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All three women studied him closely, but it was the baby’s mother who spoke. “Are you certain?”
Why were they so surprised? “I’ve rocked babies to sleep plenty of times.”
Charlotte spoke next, a friendly challenge in her tone. “Angry, teething babies?”
The side of Seth’s mouth turned up as he pulled off his jacket. “Watch me.”
The nursemaid came into the room looking as worn out as the baby’s mother. Samuel, for his own part, was red faced and crying hard. Clearly a strong, strapping lad.
“I’m so sorry, m’lady,” the nursemaid said, her voice strained. Probably by exhaustion and the worry she was failing at her job. “He won’t take his teething rattle no more.” She held out the expensive toy, with a silver whistle on one end, bells in the middle, and a stick of coral at the other meant for the boy to chew on.
“That’s quite all right,” Susan said, holding out her arms. “He only seems to want his mummy when he’s in this way.”
Seth stepped in between Susan and the nursemaid. “You both look exhausted. Let me have the boy for a bit.”
The nursemaid hesitated, shooting Susan an uncertain look.
“I know what I’m doing,” Seth said by way of reassurance, even as he reached out for the baby boy. “Samuel and I will have this all sorted out in no time.”
With a nod from Susan, the nursemaid handed Samuel over to Seth. The little boy took one look at him and started wailing all the louder. To the nursemaid, he said, “Take a clean handkerchief, get it wet, and then place it in the icebox for quarter of an hour, as close to a block of ice as you can get it. Then bring it to me with a couple of sugar cubes, if you will.”
The nursemaid’s brow dropped, but she curtsied and hurried off all the same.
Samuel twisted about in Seth’s arms, and he had to quickly readjust to keep hold of the boy. “You prefer to face out, do you? How about the window? Do you like looking out the window?”
Seth moved that way, and for a few minutes, Samuel was diverted with the light and sounds of carriages rattling over cobblestones coming from outside. Soon, though, he began to fuss once more.
Charlotte moved to stand by him and started to rub her grandson’s arm. “Is that tooth giving you problems?” she asked, singsong.
Susan spoke up, still sitting on the settee across the room by the hearth. “You don’t have to trouble yourself, Sir Mulgrave. I am more than glad to take my boy back.”
“Nonsense,” Seth said. “Once that cold handkerchief gets here, this little man will settle right down. I’m happy to deal with his fussing until then.” He angled his head down to speak to the lad. “Shall we gallop about the room next? I will be your horse and you the grand master of a very large estate.” It was either the tone of his voice, or perhaps, even at his young age, he was beginning to learn words like ‘horse.’ Whatever it was, Samuel paused in his complaining and watched Seth.
Seth smiled down at the boy. “Ready, hold tight to your reins. I can be a mighty wild horse at times.” Being sure he had a good grip on the boy, Seth skipped across to the opposite side of the room.
The boy let out a small giggle.
Lud, how he’d missed that sound. It had been nearly two decades since last he’d heard a baby laugh. Men didn’t speak of such things as often as women did, but any father knew that a baby’s laugh was one of the most precious and magical sounds to be heard.
Knowing he’d caused it made the sound all the sweeter.
Seth turned about, fast enough to keep the boy interested without being so quick as to hurt him. “And off we go again,” he said.
Seth skipped to the other side of the room, passing Susan on the settee along the way.
Samuel giggled again.
“If you’d like,” Charlotte said to Susan, “why don’t you go take a turn about the gardens out back? Or read for a bit in the library?”
Seth glanced at the young mother over his shoulder. Susan leaned forward in her seat, seeming relieved at the thought of a few minutes to herself.
“Don’t worry about Samuel,” Seth said. “We have matters well in hand.”
“Are you entirely certain?” Susan asked, even as she stood.
Often those of high society employed nursemaids to do all the hard work of raising their children. But in only the past few days since Susan, William, and their little boy had arrived, Seth had seen enough to know she was a very involved mother. Samuel was being raised with much love; he would know his parents cared because they were with him every day.
It was the best way to be brought up, no matter one’s station.
