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Now there was definitely approval in his eyes. It made her feel warm inside, as if she’d gulped down an entire cupful of hot tea.
“If you were there, outside the door, why didn’t you make yourself known?” she asked.
His gray eyes filled with the same hesitation and mistrust she’d seen in Michel and Adele’s eyes earlier.
He crossed his ankles and stretched his long legs toward the fire. “I would have ruined the moment. I’m afraid I’m no good with the children.” He rubbed his left knee. “They don’t want a half-lame giant of a father. I frighten them.”
Half-lame giant? That’s hardly how she would describe him. Didn’t he know how he muddled a girl’s thoughts and made her heart race?
“That’s funny,” she said gently, “because they seem to think thatyoudon’t wantthem.”
“Of course I want them.” He made an impatient gesture. “I even wrote them into my will.”
“If you were listening then you know that the twins don’t want to be separated. They have a very strong bond.”
He shook his head. “You’ll not convince me that Michel shouldn’t attend Eton. Every male child in this family, legitimate or otherwise, attends Eton. It’s a mark of distinction and acknowledgement.”
“I understand, Your Grace, but they need to be prepared for the separation. Perhaps you could talk to them. Tell Michel some stories from your years at Eton. Give them time to come to terms with the idea.”
He chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
She ducked her chin. “Did I say something humorous, Your Grace?”
“Are you assigning me a task to complete?” He grinned. “Because it seems like maybe you’re planting notions in my head.”
“The idea.” She sniffed. “I would never do such a thing.”
“Oh yes you would.”
She couldn’t help smiling back. “Well perhaps just a few gentle nudges, Your Grace.”
“As I surmised.”
“It’s just that children absorb and reflect their surroundings,” Mari said. “We teach them with every expression of our face, every word we speak... and don’t speak.”
He sobered. “I wasn’t the recipient of many kind words from my own parents. I’ve tried, Miss Perkins, truly I have. But everything I say comes out all wrong. Adele, in particular, has such a look of panic when I speak to her.”
She didn’t want to lecture him, but there was a clear question in his words. He wanted to know how to communicate with the children.
“Well,” she said, choosing her words carefully. “Many people think that when they speak to children they should use a different voice, but children don’t respond favorably to that. They don’t like to be talked down to.”
“So I should speak to them as I’m speaking to you.”
“Exactly. They are people in their own right.”
“I’ve hardly had time to speak to them at all,” he said. “I thought outfitting the nursery with toys from Lumley’s shop would be enough. You said you’d never been to London, Miss Perkins, but that wooden rabbit you showed the children is from Lumley’s. It’s such a magical place.”
“My rabbit is from Lumley’s Toy Shop? It was given to me as a child and I had no idea of its origin.”
Excitement buzzed in her mind. This could be a clue. Now she knew where the rabbit had been purchased. She added Lumley’s shop to her list of destinations in London.
“Mr. Lumley is known for his wooden toys. I had a nutcracker with a jaw that moved up and down.”
“Perhaps you could bring the children to a toy shop someday. Show them the toys and games you used to love when you were their age.”
“Perhaps I will. After my new steam engine design is complete.”
“And you could try simply sitting and listening to the twins. They have a lot to say, I’ve found. I believe that we can learn as much from children, as they learn from us.”
