She considered bringing the ladies into her confidence regarding the pup but had decided against it. She would wait before determining whether that would be wise. Not all ladies liked puppies.
Meanwhile, she rushed back to her charge.
When Natalie opened the door, Baby Bear looked at her with such adoration it nearly brought tears to her eyes. She crossed the room and gathered the warm little pup into her arms and was rewarded with a pink tongue attempting to lick every inch of her face. Giggling, she cooed and fussed with thedog before wrapping him in a blanket and making her way down the back stairs. It was going to be more difficult to keep her secret during the daylight hours. Once outside, she slipped into the trees and set Baby Bear down. Grasping the leading string she’d devised from an old ribbon, she allowed the pup to sniff around until he’d decided upon the perfect spot to relieve himself. Following Marcus’s instructions, she rewarded the pup with some small pieces of bacon and a brief stroll through the trees. Hopefully, Baby Bear retained something from these efforts.
Sighing with relief upon making an undetected return to her room, Natalie turned the knob, slipped inside, and set the puppy down.
When she straightened, she let out a shriek.
She was not alone.
Tinsdale was laying out a newly laundered dress. At the smirk she wore, Natalie’s heart sank. The cat was out of the bag…well, er, the dog, that was.
“I wondered what you were up to, my lady.” The older woman used her foot to push the improvised doggy bed toward the center of the room. Within it lay one shredded slipper and a half-empty bowl of cream. “Mongrels tend to bring with them a certain odor. Am I right in assuming your father has no knowledge of this recent acquisition?” The woman, for a mere servant, boasted an extensive vocabulary—and used it—whenever need be to chastise her young charges.
“Oh, Tinny.” Natalie pouted, using her former nanny’s pet name. She lifted Baby Bear and carried him across the room. “Look at poor little Baby Bear. I found him all alone and starving in the trees by the house.” Natalie pushed the pup into Tinsdale’s arms, knowing of the woman’s maternal feelings—they being her one great weakness. And who but a cold-hearted soul would not feel maternal toward little Baby Bear and his sorrowful eyes?
Tinny had no choice but to grasp the pup close to her chest. Baby Bear worked his magic by placing some perfectly timed kisses on the old matron’s chin. Not thirty seconds passed before he had Tinny cooing and kissing him right back.
Perhaps bringing Tinny in on this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Natalie would need another accomplice if she were to entertain guests with her mother this afternoon. Otherwise, she would have to make some sort of excuse every hour to take Baby Bear out to do his business.
Eyeing the dress on the bed, Natalie began her campaign. Normally, she would outright refuse to wear such a garment. Pink, for heaven’s sake. “Oh, Tinny!” She held the dress in front of her. “This is simplyperfect! And I love the blush bonnet! I’m so glad you thought to pull them out today.”
Mrs. Tinsdale knew Natalie too well to be fooled. She sighed in defeat, set the pup on the floor, and put her hands on her hips. “And how often does the pup need to be taken outside?” she asked.
Natalie beamed at her. “Every hour. I take him to the trees just beyond the old well.” As an afterthought, she added, “And do hold tight to the ribbon, Tinny. Baby Bear has very predatory instincts when he senses a squirrel or bird within his sights.”
Nodding absently, Tinny pulled out some pale-pink lacy gloves and indicated Natalie take a seat at the dressing table in front of the looking glass. “You owe me for this, young lady. I’m thinking ringlets are in order.”
Natalie grimaced but submitted gracefully.
Natalie felt allof sixteen strolling onto the front lawn with a lacy pink parasol and her blond hair caught back into a plethora of tiny ringlets. Mrs. Tinsdale had chosen her retaliationeffectively. As much as Natalie tugged and pulled her fingers through the curls, they did not relent. When one curl seemed to only grow tighter, she gave up and decided to ignore them and enjoy the afternoon. With this thought in mind, she glanced around looking for a particular gentleman.
Drat.
Lord Hawthorne was nowhere in sight.
She did catch a glimpse of Misses Crone and Wright and, with a small wave, set a course to join them in the shade they’d found beneath a large oak. It grew near the pond where three small watercraft were set out in a row for the guests to use. The two ladies sat primly in the iron chairs beneath it.
Miss Crone wore a serviceable afternoon gown made up of muted grays and lavender with little adornment. Miss Wright wore an equally serviceable dress, but with a shawl wrapped around herself—odd, since the sun shone high in the sky, and its heat could even be felt in the shade. Natalie felt like an iced wedding cake sitting next to the other two ladies. Tinny was far too fond of lacy pastels.
“Lovely afternoon, is it not?” Natalie greeted the ladies with the usual meteorological comment. Penelope took one look at her and snorted.
“What on earth are you doing dressed inpink, of all colors?” Penelope said. The more she grew into her spinster role, the less she bowed to the rules of polite society.
Natalie could not take offense. Instead, she laughed at her own plight. “My maid thinks I am still six years old, Penelope,” she said, ignoring formal address. “But what of you? Couldn’t you spare even the barest nod to fashion in your own attire? You are not a matron after all, and,” she said with a hint of audacity, “my brothers are not immune to a little lace and finery.”
Chuckling, all three ladies took a moment to peruse the faces of the guests in search of said brothers. The youngSpencer men were in the process of setting up stakes for a game of horseshoes. With the top buttons of their waistcoats undone and shirt sleeves rolled to their elbows, Natalie could see how other ladies might find them attractive. They were nearly identical until a person took the time to speak with each of them. Darly was verifying the measurements between the stakes, while Stone had one hand in his pockets and looked back at Natalie with an amused smile. He had noticed her ringlets and lace as well. Peter, the spare to the spare, was tossing the horseshoes, testing their weights. He’d always been the quiet one in the family.
And Joseph was on his wedding trip touring the Continent. Surprisingly, Natalie felt a pang at the thought that he would never dwell in their family home again. She’d not taken much time to consider his future absence, since she’d been so caught up in her own travails. Thinking about this now, she let out a sad sigh.
This caused the two ladies to return their attention to her. Penelope did not hold back. “They do present an abundance of manhood, at that.” She said this in a deadpan voice, but humor lit her eyes.
Miss Wright handed her fan over to Penelope. “Dear cousin,” she said, feigning concern, “fan yourself, my dear, lest you faint from palpitations.”
Natalie could not help herself. She doubled over in laughter.
AFTER ALLOWING MARCUS
