The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

“He has some of his team search every single bush for nesting birds. If none are there, we’re good to trim. If there are some, we have to leave it.”

“Doesn’t that make the bushes uneven?”

“Terribly so.” My lips tugged up into a small smile. “But the hatching cycle isn’t too long, and we can trim them up when the nests are empty. Huw just marks those bushes at the base with a plant marker and moves on.”

“Oh.” She climbed back into bed and tugged the covers up to her neck. “Interesting. I always wondered why the bushes were never trimmed during the summer.”

I put my phone down on my stomach. “I think it’s March to October, but don’t quote on me that.”

“Noted.”

“Good news, by the way. The surveyor is going to the house later this week.”

Eva raised her eyebrows. “Really? That fast?”

“I use the same person every time. That’s service for you.” I smiled, looking over at her. “Do you feel better this morning?”

“Yes, I do. Thank you.” She smiled.

“What were you planning on doing today?”

“No idea. I was hoping you’d have some ideas. Olympia is pretty taken with Lucy, so maybe something we can do with the dogs?”

I blew out a breath. “There’s plenty. You could go to one of the beaches, Newborough Forest, or up to Parys Mountain in the north of the island.”

“What’s Parys Mountain?”

“The old copper mines. You can’t access the mines, but it’s still a nice place for a walk.”

“Hmm.” She pulled her arm out from under the covers and rested it on top. “Where do you think would be quietest for Olympia? Too many people can be stressful for her, especially if there’s nowhere to escape to.”

“Probably the forest, then. Parys Mountain can get busy and there’s only one way in and out. There are squirrels in the forest, too. It’s a red squirrel woodland.”

“Ooh.” Her eyes lit up. “Sod Olympia, I want to see the squirrels!”

I laughed and propped myself up on my elbow. “I better come with you, then. Jack fucking loves squirrels. He has to stay on his lead in the forest or you can’t get him back.”

“Don’t you have work to do?”

“No. I have a call this afternoon at three-thirty, but I’m yours until then.”

“Aren’t I lucky?”

“The luckiest.” I wiggled my eyebrows, and she burst out laughing. “Come on. It won’t be that bad, and if Jack tries to make off after a squirrel, he won’t drag you through the mud.”

“There’s no way that little thing could drag anything other than a stuffed toy he’s already ripped in two.”

I shook my head. “He’s strong, and he’s a terrier, remember? He has a huge prey drive.”

“I don’t know. Wouldn’t Baxter be the problem?”

“You’d think, with the size of that big lump. But no, he’s pretty good at not going after things unless you tell him to.”

“Fair enough.” Eva paused. “All right, then. The forest it is. Is it nice there?”

I nodded. “We’ll go to the quieter side. There’s a huge lake you can walk around, and there’s a big shelter on the other side of it.”

“All right. Let’s do it.”

• • •

“This was a terrible idea,” Eva said, pulling her hood further over her head to shield her from the rain. “I’m soaked through, Matthew!”

Olympia was the only one of us who was wearing a coat. Granted, it was a raincoat that had no lining, but it was waterproof.

That was more than could be said for any of us adults.

“Do you want my jumper?” I asked, looking over at her.

“For what?” she replied. “I’m already wet!”

“Can you stop bickering so we can get to this shelter?” Adelaide asked, looking over her shoulder. “How much further away is it?”

“Not far at all. Do you want to give me Lucy and start running with Olympia?”

“Running? Ugh, fine.” Adelaide handed me the leash. “Come on, Oly!” She grabbed Olympia’s hand and they both took off along the dirt path, turning when they hit the red marker that denoted the red squirrel pathway.

“That’s fine, I’ll stay in the rain,” Eva grumbled, tugging the neckline of her hoodie up over her chin. “I love getting wet.”

“You want to go running through the forest?”

“Not really.”

“Then stop grumbling,” I replied. “It’s not becoming.”

“I’ll become a legitimate pain in your arse in a minute, darling husband.”

“We’re almost there. Come on. We’ll be able to wait out there until the rain stops.”

“This was a dreadful idea.”

“It was your idea to go out somewhere today.”

“The forecast didn’t say it would rain!”

“Did you check the Newborough forecast?”

Eva muttered something under her breath.

“I didn’t catch that.” I grinned over at her.

“I did not,” she admitted after a moment, stepping over a small log.

“See, that’s your fault. It’s an island, remember? There can be four different types of weather across Anglesey at any one time. I guarantee it’s sunny back at home.”