Rowan looked at the kite, then at Emmeline. “I command estates.”
“I am aware.”
“I do not require instruction to fly a kite.”
“No?” She raised an eyebrow, handing Clara back to her father long enough to rise. “Try it then.”
Frederick clapped once. “This promises to be excellent.”
It was. Aaron flew the kite beautifully, solemn and proud as he showed Rowan how to stand. Rowan listened with a seriousness that made Emmeline love him almost painfully. He crouched when Aaron corrected his grip. He nodded when the boy explained the wind. He did not interrupt once.
Then he tried, and the kite dipped immediately.
Frederick made a strangled sound.
Rowan’s jaw tightened. “It is defective.”
“It is airborne for Aaron,” Emmeline said.
“That proves nothing.”
“It proves the kite is innocent,” Margaret offered.
Aaron laughed so hard he nearly dropped the string. Biscuit, choosing that moment to bolt after the trailing line, tangled it neatly around Rowan’s boots. Rowan stepped back, the string wound once, and then he stood in the middle of the lawn, caught by a kite, a dog, and his own dignity.
Frederick bent over with laughter. “Ironford has been conquered.”
Rowan looked down at the string, then at the dog, then at Emmeline, who was trying and failing not to laugh.
Emmeline went to him, laughing now, and knelt to untangle the string from his boots. Rowan stood very still above her, but when she looked up, his expression had softened entirely.
“You are enjoying this,” he said.
“Immensely.”
His eyes darkened. “I shall remember that.”
The promise in his voice slid over her skin.
By the time the kite had been rescued, Juliet had gone strangely quiet. Frederick stood beside her, one hand at her waist, his expression tender enough to make him almost unrecognizable.
Juliet looked at Rowan first, then Emmeline. Her cheeks were pink.
“We had meant to wait until dinner,” she said.
Emmeline’s heart leaped before the words came.
Juliet’s hand moved over her stomach. “We are expecting.”
For a second, there was silence. Then Aaron shouted with joy. “A cousin!”
Juliet laughed, tears already bright in her eyes. “Yes. A cousin.”
Aaron ran to her and stopped just before touching her, suddenly careful. “I shall protect that baby, too.”
Frederick’s face changed at once. “I should be honored to employ your services, Captain.”
Rowan stepped forward and embraced Juliet. She cried into his coat, and he held her without stiffness now. When he released her, Frederick took his hand.
