He had seen feminine legs before. But Eden’s were surprisingly fine.
“Papa, look out!” his boys cried as a wave crashed atop him and carried him back to shore. The waves were not all that strong, but he had been too busy ogling Eden to pay attention, and it had knocked him over.
Eden and Priscilla hurried to his side as he washed up like a piece of driftwood upon the sand. “Are you all right?” Eden asked, kneeling beside him.
He sat up, laughing and sputtering as he brushed his hair off his face and raked it back with his fingers. His shirt was now pasted to his chest, but there was nothing to be done about that. Nor could he take it off without shocking Eden. That they were even at the beach together would be considered scandalous by Londontonrules. Fortunately, the rules were not nearly so strict out here. “Yes, fine. The wave caught me while I wasn’t looking.”
“Papa, you have to pay attention or you might have drowned,” Priscilla admonished him.
He tried not to laugh as the little sprite wagged her finger at him. “No, love. I’m too big and strong to drown. But let this be a lesson to you and your brothers,” he said as the boys scampered out of the water to join them. “The forces of nature are powerful, especially water. Always be cautious, and never go swimming immediately after a storm, even if the sun is shining and the water appears calm. There will often be dangerous currents that can pull you under. Not even I am strong enough to swim out of those.”
“You went down like a skittle,” Alex remarked, mimicking the motion of a ball rolling toward a pin and knocking it into oblivion. “Pow! It crushed you.”
“Thank you for that observation,” Connor said dryly.
Now thoroughly drenched and having taken sea water up his nostrils, he decided it was time for all of them to move intothe shade of the beach stairs. So they did. The children looked on while he set out the tablecloth and then peered into the pouch that Eden had opened. “Fruit, cheese, bread, and scones,” he called out as he rustled through the contents. “Priscilla and Eden, you choose first.”
Quite predictably, his boys then pounced on the remainder, grabbing food by the fistfuls and devouring it like the ravenous little beasts they were. “Gad, were you never taught manners?” Connor laughingly remarked, knowing it had been his duty to raise his boys properly.
They ate like savages, but all in all, he liked the way they were turning out. Should boys not be allowed out in the wild on occasion? That they had behaved like gentlemen around Eden for most of the morning proved they were coming along just fine as young men.
Eden handed one of her scones to him because his boys had not considered that he might want something to eat. They probably assumed he, as lead wolf of their pack, would fall upon the food just as they had done, and grab whatever he wanted for himself.
Eden had tucked her spectacles in her pocket, no doubt taking them off so they would not get damaged by the sun, water, and wayward elbows because they were all seated so closely together.
He tried not to get caught staring, but he had a hard time taking his gaze off her.
Eden was beautiful.
Why did she always hide behind those owlish spectacles? No wonder young men had lined up outside her townhouse during her debut London Season. Her mother probably hid those spectacles from her so she could not wear them while in company.
Without them, Eden could not hide the beauty of her face.
“Here, Papa. You can have my cheese,” Priscilla said, sticking some revolting clumps of something soft in his hand.
“Thank you.” She had given the cheese to him upon deciding she did not like it. But who was he to complain about his little sweetheart? Those clumps did not look appetizing at all. He would probably end up with a dose of food poisoning if he ate it.
He let the clumps fall in the sand as soon as Priscilla turned her head away, and quietly buried them deep, where they might be lost for all time or washed away in a winter storm.
Eden cast him a conspiratorial grin when she realized what he had done. He winked at her and grinned back. The children now moved on to build a sandcastle.
When had he spent a gentler, more enjoyable day?
But it quickly came to an end as Brewster called down to him from the top of the beach steps. “Your Grace, I have been sent to fetch you. The first guests have arrived.”
Connor felt a bitter disappointment. He sighed as he rose to gather his boots and garments. “Eden, thank you for a lovely outing. I cannot recall ever having a more pleasant morning. Alas, duty now calls.”
She nodded. “I know. We enjoyed having you with us. I’m sure Duchess Evelyn is eager to have you join her in greeting your guests.”
“Too eager,” he grumbled. “Bordering on the obsessive.”
“Poor you,” she teased.
“Make sure you join us for tea this afternoon. In fact, come back with me now, if you like. The children had a perfect adventure and should be fairly restrained if we all walk back together now.”
“No, they are having too much fun to be pulled away. They still have a sandcastle to build and seashells to collect. We’ll return in an hour or two. I’ll be there for teatime.”
“All right, if you say so.” He glanced down at himself, soaked to the skin and probably looking quite a disheveled fright after being shoved down by that wave. “What do you think, Eden?” he asked, holding out his arms. “Will those peahens flutter around me?”
