That was the final straw. His older daughter burst into tears and pressed her face into the tree trunk. She didn’t wail like her sister, but he could see her small shoulders shaking from the force of her emotions.
“Yes,” Miss Allen drawled beside him. “That will do the trick.” Obviously, she delighted in his embarrassment. “She won’t come down now until she’s settled.”
“And how long will that take?”
“As if I know! She’s your child.”
“You’re not helping.” Neither were any of the other ladies who continued to tempt or admonish the child. If anyone was causing a problem, it was them. Too many women, too many instructions, and no one to soothe the little girl.
If he hadn’t had Minette in his arms, he would have climbed up there himself to get Lacy. But the moment he tried to pass Minette to the nurse, the child began to wail. Her tiny arms strained around his neck, and nothing he said would quiet her. In the end, he stopped trying. He was going deaf.
Meanwhile, Lacy was still up the tree, sobbing.
Once Minette stopped screaming, he tried for a reasonable tone. “Lacy, you need to come down now.” He didn’t bellow. He was as gentle as he could manage while an audience watched him with varying expressions of superiority.
Sure, they were smug. They hadn’t been stupid enough to bring anyone under the age of six to this infernal picnic.
“Come on Lacy. Enough of this.”
It wasn’t working. His daughter had stopped sobbing, but she wasn’t moving either. Then he heard Miss Allen sigh.
“Tell her I’m your friend.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t know all these women. You haven’t introduced them to her. Not in the right way. Tell her I’m your friend.”
Desperate, he did what she wanted. “Lacy, this is my friend Miss Allen. Will you look down please—”
“And I’d like to speak with her.”
“And she’d like to speak with you.”
“Would that be all right?” Miss Allen said.
Heath stared at her. “Of course that’s all right.”
“Not with you, you daft Englishman. With her.”
“What?”
Miss Allen rolled her eyes then looked up into the tree. “Hello Lacy. I’m Miss Allen and I’m your father’s friend. May I come up there and talk with you?”
“What?” Heath spoke in an undertone. As much as he had been considering the very same thing, he hadn’t expected her to do it. “What about your gown?”
“What about your daughter? Spook her anymore, and she’ll climb higher to get away…” Her voice trailed away dramatically, but he hadn’t needed the warning. Lacy’s position was precarious now. He didn’t want to think about her climbing out of reach.
“Lacy,” he called. “Miss Allen’s going to come up to talk to you. She’s my friend, and she’ll keep you safe.”
“All right?” the Scotswoman said under her breath. “Ask if it’s all right.”
He couldn’t bring himself to ask his daughter’s permission to save her life. But once committed, he found that’s exactly what he did. “That’s all right with you, isn’t it? Lacy?”
The girl looked at him and, to his relief, she gave a slow nod.
“Excellent!” Miss Allen called. Then she slipped off her shoes and began to climb.
It was indelicate, to say the least. Everyone there could clearly see her feet, not to mention her very shapely ankles and calves. He should have protested. A true gentleman would have. And failing that, he shouldn’t have looked. But he was afraid for her and his daughter, and so he watched. He was prepared to catch her if she fell, though God only knew how he could with Minette fixed to his side.
