The boy followed Callum’s command and the kite began rising upward.
“Unwind the spool,” Callum shouted, not caring that he was behaving without the slightest trace of decorum. “Slow and steady.”
“I did it,” Peter laughed as the kite rose even higher.
Grinning, Callum ran across the grass to where he stood. “Well done, lad.”
He placed one hand on the boy’s shoulder and stared up at the sky where the kite now twisted and twirled in response to the wind.
“Can we still come back tomorrow?” Peter asked when they gathered the kite a bit later and rewound its spool. “Even though I managed to do it today?”
“You’ve gotten a taste for it now, eh?”
“It’s fun.”
“I agree, and to answer your question, of course we can come back tomorrow.”
Peter beamed. He looked mighty proud as he carried the kite along when they left the park. Callum could not be more pleased. He knew how important each small success was in life. Especially after a crippling experience.
Having exited the park, they started along Park Lane and continued toward Mount Street. They were just nearing Rosemont House when Callum spotted Emily who was hastening toward them from the opposite direction. She was alone, Callum noted, and a look of panic strained her features.
His pulse quickened with apprehension and he instantly lengthened his stride in order to reach her faster.
She spotted him in the next second and hurried to meet him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when she came to a halt before him. His hand caught her arm in a show of support. Whatever had happened, he’d help her through it.
“I scarcely know where to begin.” Her voice was strained, her gaze darting about as though she herself sought some means of escape.
“Where’s Georgina? Why isn’t she with you?”
“What?” Emily finally focused on him, allowing him a glimpse of the turbulent angst in her eyes. She blinked and looked around as though surprised to find Georgina missing. “I was in such a hurry to speak with you, I must have forgotten to ask her to join me.”
Callum glanced in the direction from which she’d come. “Are you saying you went to my house without taking your chaperone with you?”
“Your butler said you were out.”
Callum grew increasingly worried. It was unlike her to leave home unescorted. He steered her toward Rosemont House’s front door while making sure Peter followed. “Let’s go inside, Emily. You look like you could do with a soothing cup of tea.”
Or perhaps something stronger, he decided when he realized her hands were shaking.
Whatever had happened, it had to be dire. She wasn’t the sort of woman who needed smelling salts or whose nerves unraveled when faced with adversity. Emily was made of sturdier stuff. Seeing her like this made him worry another relation of hers might have died.
He ushered them into her home and directed her toward the parlor before addressing her butler. Unlike the previous time when he’d called, the man appeared more amicable, most likely because of Emily’s presence.
“Lady Emily is feeling a little unwell,” Callum said. “Can you please make sure a tea tray is brought up and that her lady’s maid is informed. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d also appreciate it if my ward is able to spend some time with Heidi while Lady Emily and I speak. He’s very fond of her.”
The butler’s expression remained carefully schooled. “I trust you’ll leave the parlor door wide open until a maid joins you?”
“Of course,” Callum assured him, adding a glower on account of the man suggesting he might be up to no good.
“Very well.” The butler lowered his gaze to Peter. “Come with me, young man. Heidi was in the servant’s hall having her fur combed, last I checked. There might be some cake for you too if you ask Cook nicely.”
Reassured that the man in whose care he’d left Peter was not as severe as he appeared, Callum breathed a sigh of relief and entered the parlor. Emily, he saw, was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace while wringing her hands. Seeing him, she came to a halt, even as she remained in restless motion. Biting her lip, she fidgeted with her skirts.
“I’ve done something terrible,” Emily told him. She shook her head. “I don’t know how you’ll ever forgive me.”
Callum went to her and took her hands gently between his own. He smoothed his thumbs over her skin in an effort to calm her. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
