Page 48 of A Match Made On Duchess Square

She nodded. “We’ve been cramped in the carriage for days. It will do me good to stretch my legs.”

Flowers were in bloom in abundance in his garden, and he was pleased to see how magnificent they looked in an array of reds, pinks, yellows, and blues to rival the splendor of any botanical garden.

Gwendolyn had him stopping constantly so she could put her pert nose to the rose petals and the lilac trees in order to breathe in their delicate fragrances. The lilacs were a bit past their prime but had not yet turned acrid.

He paused when they reached the beach stairs. “What do you think, Gwen?”

She placed a hand over her heart and smiled while she gazed across the water. “It’s the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Oh, James. I think I am in paradise.”

James. He liked whenever she dropped all formality and called him by his given name, which she had been doing lately.

“Yes, my boys and I think so, too. We’re happy here.”

“I can see why. It is idyllic.”

They stood together for a few minutes just watching the play of sunlight on the water. Birds hovered over the soft waves in search of fish while white tufts of clouds glided across the blue sky on a gentle wind.

“I thought I might learn to swim while I am here,” Gwendolyn said.

He nodded. “Good idea. I’ll teach you.”

Her lips rounded in a soft O. “Um, I thought Fiona would do it.”

He shrugged. “You can ask her. I don’t know if she will be available all that much.”

“And you would?”

“Yes, I make it a point to keep my afternoons free in order to spend time on the beach with my sons. They’d sleep on the beach if I’d let them. Perhaps one night we’ll light a bonfire, boil crabs and corn, and dance like pagans under the moonlight. Rob and Jordan will like that,” he said with a grin.

Gwendolyn laughed. “So would I. Should I fear returning to London completely corrupted?”

He winked at her. “Let’s hope so.”

They walked back to the house and saw Fiona waving at them from the terrace.

“Fiona!” Gwendolyn ran to her.

James watched from a distance while they had their joyful reunion, even though they had seen each other in London not all that long ago.

Fiona was busy tossing questions at Gwen about Duchess Square when he reached them. “How are Berry and Gideon? Are they enjoying my old house? Is it still recognizable or have they completely changed it?”

“They are happy as larks, and you know they’ve added the ballroom you always wished to have. It is still a home filled with love. My cousin Suzanna and Gideon’s best friend, John Bonham, now reside in Berry’s old house, as you know. They are just across the square from me and I could not be happier about it. Miranda is also blissfully in love with her duke, Bram. They plan to keep her house and use it as their London residence.”

“Oh, good. I was afraid she might have to move away, as I had to do. I felt so awful having to sell my home. But the Durham holdings in London alone are vast, and it simply did not make sense for me and Rob to hold on to my Duchess Square residence.”

Gwendolyn laughed. “Your loss was definitely Berry’s gain. She might never have met Gideon otherwise. It is a comfort to have these men with us, especially Miranda’s husband, a brawny Scottish duke with big fists. No one is going to dare trespass into our cozy enclave while Bram is there to keep the bounders away. Of course, Gideon and Bonham are just as capable. But having a duke in residence is an advantage.”

Fiona cast James an expectant glance, as though to indicate a marquess on Duchess Square would also be to their advantage.

It wasn’t up to Fiona to decide this.

James ordered lemonade and cakes served on the terrace, and then excused himself to check on his boys, since Gwendolyn and Fiona did not need him around while they were catching up on all the gossip.

He marched upstairs to their rooms, not surprised to find them stripped down to their trousers, towels thrown over their shoulders, and ready to plunge into the water that would still be cold at this time of day. But boys at that age were raging furnaces and would not feel any chill. “Fiona’s here. Come down and greet her before you run down to the beach. Gwendolyn and I will join you shortly. Take Alfred with you,” he said, referring to one of his footmen who was an able swimmer. “If he tells you to get out of the water, you had better obey.”

“All right, Papa,” Robert muttered.

Jordan nodded. “See you down there.”