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Only then did Percival flash a genuine smile at his daughter. “Do you wish to wade in the water, poppet? I used to do the same when I was your age.”
The girl’s eyes rounded. “Will you come too, Papa?”
Lavinia’s heart skipped a beat at the hopeful expression on her face and the way he crumbled beneath his daughter’s regard.
“Absolutely I will.” Percival swung the door open and vaulted out of the carriage. Once on the ground, he lifted Deborah out.
Then the child looked up at her. “Will you come as well, Lavinia?”
She shared a glance with the earl, who quirked a dark eyebrow, either in challenge or question she couldn’t say. “Why not?” How much had she already given up for the life she’d led over the years? It was why she fought for all she had and still wanted for herself. Perhaps the love of a family was the pinnacle of that, and here was Percival on the verge of possibly tossing it away. “It sounds like a lovely way to spend an hour.”
“Ah, good. Let us get to it straightaway.” He offered her a hand to help her from the carriage.
“Of course.” Conscious of Deborah watching with the intensity of a hawk, Lavinia put her hand into his. While she descended, heated tingles danced up her arm from the point of contact. A frown pulled at the corners of the earl’s mouth. Had he felt them too? But he released her fingers as soon as her feet touched the ground.
“Come along, Deborah.” He took up his daughter’s hand instead and led her toward the bank of the river.
Lavinia sighed. It had been one thing to be Percival’s mistress, but marrying a broken man was another reality entirely. Then she dismissed him from her mind. This outing was for Deborah—for them all really. They were a family and needed to find a way to get on together.
“This looks like a good enough place for wading.” He stopped on a stretch of grassy bank where branches from a cluster of willow trees provided a good swatch of shade.
“Shall I go in now Papa?”
“Not until you remove your shoes and stockings.”
“Come, Deborah. I’ll take mine off as well.” After sitting upon the cool grass, Lavinia divested herself of her slippers and then the embroidered stockings she’d paid handsomely for. No one ever saw them, but they brought her comfort and a sense of security that came with being able to provide for herself.
The child did the same, but with much less propriety, for she stuck her legs up in the air without regard for where her skirting fell.
Off to one side, Percival stared at them both with a frown.
“Ready?” Lavinia stood. She gathered her skirts in one hand. If the earl wouldn’t unbend enough to go wading with the girl, she couldn’t help him bond with her.
“Oh, yes.” Deborah slipped her hand into Lavinia’s. “Will wading hurt?”
“Of course not but have a care to not wet your hem. Sitting in damp skirts is not pleasant.” At the water’s edge, she paused. It was only May, and that meant the water would probably still be quite cold, but the earl had promised his daughter wading and here they were. Slowly, tentatively, she dipped a foot into the water to test the temperature. Not nearly as chilly as she’d thought, it was tolerable but wouldn’t be pleasant if one were to put their full body in it. “That’s quite invigorating.”
Deborah’s hand tightened in hers, and it was the most wonderful feeling in the world. “Should I do it?”
“Yes.” Lavinia once more put her foot into the water. Farther down the bank, another family was doing much the same. They had two children, and echoes of their laughter drifted to her ears. “You’ll like it, I daresay.” She put her other foot into the water, that only came up to her ankles.
As soon as Deborah stepped into the water, she squealed with delight. “It’s so squishy under my feet!”
The exclamation coupled with the unique experience pulled a giggle from Lavinia’s throat. “How absurd this is but how fun at the same time.” Another giggle left her throat, which prompted one from the little girl.
“It’s fun!” Deborah released her hand and took a few steps from here.
“It rather is.” For whatever reason, Lavinia couldn’t stop laughing. When she glanced over at Percival, he looked at her with an odd expression as if he couldn’t quite puzzle her out. “Come, Percival, join your daughter in the water. Make happy memories she’ll recall again and again over the years with love.” When their gazes connected, she held his for long moments. The emotions therein were inscrutable. In a lower voice, she added, “And you can make new memories with me.”
Finally, the earl nodded. “Very well.” It took him next to no time to remove his boots and stockings.
She stared at his calves, his well-muscled thighs as he joined them in the water, and heat rose in her cheeks. “I’m sure she appreciates the effort.”
“Perhaps.” The tiniest of smiles began. “It is quite refreshing.”
“Indeed.” When Lavinia took a few steps toward Deborah, her foot slipped. With a squeal of surprise, she accidentally released her skirting in order to clutch wildly at his arm.
“Oh, no!” Deborah glanced over her shoulder. “Now your hem is wet, Lavinia.”
“So it is.” She hiked the fabric out of the water with one hand, but another wild giggle escaped as she clung to Percival’s arm with the other. The solid feel of him, the flex of the muscles beneath her fingertips all worked to send a wave of awareness over her skin.
“I suppose Lavinia will have to suffer wet skirts on the drive home.” He snickered and grinned again. Though he said nothing further, he didn’t pry her hand away.
It was a start, and certainly more than they’d had a day ago.
