“We all are at that age,” Neal answered. “And remember, their mother was a bruising rider.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I did outride you on more than one occasion.”
“Yes.” He paused a moment and then said, “How was your money stolen?”
She looked to her sons. Bonner was telling the boys the horses’ names: “Blen and Cully.”
“Why did you name them that?” Christopher wanted to know.
“Lord Harry named them, laddies, after famous battles.”
“He is the one in the Horse Guard, isn’t he, sir?” Jonny asked.
“Aye, he is,” Bonner answered.
“Don’t worry about them,” Neal told Thea. “They are in good hands. Bonner will have them feeding the horses molasses bits.”
She crossed her arms. He sensed she wanted to tell him that how her money was stolen was none of his business. And then she surprised him by saying, “Ididn’tleave them alone if that is what you suspect. I would never do that. Those boys mean more to me than my own life. When I received Sir James’s request for an interview, I went to see if Mrs. Hadley upstairs would watch them. She wasn’t at home, but her sister-in-marriage was. I didn’t know Mrs. Gray, andnowI feel foolish. Mrs. Gray’s husband had been a vicar. I assumed ...” Her voice trailed off. She was not happy with herself. “I didn’t know the vicar had been a thief and a drunkard, two traits that have obviously been carried on by his widow. When I returned home after our interview, I discovered the door was open and the boys left alone.”
“And the box empty.”
“She took all the money I’d saved,” Thea said. “Every penny. Mrs. Hadley doesn’t know where she is. Apparently Mrs. Gray has a fondness for drink. She could be anywhere right now.”
“And what of your marriage?” he asked, pressing his luck. “I hadn’t heard that you had married.”
Thea’s lips quirked into a smile. “Aren’t you being nosey, Neal?”
She’d called him by his Christian name, certainly a sign of a truce growing between them. “I am, but only because I care.”
She shook her head, humming her disbelief. “No, we shall not go there.”
Neal tamped down the desire to argue. He really was curious about what path her life had taken. If she’d been in trouble, she could have contacted him—but then she was right. He had abandoned her all those years ago. Hehadturned his back on her.
Regret was an uncomfortable emotion.
“Come, Thea. Let us have a good dinner and rekindle our friendship.”
“You just want me to find a wife for you,” she argued, but her words lacked their earlier heat.
“Aye, I do. I want what you have, Thea. I want children.”
She nodded her understanding and gave her sons a pensive touch on the shoulders as they clambered into the coach.
In no time they were on their way to the Clarendon, one boy hanging out of one window and another boy hanging out the other so they could see all the sights along the way. They exclaimed overthe stocky workhorses pulling drays, laughed at a juggler entertaining on a crowded street corner, and carried on about how “their” coach was far finer than any of the others on the road.
It was the most enjoyable trip Neal had ever made. The boys fascinated him. They had their own personalities and came up with their own thoughts. He’d equated children to being much like dogs who followed one around and did as bid. These lads were more imaginative, more engaged, more alive with life than he could ever have anticipated.
Thea was far from comfortable with him still. Even though they sat close enough that their legs brushed each other, she turned away from him, studying the passing scene outside her window, one hand on Christopher’s coat in case he tumbled out in his excitement.
At this angle, she gave him a view of her very fine profile. She was a stubborn woman, a determined one, the sort he needed.
“I’ve had all sorts of matchmaking offers,” he said.
She turned, looked at him. Her eyes had a grayish tint, like a stormy summer sky. “I am certain you have. Why were they not successful?”
“I was not interested.”
She nodded as if he’d confirmed something she’d already known. However, the coach slowed to a stop. Bonner opened the door for them.
