Page 70 of The Duke’s Matchmaker

Colin swung his legs back and forth vigorously for a few moments and then stopped all at once as if something had occurred to him. “We should have another picnic,” he announced.

“Mmm,” Nathaniel said. “We could do that if you wanted to, I suppose.”

“And we should invite Dorothy!”

Ah. Of course that was where this had been heading. He had been a fool not to realize that Colin would start asking for Dorothy again soon. He adored her. It was a miracle they had made it this long without him trying to have her over again.

“I don’t know that Dorothy wants to come to another picnic,” Nathaniel said, hoping to distract Colin from this line of inquiry.

It didn’t work, of course. “She didn’t like the picnic?” His face fell.

“I think she had a nice time,” Nathaniel assured Colin, wishing they could talk about anything else in the world. “I know that she liked meeting you, Colin. She liked you quite a bit. She told me that.”

“I liked her too,” Colin said. “When is she going to come back and see me again?”

“I…well, I don’t know, Colin.”

“But she is coming back, right?” Colin pressed. “Because you promised me. You told me that she would.”

“I know what I said. Colin, maybe you shouldn’t be in here after all right now.”

“But you said I could be,” Colin protested. “You just said it was all right for me to be here.”

“I know, but I really need to get some work done.”

“You’re not doing any work,” Colin countered. “You’re just sitting there. Maybe you’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not avoiding you, Colin,” Nathaniel sighed, even though he was. “I need some time to myself. Sometimes adults need that.”

“Is that why Dorothy isn’t coming over? Because she needs time to herself?”

“Yes, perhaps,” Nathaniel said. “That could be the reason. And if it is, the right thing for us to do is give her that time.”

“But how long will it be?” Colin demanded. “I want to see her again. And you promised. And she promised. You both told me that we’d see each other again soon, and now it’s been a very long time, and I want to see her now. You should send for her.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“Do it,” Colin insisted. “I want her to come. You have to.”

Nathaniel looked up. “You can’t speak to me that way, Colin,” he said severely. “It isn’t your decision to make. I’m not going to have Dorothy over here right now, and that’s all there is to it. So, you might as well accept it.”

Colin’s lip quivered. “You’re mean,” he whispered.

Something broke inside Nathaniel. “Colin…”

“No. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. You were right.” Colin’s eyes had filled with tears. “I shouldn’t have come in here in the first place. I don’t know why I thought you would care. You don’t care about anything. You didn’t even know Mother.”

He turned and ran from the room.

Nathaniel winced at the accusation, listening as Colin’s footsteps pounded up the hall. He didn’t know what to do. Would the right thing be to go after the boy? Or should he allow him to have some time to himself? Maybe Colin, too, needed his space.

He buried his face in his hands. He had felt as though he was making so much progress with Colin lately. He’d thought they were getting close to really being a family. But now it seemed like they were falling back into the same patterns they’d had when Colin had first come to live here. Colin lashing out, pushing Nathaniel away, and Nathaniel having no idea what he was supposed to do about it.

Dorothy would know what to do. Dorothy would know how to help him.

He knew he was right. But that was no answer at all, because Dorothy was gone.

He had pushed her away, too.