Page 65 of The Duke Who Claimed Her

He had known that his relationship with Timothy needed to improve, but he had had no idea just how bad it was. That Timothy assumed Caspian would rather be alone than spend the day with him… It hurt, quite frankly. Worse still, it was exactly how Caspian had always felt about his father.

“Card games?” Caspian tried to summon enthusiasm. “That sounds… fun.” And he failed miserably.

Timothy forced a smile. “Which is your favorite?”

Caspian did not have a favorite card game. At least not one that a boy should play. What was more, he did not think that such a thing was the way that he and Timothy ought to bond. That was for Timothy and Arabella, and if Caspian was going to grow close to the child, he needed something else.

Think Caspian. If you were eight years old, what would you want to do?

Caspian almost laughed at the thought of himself as an eight-year-old. When he was that age, he had not yet realized how much he hated his father, or how much his father hated him. Oh, how he used to idolize the man, desperate for his attention, always doing whatever it took for his father to notice him.

It was as Caspian walked down that sordid memory that something occurred to him—a faint reminder of a question he had once asked his own father, only to be thoroughly refused.

He could remember it like it was yesterday. He was ten, and he dared to knock on his father’s door to ask if he might take him for a horse ride. Caspian did not know how to at that time, and he was desperate to learn. What was more, he had been foolish enough to think that his father would say yes.

“Horse riding? Why would I waste my time with that? Be gone, boy. Ask one of the stable hands.” His father had then shooed him away, a look of utmost disgust on his face. That was the last time that Caspian had asked his father for anything.

“Say…” Caspian straightened up, a sudden pulse of excitement shooting through him. “I have an idea what we might do.”

Timothy looked awkwardly at him, as if worried about what the answer might be.

“Have you learned to ride a horse yet?” Caspian asked. “I have a sense that Miss White has been a little negligent with such things.”

“Horses?” Timothy brightened up immediately, and Caspian could literally see the thrill come to life behind his eyes. “Really?”

“Yes,” Caspian laughed. “You ought to learn to ride. And seeing as Arabella is not here…” Caspian grinned. “It is time I prove to you that Arabella is not the only one capable of having a good time with you. I can be just as fun. More so, even.”

Timothy laughed. “Yes! I mean…” He pulled back his excitement. “I would like that very much.”

Caspian breathed a sigh of relief. It was such a small thing, nothing out of the ordinary, an activity that any father and son would typically engage in. And that was why it mattered.

“Then it will be done,” he said. “Run upstairs, clean up, and meet me outside in thirty minutes.” Timothy jumped from his chair. “Oh, and Timothy…” Caspian raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yes?” Timothy paused, suddenly wary.

“When I say thirty minutes, I mean thirty minutes. If you are not there, I will go without you. So, try to be on time.” He winked. “If you think that you can.”

“I can! I will!” With that, Timothy turned and sprinted from the room.

As for Caspian? He breathed out a deep sigh, let his shoulders drop, and sank down in his chair. Relaxed, was how he felt, and a little too proud of himself. It was all well and good to spend time with Timothy when Arabella was there, but he needed to learn to do it on his own.

I am not my father…

That was a thought that Caspian repeated as he rose from his chair and made his way from the breakfast room. And to further prove the point, he realized he was not doing this because he thought he should, but because he wanted to.

Caspian wanted to spend time with Timothy, just as he wanted to be a better father to him than he had been. And that was why Caspian was different, and that was proof that he had changed.

No… not changed. I was always this way. It is only now that I am finally able to see it.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Arabella settled back in the carriage as it took off from the estate.

Her mood had never been better, and she let her positive feelings spread from her so that they seemed to fill the entire carriage. Outside, the sun shone brightly, and birds sang from the treetops, and she wondered if she might ever feel upset again.

Somehow, I doubt that I will.

That she had forgotten about her plans to see the Dowager was further proof of just how perfectly things were going between her and Caspian, too. In fact, she was glad that she was on her way to see the Dowager, because she was eager to tell the woman all that had happened.