“I want to go.”
Louisa whirled and saw Bonnie quietly coming down the stairs. “No—I mean this is not a good time for you to go, Bonnie.” Louisa hurried to the back door and grabbed her things. She had made her way to the front of the house just as Bonnie arrived at the bottom of the stairs. The girl’s head hung down, resting her chin on her chest.
“I don’t see why I can’t go.” She pouted. “Gwen has gone for a ride in the park, and now you’re going for a ride. It’s not fair that I don’t get to go for one, too.”
Louisa’s heart squeezed, and Bonnie knew it because she added, “I wouldn’t touch anything and break it.”
Louisa looked at the duke for help. “She’s young and doesn’t understand why she can’t go.”
“All right, Miss Bonnie,” he said in an exasperated tone. “Go get your bonnet and coat, but be quick about it. We’ll wait for you outside by the carriage.”
“Yippee!” She squealed and dashed up the stairs.
“Careful, don’t fall,” Louisa called to Bonnie’s fast-disappearing back. She turned to the duke and said, “Thank you.”
“Please,” he said in a low voice. “I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I was afraid she’d start crying like Miss Sybil if I said no. Besides, what can she hurt in an open carriage?”
The duke helped place the cape on Louisa’s shoulders, and they hurried out to the carriage with Louisa putting her bonnet on. He helped her to step onto the floor, and after she’d seated herself, she saw not only Bonnie, but Sybil and Lillian running out of the house, too.
“Oh, no,” Louisa said. “This is not good.”
“What?” the duke said as he turned and looked behind him. He frowned. “I should have known she would do that, shouldn’t I?”
“I didn’t think about it either.”
“Can I go?” Sybil asked.
“I want to go, too,” Lillian added.
“The carriage seat is really only made for two,” the duke explained. “We can squeeze in Miss Bonnie because she’s so little, but there is nowhere for the rest of you to sit. I’m sorry, girls.”
“That’s not a problem,” Lillian said. “I can sit where Bonnie was going to sit and hold her, and Louisa can hold Sybil, right, Sister?”
“Yes!” Bonnie and Sybil screamed together, and jumped up and down.
“I suppose we could try to make it work,” Louisa said, beginning to fear the duke would leave them all at home and follow Gwen by himself as he’d threatened.
“All right, young ladies, you win,” the duke said in an annoyed tone. “Go get your bonnets and coats and be quick about it.”
Sybil and Bonnie shrieked, and Lillian said, “We already have them with us!” They pulled their bonnets and wraps from where they were holding them behind their backs.
The duke pointed his finger at each one of them. “And one more thing, girls. No more squealing, all right?”
All three of the girls looked up innocently at him as if they had no idea what he was talking about, but they nodded silently.
“Come on, Miss Lillian, you first. Sit on the other side of your sister.” He handed her up to the chaise, and she settled between Louisa and the arm of the seat. He then handed Bonnie onto the carriage, and lastly he said, “All right, up you go, Miss Sybil,” and handed her to Louisa.
The duke then lifted his leg to climb onto the carriage, and Saint barked and wagged his tail furiously. Louisa hadn’t even noticed when the dog followed them out.
“No,” he said to Saint. “Stay.”
“Why can’t he come?” Bonnie said. “I can hold him.”
“No,” Bray said. “You can’t hold him, because Lillian is holding you.”
“I can hold him, I’m bigger,” Sybil offered.
“You always say you’re bigger,” Bonnie complained.
