hill to the house, all getting a good soaking despite their coats. Edward toppled, halfway to the house from the stream where they’d successfully tested the boats, and landed in a muddy patch of earth.

Phillip stopped running and turned to help his brother. Lucas hurried forward too, reaching down to take Edward’s arm. The boy looked up at him, his face covered in mud, and in an instant they were all laughing again.

Edward wiped his soiled face with an equally filthy hand, managing to smear everything around even more. Phillip howled with laughter.

“Let me help.” Lucas reached his now-muddy hand into his jacket and drew out a handkerchief, but Edward bent out of reach to scoop up a handful of muck.

Before Lucas could halt the action, Edward lobbed the mud at his brother.

It took him some time to get them both moving to the house again, and they were in a considerably filthy state. No matter. He would take them in through the back. The servants could fetch towels and as soon as they all stopped dripping they could go to their rooms for baths. The boys were in good spirits, and that’s what counted the most.

Edward sneezed.