She pressed her hand firmly over her mouth. One of the young ladies glanced in her direction. Gideon, however, had not heard her.
Lavinia, on the other hand, had spotted him.
“Gid!” she called out. Gid having become her name for him, on account of being as yet unable to manage the full two syllables of Gideon.
He turned. His eyes found them at once, and a distinct expression crossed his face as a faint perspiration broke out at Helena’s own neck at having ben caught.
There was no retreating now. No possibility of backing away without being seen. She took a breath and stepped out from behind the tree.
“Well,” she said, dropping a neat curtsy, “if it is not His Grace, the Duke of Blackthorne. I thought Lavinia must be mistaken when she called out to you. And yet, here you are.”
“Yes,” he said, getting to his feet rather quickly and brushing a few crumbs from his pantaloons. He bowed. “Lady Vale.” He turned slightly. “Allow me to introduce my companions. Miss Hester Feldman…” the young lady in powder blue dipped her head “—and her cousin, Miss—” he paused a fraction too long “…Lucinda.”
“Lucretia,” the young lady in the canary yellow dress corrected, in a tone that suggested this was not the first time she had made the correction.
“Yes. Quite. Lucretia. That is precisely what I said.” He cleared his throat. “This is Lady Helena Vale. She and I are working on a — a project together.” He gestured vaguely. “And that is her daughter, Lavi…”
He did not get any further. Lavinia had been watching him with the focused intensity of a small person who has identified exactly where she wishes to be, and she now lunged forward with both arms outstretched.
Why this child had developed such an unwavering conviction that she belonged on Gideon’s arm, Helena could not fathom. She stepped forward, but to his credit, Gideon caught Lavinia and settled her on his hip with rather more competence than she would have expected from their first encounter.
“Well, hello, little lady,” he said. “And how are you today?”
“Pap,” Lavinia announced.
His hazel eyes went very wide indeed. Helena pressed her lips firmly together.
“Did she just call you Papa?” Miss Hester asked, sitting up very straight.
“Are you this child’s father?” Miss Lucretia demanded, her voice rising slightly.
“No,” Gideon said, with great haste, and attempted to hand Lavinia back. “I am not. Not in the slightest. Not at all. She just wants to be lifted up.”
“She is already up,” Lady Hester pointed out.
“PapPap!” Lavinia continued to bellow.
“I dare say, it sounds as though she thinks you are her father. It is most irregular. I think we shall be leaving.”
“No, Lady Lucinda,” he called, sweat now running from his forehead.
“Lucretia,” Miss Lucretia said once more, all out of patience..
“Pap! Pap!” Lavinia repeated cheerfully, clutching his lapel with both hands and showing no intention whatsoever of releasing it.
The two young ladies exchanged a single glance. Then, in almost perfect unison, they gathered their belongings. Their voices mingled as they went, something about what a very great scandal this was, and what on earth one was supposed to make of it, and then they were gone, leaving Gideon standing on a checkered picnic blanket in Hyde Park, a small child attached to his lapel, while Helena laughed until she could not stand up straight.
CHAPTER 10
GIDEON
Gideon stared at Helena as the two ladies disappeared in the distance. And to his utter shock, she was actually giggling. The sight was so unusual and so charming he didn’t even know what to say at first. He had noticed how controlled she was when speaking to people — first with Sir Franklin, and then with Whitcombe. But now here she was giggling, and her entire face had changed. She looked younger, her eyes sparkled, and it seemed to make her skin glow, although that might’ve simply been the sunshine bearing down on her.
She placed a hand in front of her mouth, covering her smile. “I do beg your pardon. I know it is not kind of me to laugh, but the situation certainly calls for it.”
“Does it,” he said. “I was having a perfectly pleasant conversation when you and little Miss Lavinia interrupted.”
“Gid!” the little girl called and placed her little head against his shoulder. His heart melted, and he wrapped his arms tight around her.
