Page 28 of Duchess By Condition
“No, they don’t bite. They’re not dangerous,” she said. “I’m just not used to such slimy animals. There’s nothing wrong with being slimy, but I’ve never held something like that before.”
“You never caught a toad?”
“No, never,” she told him.
“Not even when you were my age?”
“Little girls don’t do that kind of thing as often as little boys do,” she said. “I’m sure there are some who do. But when I was your age, I liked to stay indoors. I would read books or play the pianoforte, or sometimes work on my needlepoint. Things like that. I’d never have dreamed of pulling toads out of the river.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound like very much fun,” Noah said. “You should probably start pulling toads out of the river now in order to make up for it. You should go down there and catch one of your own.”
Violet laughed. “There’s no way I could do that,” she told him. “I’d be as likely to trip over my skirts and fall right into that water, and then where would we be?”
“Well,” Noah said, “If you won’t try to catch a toad, I think you do at least have to touch this one. I think that it’s only fair.” He held it out one more time. “Just put a finger on his back,” he urged. “Just one finger. Feel how rough he is.”
He was so earnest about it, so eager, that Violet found she couldn’t refuse him.
She reached out a single finger and rested it lightly on the toad’s back.
Noah had been right. The animal’s body was rough and pebbly, but it was soft in its way, too. It was clear that she wasn’t touching mud or a rock, but something alive. As she watched, the toad opened and shut its mouth a few times. Its body swelled slightly in Noah’s hand.
“He’s so interesting,” Noah said. “I wish I could keep him as a pet!”
“That, we’re not going to do,” Violet said firmly, withdrawing her hand. “If you need a pet, maybe we can talk about a dog or a cat. But put the toad back in the water now.”
Noah sighed. “All right.” He ran down to the water to release his toad.
Violet wiped her fingers on the blanket beside her. She had to admit that it hadn’t been as bad as she had thought it might be. By the time Noah got back, she was unpacking their lunch, promising herself she would try to relax a little more. After all, she was going to be raising a little boy, and that was going to mean getting comfortable with the kinds of things little boys—and Noah in particular—liked. She would have to get dirty.
She glanced up toward the house and was met with another surprise.
Jonathan was there, crossing the lawn, toward them from the house.
She glanced at Noah. “Did you tell Jonathan to meet us here?”
“No,” he said. “I didn’t know he was coming. But this is good! Now we can all have our picnic together. It will be fun.”
Violet wasn’t sure what to say or how to respond. But she hoped very much that that was true.
CHAPTER 16
Jonathan had spotted the picnic from the window of his study. It had been an idle curiosity to him at first, and he had watched Violet and Noah as they had spread their blanket on the ground and set out their food. Then Noah had run down to the water, though Jonathan hadn’t been that clear on what he was doing there. That was when he had started to worry. What if the boy fell in? Would Violet be strong enough to pull him to shore?
That was when he had gone down the stairs. His first thought had been to send a footman out to sit with them in case they got into trouble. But the next thing he knew, he’d been walking out the front door, and it occurred to him now that maybe he had intended to do that the whole time. Maybe he had always meant to join them.
They’d noticed him as he was making his way across the lawn, and they stopped what they were doing to watch him approach. That was awkward. Jonathan felt the urge to break into a jog to close the distance, but he managed to restrain himself. As hedrew nearer, Noah jumped to his feet and hurried over to meet him.
“Hi, Jonathan!” The boy was bouncing up and down with excitement, and Jonathan noticed dirt on his clothes. “Did you come to have a picnic with us?”
“I thought I’d join you, yes, if it’s all right.” His gaze flicked to Violet. She bit her lip as if pondering what to say, but then she inclined her head.
He sat down on the edge of the blanket.
“You missed it,” Noah said. “I just let the toad go.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You had a toad?”
“A big fat one,” Noah said. “Violet liked it, didn’t you, Violet?”
