Page 63 of The Earl Next Door
They were all laughing.
“My lord,” Lady Kitson said and rose.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Mrs. Feld standup, too, but he couldn’t take his gaze off Adeline. She lifted the child into her arms, sweeping her gaze up and down Lyon’s face as she did so.
“Lyon, what are you doing here?”
“My apologies.” He bowed ever so slightly. “It seems I’ve interrupted you three ladies again.”
“No, not at all,” Lady Kitson said, taking the child from Adeline. He went willingly into his mother’s arms. “We were just getting ready to say our goodbyes. Weren’t we, Brina?”
“Yes,” she said brightly. “We were.” She turned to Adeline. “It was a lovely visit but, we must go.”
Adeline looked from one friend to the other and back to Lyon. “If you’ll excuse me, my lord, I’ll see them out.”
“No,” Lady Kitson said as the little boy chattered and struggled to get down. “No need for that. We must hurry before Chatwyn gets more restless.”
“Don’t forget this,” Adeline said, handing the horse to the child. He grabbed it eagerly in his hand and then cupped it to his chest.
“You must not spoil him and have a toy for him every time I bring him,” Lady Kitson said.
“I can’t promise I won’t. I’ve heard it said a man can’t have too many horses. Chatwyn needs a collection.”
The ladies said goodbye the way ladies do. Earnest hugs, kisses on the cheek, and promises to see one another soon. During the flurry of their parting, all Lyon could think was that Adeline would be a caring mother. In just the few moments he saw her with the little boy,he could see that she had patient, loving hands and a tender touch and voice.
“Will you always just barge into my house, Lyon?” she asked him after her friends cleared the doorway.
It always got her attention when he did. Lyon walked farther into the room. “I don’t know. Perhaps I should be punished for doing so.”
“Punished?” she asked curiously. “What are you talking about?”
He stopped just inches from her. “Why did I just see the two girls who entered my house sitting in the park writing on their boards, while the other girls played?”
Adeline’s shoulders lifted. “Because that is their punishment for leaving the school and trespassing on your property.”
“It’s been at least a month since then.”
“Obviously not,” she challenged.
“How long do you intend for this to go on?”
“The reprimand was only for a month. I don’t remember the exact day it started. Perhaps this is the last week. Or the last day.”
“Four weeks is a lifetime for a child. Have you no heart?”
“I have plenty of heart,” she insisted. “I didn’t know you knew so much about children, my lord.” She folded her hands across her chest. “I don’t need you to tell me about punishment for the girls.”
Lyon relaxed his stance. She was never more beautiful to him than when she was angry at him. “A week should have been long enough,” he stated. “Two at the most.”
“It wasn’t your decision to make. You agreed I couldn’t send them home and it was your suggestion that I threaten them with a cane.”
“Did you?” he asked, advancing on her again.
“Yes,” she answered without equivocating. “You knew I had to be severe or they would have continued to disobey. As it is, there have been no further instances and they are both still doing quite well.”
He smiled. “Good.”
Adeline’s expression softened. “You aren’t worried about the girls. You just wanted an excuse to come over.”
