The Deceptive Lady Darby (Lost Ladies of London 2)

Alice opened her mouth, but Jacob spoke first. “Mrs Hibbet laid out our clothes. We’ve not seen Rose today.”

“What if she’s run away, Papa?”

“She has not run away,” Christian said with a sigh, though the pang in his heart confirmed he suspected the worst. “She would not have left without speaking to me first.”

Perhaps he had frightened her away. After all, what innocent woman enjoyed being ogled by the master? Guilt flared when he recalled how he’d clutched her to his chest whilst lying sprawled on the grass. Damn.

“Does that mean we can’t go on the picnic?” Alice asked.

“We’ll wait for another five minutes.” A few seconds ticked by before the need to know what kept her proved too hard to ignore. “On second thoughts, Alice, would you run upstairs and knock on Rose’s door? Heaven knows where all the servants are today.”

“Yes, Papa.”

Alice climbed the first flight of stairs only to bump into Rose at the top.

“Alice, you made me jump out of my skin. No doubt I’m dreadfully late.” Rose took Alice’s hand, and they descended the stairs together. The child could not take her eyes off Rose’s hair and neither could he.

“Forgive me, my lord. When I woke this morning, I did not expect it would take so long to style my hair.” Rose stroked the soft curls that skimmed her shoulder. “A shorter cut suits me, don’t you think?”

Christian stared open-mouthed. What possessed her to cut her hair?

Alice took one look at his face and sobbed. “Does that mean Rose is leaving now?”

“Leaving?” Rose frowned. “Of course not. Why would you think that?”

Rose glanced at Jacob who found it more interesting to stare at his shoes.

“Rose is not going anywhere.” Christian met her gaze. “The shorter style is quite becoming. Would you care to divulge what prompted the change?” He had his suspicions but wanted to hear her explanation before he accused his son.

Jacob sucked in a sharp breath.

“A woman who works for a living has no time to worry about managing her hair. This will be easier to deal with in the mornings.”

“So no one forced you to make the decision?” He cast Jacob a sidelong glance.

“Forced me? Not at all. One side looked considerably shorter in the mirror this morning that’s all. Now I’ve evened it up.”

One had to admire her level of compassion when it came to his children. More so when one considered she’d known them for two days. Most women would have insisted he beat the boy, demanded he offer some form of compensation to atone for the misdeed.

Rose simply smiled.

“It’s only hair.” She put her arm around Alice’s shoulder. “If I decide I don’t like it, I can grow it back. Now, shouldn’t we be on our way?”

She really was a remarkable woman.

Even so, it was time for him to sit down with his children and address their mischievous behaviour. He should not have left it so long. But sometimes the truth proved hard to bear, easier to ignore.

“Had anything untoward happened, you know I could not permit the picnic to go ahead,” Christian added purely to make the point to his son.

By rights, he should abandon all plans. But seeing his children smile eased his guilt. And an outing would give him an opportunity to learn more about Rose.

“The only thing untoward is that I am terribly late.” Rose picked up the wicker basket sitting on the floor at his feet. “But let’s not allow such an oversight to spoil the day. Time away from the house can be a tonic for a burdened mind.”

A brief respite from his troubles was exactly what he needed. “Then let us not waste another minute.”

They took a leisurely walk to the lake, situated a mile or so north of the house, far from Morton Manor’s boundary. The few dark clouds littering the sky did not spoil its beauty. No doubt the water was cold. But he noticed the way the sunlight sparkled on the surface. Birds sang. Dragonflies danced near the lake’s edge.

As a child, Christian had spent his summers rowing the boat from one bank to the other while his mother sat beneath her parasol and told stories of medieval knights fighting brave battles. They were amongst the happiest times of his life. And yet his children had never experienced such magical moments spent with a mother who cared.