“We can take Bert,” Oscar said.
Gwendolyn arched a brow. “Bert?”
“He’s our pony. You know, the one Miss, ah, Tilbert gave us,” Samuel said.
“She’s Miss Tilden,” Gwendolyn corrected. “But did you name him Bert because you thought her name was Tilbert?”
“Course not,” Samuel said. “His name’s Excalibert, but Priss can’t say that, so Oscar thought we should just call him Bert.”
“I can too say Excali-bart. You’re the one sayin’ it wrong,” Priscilla said. “That means his name should be Bart, not Bert.”
“Neither of you is saying it correctly, because it’s Excalibur,” Oscar argued. “But we’re not calling the pony Bur. He’d take that as an insult.”
“Too right he might,” Gwendolyn said. “But I’m not surewe should take Bert with us. He is, after all, rumored to be a rather contrary creature.”
“Bert’s getting better at behaving himself,” Oscar argued. “He just needed attention. Now that he’s getting that from all of us, he’s not contrary at all.”
“If Bert gets to go, so should Rat,” Samuel said.
Gwendolyn shook her head. “I’m sorry, Samuel, but the beach isn’t the place for a guinea pig. If he were to make another escape, there’s every possibility we won’t be able to catch him again.”
“You caught him at the church,” Samuel pointed out.
“Which was sheer luck on my part, and I may not get that lucky again.”
“But Rat likes to stretch his legs.”
“Then perhaps we’ll need to consider building him a larger cage. But, darling, taking a guinea pig to the beach isn’t taking good care of your pet. He could get too close to the ocean and get swept out to sea. You wouldn’t care for that to happen to him, would you?”
“No, but...” Samuel stepped closer to Gwendolyn. “Would you really help me make him a new cage?”
“I’m not overly competent with tools, but if we can convince Oscar to assist us, as well as a few of the footmen, we’ll be able to build a house Rat will adore.”
“He’ll like that, so I’ll leave him behind.”
“An excellent choice.”
After gathering up what they were taking to the beach, they made a brief stop in the servants’ dining room to tell Miss Wendell and Miss Putman, who were taking their morning coffee break, they could take the rest of the morning off. Their next stop was the kitchen, where they discovered that Mrs. Boyle had already prepared them a picnic lunch.
After thanking Mrs. Boyle for their lunch, Oscar insisted on carrying the picnic basket, which suggested he was in possessionof stellar manners when he set his mind to it. A groom was then only too happy to harness Bert to Oscar’s pony cart, and once he was done, Gwendolyn handed the reins to Oscar, who led the pony out of the stables.
The twins grumbled a little when she wouldn’t let them ride down to the beach, but after explaining she needed to get a feel for Bert’s behavior before she’d be comfortable allowing them to ride in the cart, they abandoned their grumbling and took to chasing after the rabbits Gwendolyn pointed out to them.
With the clouds and rain having disappeared, it was a glorious day in Newport. Winding their way down a dirt path that led to a sliver of beach directly behind Sea Haven, they spent their first hour building an entire town of sandcastles, it taking all of five minutes for Samuel and Priscilla to stomp that city into smithereens. The sound of their giggles warmed Gwendolyn far more than the sun streaming over them.
After abandoning the sandcastle building to search for shells, they filled an entire pail before they decided to take a break and enjoy the lunch Mrs. Boyle had provided.
As they finished pieces of chocolate cake dripping with icing, Gwendolyn turned to Oscar. “Ready to tackle some fishing?”
Oscar tilted his head. “Do you really know how to fish?”
“Ah, skepticism at its finest.” She tapped a finger against her chin. “I suppose there’s nothing left to do now but prove to you I know my way around a fishing pole. Would you care to make a game of it—the winner, of course, being the one who lands the most fish?”
“You aren’t going to burst into tears when I catch more fish, are you?”
She waved that aside. “Please. Tears have no business showing up in a fishing competition.”
“Good. Then yes, I’ll take up your challenge, but be prepared to lose.”
