Dating the Duke (The Aristocrat Diaries 2)

“What else do you have there?” Alex asked, smiling.

“Oh. I drew you a birthday card.” She handed me the piece of paper she’d dropped and bit her lip.

She’d drawn a picture of me and her on the front in a style similar to anime. We were holding hands, and we both held what looked like a book. She’d clearly taken her time colouring it in, and the most overwhelming feeling of love for this little girl washed through me.

She was the sweetest girl in the world.

Inside, in her slightly messy handwriting, she’d written, “To Adelaide. Happy birthday. Love you lots and lots and lots, from Olympia xxxxxxxxxxx” and finished it off with a smiley face.

“Oh, that’s the best. Thank you so much. I love this picture of us.” I folded it back over. “I’m going to pin that in my bedroom.”

Her face lit up. “Okay, and this one. I made this, too.”

I was sensing a theme here.

I took the envelope from her and pulled the flap open, then reached inside. There were three laminated bookmarks with ribbons on the top. One was covered in hand drawn flowers, the second had a bunch of rabbits that looked suspiciously like the ones she owned, and the third had a fairy that resembled the main character in the series she was currently reading.

“Because you like reading,” she said quietly. “So you never forget your page.”

Oh. My heart.

“You really made these?” I asked her. “They’re amazing. They must have taken you forever!”

She nodded. “And I had to bribe Mr. Cooper at the library to make them plastic for me.”

Elizabeth chuckled from behind me. “She had to promise to invite him to her birthday party.”

I laughed and touched Olympia’s arm. “Oly, that’s so sweet of you.”

“Last one,” Alex said. “I think. There’s no telling what else she’s hidden in the pantry.”

“Probably empty boxes,” Elizabeth mused.

I’d agree with that.

I couldn’t count how many times I’d been excited for salt and vinegar crisps, only to find the packet empty, and I knew she was the only one who ate them.

Olympia put the last present in front of me. “I made this, too.”

Ah. Of course.

I unwrapped the pretty paper to reveal a canvas painting. There was a black cat that I assumed was Phoebe sitting on top of a wonky stack of books. The background was painted all in a glittery pink, and she’d taken extra care to line Phoebe’s limbs with white, otherwise she’d just be a big cat shaped black blob.

Well. She kind of was anyway, but I thought it was the most wonderful painting I’d ever seen.

“You painted this?”

She nodded. “Granny took me to an art class in the village two weeks ago. The other kids were loud, but I got to paint this. I thought you might like it.”

My heart swelled with love for her, and I put the painting down to wrap her in a huge hug. Surely there wasn’t another child as thoughtful and kind as she was. I didn’t know how her little body held so much goodness in it, I really didn’t.

“I absolutely love it,” I assured her, kissing her cheek. “It’s Phoebe, isn’t it?”

She was delighted I’d recognised her beloved cat and nodded.

“I love it. Thank you.”

Olympia smiled, suddenly coming over all shy, and stepped back.

“One more,” Alex said, his eyes twinkling. “But this one is from me.”

“There’s more?” I laughed. “I haven’t had this many gifts since I was nine.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “You’ll like this one.”

“It’s outside,” Alex said. “So put some shoes on, and when we get to the back door, I need to cover your eyes.”

“You need to do what?”

He grinned as Olympia pulled me off the chair. “Only for a minute, I swear.”

“Uff. Okay.” I slipped some ballet flats on in the hallway and let myself be taken outside.

When we stepped out, Alex pulled me close and covered my eyes with his hand. “Trust me, all right?”

“This is the weirdest thing ever,” I muttered. “Where are we going?”

“Just keep walking. I’ll tell you when we turn.” He held my hand with his free one. “Left.”

I took a deep breath and tried to relax. It was extremely hard when I didn’t know where we were going, I couldn’t see, and I knew the paving slabs back here could be uneven. The last thing I wanted was to trip over.

“Here we go.” Alex stepped behind me and rubbed his hand on my upper arm. “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely not.”

He laughed. “Three… Two… One.” He removed his hand from my eyes, and I found myself staring down at what resembled a square rabbit run, with a small house, a wooden bridge, and food and water, among other bits and pieces.

I frowned.

“I don’t get it,” I said, staring at it.

Alex bent down and pulled me with him. Olympia dropped to the floor on the other side of me, pressing her face practically against the grass, and looked inside, grinning.