When Algenon gently righted the baby girl, Javenia could not resist. “I see all those years playing pirates and dodging my play sword made you good for something.”
His wide hazel eyes landed on her, obviously surprised to see her, but not at all distressed. In fact, they softened in a way that made her want to get down on the floor and cuddle into him, much like the baby who was now crawling into his lap.
Lady Roberts scooped up the other little girl and took her to the rocking chair the nursemaid had just vacated. The sudden movement reminded Javenia that they were not alone. She took in a slow breath to calm the fluttering that had taken up residence in her chest. She should try flirting again, but nothing came to mind, so she fell back on her usual mode of discourse with Algenon.
“It is too bad you dislike babies. You might have made a great father one day.”
His eyes sparkled with the challenge. “Ick, nasty little things.” The baby in his lap grabbed his shirt and pulled herself into astanding position, a tiny hand reaching up to grab his nose. “See, this one is trying to malign my good looks.”
“I think you mean maim, unless you are accusing that sweet, innocent girl of having evil intentions.”
He caught the baby’s hand; his other arm wrapped protectively about her back. “Was that your dastardly plan all along, Richarda? To deny me of my nose as recourse for my interference in naming you?”
“Can you blame her?” Lady Roberts said as she rocked Roberta.
Javenia snickered. “My thoughts exactly.” Then she turned back to the baby in Algenon’s arms. “Perhaps you should also go for a few of those long eyelashes, Richarda. They are far too pretty for a grown man.”
As if the baby had understood, her little fingers darted for Algenon’s eye.
He jerked his head back. “Whose side are you on, Richarda? Remember who sneaks you biscuits and stacks blocks for you. Besides, I need those eyes to play peek-a-boo.”
Lady Roberts gasped. “So you are the one souring their appetites.”
Algenon shifted, lifting Richarda into his arms as he rose. “Guilty as charged.”
There was no remorse in his smile, and Javenia found she liked him all the more for it. He was an imp if she ever met one. A handsome imp, with a gentle side she found so irresistible she wanted to fill his arms with their own babies. What would Algenon think if he knew how attractive she found this side of him?
The smile she’d worn since entering the room faded. He’d probably strut around like a rooster, proud of his ability to upend her. She could hardly expect him to take it seriously,though. It would just be another victory to add to his list. A conquest.
His gaze locked with hers. The smile slipped from his lips and her breath caught. The intensity in his hazel eyes sent a surge of something delicious through her veins. How could one look undo her so completely?
“You look good with a baby in your arms.” The compliment slipped past her lips before she’d even had time to think about it.
“Good to know,” he said softly.
He’d not jested about her compliment. That was progress.
The fire in the grate crackled, and someone cleared their throat. Javenia glanced at the chair. “Don’t you agree, Lady Roberts?”
The twist of Her Ladyship’s lips and the way she glanced between Algenon and Javenia proved she was not at all fooled by Javenia’s nonchalance. However, she also did not appear opposed. Instead, there was a great deal of curiosity in her scrutiny.
Algenon crossed the room and handed Richarda to her mother, a nervousness to his movements that had not been there before. “I best hurry. I told Nate I’d meet him outside after I checked on the girls.”
A frown marred Lady Roberts’s face, and she glanced at a small clock on the mantel. “I thought you were supposed to meet with your father in an hour.”
“Which is why I am going out.”
The tension in his shoulders and the brusque tone made Javenia inspect him closer. Something was wrong. Even more than the last time they’d spoken. Algenon did not carry himself like a whipped puppy, his tail between his legs, unless someone backed him into a corner.
He nodded to her as he passed, but she grabbed his arm.
“Meet me at the stream,” she whispered.
He gave a tiny shake of his head and mouthed the word, “Can’t.”
The intensity she’d seen moments earlier was gone, and in its place, a haunted hollowness. His eyes held the same glassy expression she’d witness the day his last stepmother had died. Something was definitely wrong, but she could not pry it out of him if he would not meet with her.
Algenon dropped his gaze to the floor and fled the room, the door closing louder than she’d expected. When she turned back to face Lady Roberts, Her Ladyship’s eyes narrowed in concentration.
