Tobias shifted uncomfortably, but after a moment, he sighed and nodded. “Fine. I’ll see her.”
Simon didn’t miss the reluctance in Tobias’s voice, but he wasn’t about to let him off the hook.
“We shall do it now. Come on, then. Follow me.”
He turned and led the way out of the study, heading toward the nursery where Catherine was being cared for. Tobias followed behind him, being uncharacteristically silent.
Was he scared to see his own daughter?His demeanor seemed to indicate as much. It was uncharacteristic of his brother, however. In all his years of knowing Tobias, Simon was not sure if he had ever seen him scared of… well, anything.
“I want to show you that your actions have real consequences,” Simon heeded as they approached the nursery.
He wasn’t sure what to expect from this encounter — Tobias had never shown much interest in anything that didn’t directly benefit him. But he wanted Tobias to meet his daughter — a small part of him hoping, however foolishly, that seeing her in the flesh might stir something in his brother that had always been missing in his life — a sense of responsibility.
“I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be…” Tobias voice was muted, and Simon caught how he had conveniently tucked his handsaway into the depths of his pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking.
When they entered the nursery, Harriet was already inside, sitting on the floor playing with Catherine. The baby’s laughter filled the room, a bright, joyful sound that could melt even the most rigid of hearts.
Harriet was so involved with Catherine that she had not even noticed them standing in the doorway, watching her. Her face was lit up with a bright smile, and the sparkle in her eyes was hard to ignore as she entertained the infant.
And it looked as though it was working very well. Cathy was giggling uncontrollably, her tiny hands clapping in delight as Harriet stacked the blocks for her to knock over.
It was a sight to behold, and as Simon glanced to his side, he noticed that he was not the only one transfixed by the whole thing.
Tobias had come to a halt beside Simon, peering in the nursery from the side of the door. His expression was unreadable.
For a long moment, none of them bothered to speak. It almost seemed that their observance could go on forever, if Harriet continued playing with Catherine.
At least he hasn’t bolted at the sight,Simon affirmed to himself. That alone was a promising start from his otherwise ficklebrother, whose placid expression gave little away as to what he was truly feeling.
“You alright there?” Simon whispered to him, and Tobias jerked to the side, as though someone had just awoken him for a dream.
The slight commotion alerted Harriet of their presence, who was now glancing up at him, the smile on her face quickly faltering as she noticed Tobias.
Immediately, she scooped Catherine into her arms protectively and got up from the floor. There was an unmistakable coldness in her eyes as she looked at Tobias, a wariness for which Simon couldn’t blame her.
Simon stepped forward, sensing that this was the right moment to intervene.
“Harriet,” he said gently, “this is my brother, Tobias. I wanted him to meet Catherine”
Harriet’s gaze flicked to Simon, and for a moment, he thought she might refuse. But then, with a sigh, she nodded and looked back at Tobias. “Lord Tobias,” she said, her tone cool and formal.
Tobias shifted awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable under Harriet’s scrutiny.
“Duchess of Atherton,” he replied, his voice uncharacteristically subdued.
His gaze, however, was drawn to Catherine, who was peering at him with wide, curious eyes.
Simon began to wonder if this was even a good idea or not. Harriet was guarding Catherine close to her chest, and Tobias clearly had no experience with babies.
Should he have thought this through?
Tobias cleared his throat, loudly. “I… well, I have to say, this is quite the surprise. I was not expecting this when I came to visit. But I have to say that — well, it’s quite..”
Simon realized that his brother’s rambling was out of nervousness. Once again, it was quite uncharacteristic for him to behave in this manner. It almost made Simon sympathize with him.
“Tobias,” Simon pulled him forward, inside the nursery. “You can take a closer look at her.”
Simon could feel Harriet shoot a warning glare in his direction at the suggestion, but he decided to ignore it for now. Catherine was Tobias’s daughter, after all — no matter how inept he was as a father.
