“Uncle Edward?”
Edward paused. Oliver had not started a conversation with him in days. “Yes?”
“Why are all the people naked?”
Mrs. Palmer coughed into her hand. Edward felt heat creep up his neck.
“The ancient Greeks celebrated the human form. They believed?—”
But Oliver had already wandered away, his attention captured by a display of Egyptian artifacts in the adjacent gallery. Edward watched him go, frustration and guilt warring in his chest.
He had thought this outing would help. A shared experience. An opportunity to connect.
Instead, he had delivered a lecture to a four-year-old about fifth-century architecture.
He nodded to Mrs. Palmer, and they followed Oliver into the Egyptian gallery. The boy had stopped before a painted sarcophagus, his small face pressed close to the glass case, his breath fogging the surface.
“Oliver.” Edward approached. “You must not run off. The museum is crowded, and?—”
“Sophia!”
The boy’s face transformed. He bolted across the gallery, weaving between startled visitors, and launched himself at a familiar figure in blue.
Lady Sophia caught him with a laugh, crouching to return his embrace. Beside her stood an older woman with honey-blonde hair and the same green eyes, watching the reunion with soft surprise.
Edward’s breath caught. He had arranged this meeting and had sent word to Lady Sophia about his plans for the museum visit. But seeing her here, sunlight streaming through the tall windows to catch the shine of her hair, made something shift beneath his ribs. She wore a simple day dress of cream muslin, and he found himself noticing the way it skimmed her figure, the hint of collarbone visible above the modest neckline.
He crossed the gallery to join them, acutely aware of how his pulse had quickened.
“And who is this lovely young man?”
Sophia’s mother kneeled beside Oliver, her smile warm and unguarded in a way Sophia had not seen in weeks. The boy pressed closer to Sophia’s side, suddenly shy, peeking at the stranger from behind her skirts.
“Oliver, this is my mother, Lady Brimsey.” Sophia smoothed his hair. “Mama, this is Lord Oliver Gray. Jane’s son.”
Her mother’s expression softened with recognition. “Oh, my dear boy. I knew your mother when she was just a girl. She had the most beautiful laugh.”
Oliver’s grip on Sophia’s skirts loosened. “You knew Mama?”
“I did. She used to visit our house for tea, and she would always ask Cook for extra biscuits to share with the sparrows in the garden.” Lady Brimsey tilted her head. “Do you like sparrows?”
Oliver considered this. “I like robins better. They have red on them.”
“Robins are excellent birds.” Lady Brimsey nodded with grave approval. “Very sensible choice.”
A smile crept across Oliver’s face. He released Sophia’s skirts and stepped closer to her mother. “Do you have biscuits?”
“Not at present, I’m afraid. But perhaps we might convince your uncle to stop at a tea shop after our museum visit?”
Sophia looked up to find the Duke of Heatherwell standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable. His gaze met hers, and the familiar jolt ran through her, that unsettling awareness that seemed to grow stronger with each encounter. Heat crept up her neck. In the golden light of the gallery, she noticed details she had no business noticing. The strong line of his jaw. The way his coat stretched across his shoulders. He stood close enough that she caught the intoxicating scent of him, and her breath stuttered before she could stop it.
“Your Grace.” She rose and curtsied. “What a pleasant surprise.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Indeed. Lady Brimsey, Lady Sophia. How unexpected to find you here.”
They exchanged the pleasantries, maintaining the fiction of coincidence for the benefit of Mrs. Palmer and anyone who might be watching. Sophia introduced her mother to the duke, noting how his posture shifted and how his voice softened when addressing the older woman. Courtesy, perhaps. Or something more.
“Sophia.” Oliver tugged at her hand. “Uncle Edward was telling me about the naked people, but it was boring. Can you tell me about the mummies instead?”
