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Mrs. Norton joined them at that moment. “My Lord and Lady, welcome to Norton House. Please come inside.”
As Elizabeth followed Mrs. Norton inside, Heather slipped her hand into Elizabeth’s and held it, grinning up at Elizabeth when she looked at the girl. She imagined having a daughter, bright and lovely like Heather. The thought awakened a yearning that she had suppressed when she lost hope of marrying. That forgotten dream could be hers now…her and Rhys’.
Mrs. Norton led them to the large living room to sit then left to have some tea brought. Rhys’ attention was completely taken by the children around him, and he seemed to enjoy every moment in their company. This was a part of him that Elizabeth did not know existed. She never would have believed it if she had not seen it with her eyes, and she loved him more for the tenderness he was showing the children.
“You are just as he described,” Heather whispered, drawing Elizabeth’s eyes back to her. She was sitting beside her on the sofa while Rhys was in the chair opposite them with three tots on his lap.
“He described me?” Elizabeth asked, puzzled.
“Yes. He said you have hair as brown as chestnut and very light green eyes.” Heather giggled, and the red-haired girl that Elizabeth heard Rhys call Anna giggled, too.
“When was this?”
Heather tapped her chin thoughtfully before saying, “I think a fortnight ago.”
“No, it is longer than that,” Anna argued. Elizabeth guessed it was the time she visited Dorset with her family. She looked up at Rhys, and their eyes held. He smiled while she wondered why he gave the children her description and not Irene’s.
Mrs. Norton returned with tea as Rhys announced they had brought presents for the children, who erupted in cheer and ran out of the living room to receive them. Elizabeth hoped the girls liked their dolls and the boys their little wooden soldiers. She’d had them purchased from the toy shop in Cullfield, and the shopkeeper had been most appreciative of the patronage.
“Mr. Hayward is here,” Mrs. Norton said to Rhys as she served them some tea and sugar biscuits. “He arrived this morning.”
Elizabeth immediately recognized him as the man her donations to the Foundling Hospital in London were always addressed to. “Where is he?” Rhys asked. “I would like to introduce him to Lady Guildford.” He turned to Elizabeth. “Mr. Hayward works in the Foundling Hospital in London.”
Elizabeth did not say anything about knowing him because no one, not even Hayward, knew she donated to the hospital, and she preferred to keep it that way. Mrs. Norton left them to call Hayward in.
Rhys’ eyes rested on her, smiling and very different from the man she knew. It was as though he did not have any of the burdens she thought he carried, and she wanted to know why. There were still many things she wanted to know about him if he would let her.
“I did not know you are fond of children,” she said.
“I am.” He leaned forward in his seat, his gaze soft. “Liza, I have al—”
“Here we are,” Mrs. Norton interrupted them when she walked in with a gaunt middle-aged man. Elizabeth knew what Rhys had been about to tell her was important, and she found the timing unfortunate.
Rhys stood to greet Hayward, and she noticed that despite Rhys’ rank and the arrogance he had displayed on several occasions, he greeted Hayward with the utmost respect. A small smile curved her lips, and she wished she could touch him.
Rhys came to stand beside her seat afterward. “Please allow me to introduce my wife, Lady Guildford.”
Hayward’s dark eyes gleamed with recognition which puzzled Elizabeth further because they had never met in person. “I have been seeking the opportunity to thank you for your generosity in London, My Lady.”
“But the donations were not done in my name.” Elizabeth felt Rhys’ questioning gaze on her.
Hayward grinned. “The first few were in your name, and we were able to determine the anonymous ones had to have come from you because you and Lord Guildford are our most generous and consistent benefactors. But do correct me, My Lady, if I am wrong.”
“You are not wrong, Mr. Hayward,” Elizabeth said quietly, recalling that he was right. The first few donations she had made were in her name. She felt Rhys’ warm hand rest on her shoulder, and she smiled.
Hayward joined them for tea and told them about the recent developments in the Foundling Hospital while Mrs. Norton expressed her wish to expand the manor and have a boarding school for girls which immediately caught Elizabeth’s interest.
It was several hours later when they left the foundling home, and the sun was beginning to go down. “I have learned something new about you today,” Rhys said in the carriage as they made their way back to the castle.
“So have I.” She removed her gloves, and he immediately took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “The children told me about the description you gave them of the woman you wanted to marry.”
Rhys laughed sheepishly. “I…it was when you visited. The children told me they saw a lovely lady in the village and thought I should marry her. I told them I had already chosen my wife.” He turned to gaze deeply into Elizabeth’s eyes. “I did not realize the description I gave them until after I gave it. I suppose there was a long-living desire in me to marry you.”
That was the most heartwarming thing he had ever said to her. “Rhys, you make me strike an item from my list nearly every day.”
His brows rose. “I do? What have you struck now?”
“I will tell you when we reach the Castle. We are very close.” She leaned against him and began to tug at his cravat. Grinning, he tugged it loose for her, and she kissed his neck, breathing in his sweet male scent of musk and leather. He groaned when she slipped her tongue out to swirl it around the base of his throat.
