Pippa stilled. “What in heaven’s name was that?”
“Damn it,” Roland muttered at her side. “I had forgotten all about the little devil.”
“The little devil?” she repeated, the languor of desire which had overtaken her following their interlude dissipating as the howling continued.
As if on cue, a small black-and-brown bundle of fur raced toward them over the polished floors. A young dog, she realized. The scamp was traveling with too much haste for her to discern much more than the fact that it was a canine, however.
She supposed she had her answer. A harried-looking footman followed in the pup’s wake, chasing after until he caught sight of Roland and Pippa and instantly stopped, offering a bow. The dog continued on, disappearing down the great hall before darting into an opened door.
“Your Graces. Forgive me my haste. The pup was quite unhappy in his basket and managed to escape.”
“So I see,” Roland said grimly. “I will catch him.”
“Are you certain, Your Grace? I would be more than happy to fetch him myself,” the servant said, seemingly eager to please after his faux pas in allowing the pup to escape to begin with.
From within the room where the dog had escaped, the sound of crashing and breaking objects emerged.
“That little creature was the source of the howling?” Pippa asked into the din.
“So it would seem.” Roland grimaced as the dog’s rampage continued.
The pup raced from the room into which he had disappeared and trotted on at breakneck speed.
“Truly sir,” the footman said again. “It is my fault for lifting the lid on the basket on account of him sounding as if he was frightened.”
“That will be all, Johnson,” Roland told the footman. “If I have need of you, you will know.”
“Of course.” Another bow, and the young footman was gone, leaving Pippa and Roland standing alone, their afternoon tryst quite abruptly thwarted.
She arched a brow, studying her increasingly guilty-looking husband. “From where did this dog come?”
“One of my tenants had a litter of pups, and I could not resist bringing one back for Char-char. Do not be angry, Sunshine. The pup is not nearly as troublesome as he seems at the moment. It is my fault for forgetting the reason I initially sought you out.”
“You have found a puppy for Charlotte,” she said.
“Every girl must have a pup of her own.”
She was touched by the gesture, but she was also perplexed. How did he suppose a two-year-old child might take care of a young dog?
“Must she, Roland? I hardly think it a necessity.”
“I had one from the time I was a lad on, until he died. I had not realized how much I missed Sir Barkington, in fact, until I saw this little fellow. I remembered how much I adored teaching him tricks and cuddling with him when I was lonely, and what a wonderful companion he had proved for me.”
The notion of a young Roland keeping company with a dog stirred her heart, as did the meaning behind his gift. “Sir Barkington?” she asked gently.
“His full name was Sir Barkington Dog.” A muffled bark reached them. Roland winced. “I must find the little beggar before he does further harm. I did wish to ask you for permission beforehand. Indeed, that is why I sought you out. But then you were playing so beautifully, and I could not resist you, and then we kissed, and…”
His words trailed off, but he did not need to elaborate. She recalled every moment of their interlude.
“I shall help you to find him,” she decided, “and, if the pup can prove he shall not be too much trouble, we can introduce him to Charlotte together.”
Now that the shock of the pup’s abrupt appearance and sprint through the great hall was over, the knowledge that Roland had been thinking of her daughter and had wanted to give her such a gift—the love and companionship of a dog, which held great personal meaning for him—filled her with a new blossom of warmth. This warmth had a different source.
Why had she not seen it sooner, how excellent of a father he would be? How attentive and caring and concerned he had been about Charlotte? To say nothing of the manner in which Charlotte and Roland had bonded. The Wish Fairy…
Oh dear, sweet heavens.
She was falling in love with him.
