Page 8 of Brazen Rogue
The moment their lips met a firestorm of need—pent-up desire—had ripped through him, and there had been no turning back. He had denied his feelings and what she had come to mean to him, but after that kiss, there was no denying what he felt.
That Lady Sally Perry had taken note too, and had put a stop to their courtship soon after pained him to this day. Miss Hall had returned to Grafton, and that was the end of that.
"You played beautifully, Alice," he said when his daughter finished her song. "Tell me, what else have you planned for the day?"
His daughter all but bounded on the piano stool, her eyes alight with excitement. "We're going to have a picnic, Papa. Down near the river and Miss Hall is going to help me catch frogs. Real frogs that will jump and everything."
For a moment, Bellamy had no words for such a thing. He looked to Miss Hall and found her watching him curiously. "Real frogs, Miss Hall? Are they not more appropriate for boys?"
"Not at all, my lord. Lady Alice requires learning of all things, not just painting and embroidery," she said. "Nothing that I had not done when I was her age," she added, smiling down at his daughter, who beamed back.
"Miss Hall," his daughter chided. "I thought we agreed I'd be Alice from today onward."
"Of course, sorry, Alice," she said, grinning at his daughter.
A warmth settled about his heart at Miss Hall's words. A little girl who longed for the attention of a mother and had never been given such a treat. A day out to picnic and rummage for frogs would be a dream come true for a five-year-old.
As much as he had tried to be both parents to Alice, there was nothing quite like a mother's love, and he wished she could have had everything she deserved.
"Did you want to join us, Papa?" Alice asked him, reaching up to clasp his hands and shake them a little. "You can help too. If we catch one, then I may get a treat?"
"A healthy treat, my lord. An apple from your orchid that's warmed in the sun, not anything bad for her," Miss Hall was quick to interject.
He smiled. He had no engagements this afternoon that would stop him. "I would enjoy coming down to the river with you, Alice. I shall go and change and meet you down there if you like?"
"Yes, thank you, Papa," she said, jumping from the stool and running toward the door. "I'll have nanny change my clothes directly, Miss Hall," she said before her governess could utter a word of reply.
He shrugged, meeting Miss Hall's eyes. "Had your lesson ended? I fear my daughter seems to think it so."
Miss Hall chuckled as she packed up the music and the pianoforte, a sound that made him wish for more of the same. "We had been playing for some time, and Lady Alice is only five. Her attention span is not so great yet, so it is best, I find, not to push her too much." She paused, glancing toward the door before meeting his eyes. "Are you certain you wish to join us? There may be mud involved this afternoon, my lord," she warned him.
He waved her concerns aside, walking her to the door. "Do not worry about such things. I think you forget that I was a boy once and more than capable of catching myself a frog or two."
"Very good, my lord. I'm glad that I shall only have to teach one of you then," she said before leaving him alone in the room.
He watched her leave, shaking the melancholy that assailed him each time they separated. He strolled back to his library. Their time had come and passed, if they ever had such a time, and now it was time to move forward.
He had Alice to think of. Marrying his governess and raising yet another scandal in his life was not something he could do.
No matter how much he may want to.
Reign took off her boots and stockings and left them on the grassy bank beside a tree where she hoped no little green jumping frogs would look for refuge from their exploring.
They had looked through the grasses and some rocks, and yet still, they had not found a frog. They could, however, hear their little croaks, which drove Alice to distraction, running about trying to find where the sound originated.
The sound of a twig breaking made her look up. Her mouth dried at the sight of Lord Lupton-Gage sitting on the grass, stripping off his socks and shoes, exposing the lower length of his legs and his feet.
She had never seen a man's feet before and there was something oddly masculine about it, so very different from her own.
"You will not find any frogs there," his lordship declared, striding down the hill to join them. "But these rocks I have always found particularly promising." He led them over several large boulders to a group of rocks semi-immersed in mud and a little flowing water.
"Come, Alice," he said, helping her to move one rock. "I'm certain there will be frogs under here."
Reign joined them, leaning down to peer under the rock as his lordship rolled it to the side. The squeal of delight that Alice let out rendered Reign deaf for several moments before a little frog, moving in the mud and water, came into sight.
"There is one," Alice gasped, reaching in to pick the little frog up.
Reign bit her lip, peering at the little frog who was completely adorable. "How sweet they are, and so tiny. We should investigate what kind of frog this may be and research it, Alice," she suggested.
