Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters #1)(23)
“Good,” Robert said firmly. “Now shake my hand.”
“Sh-shake your hand, sir?”
“Yes. By shaking my hand you officially promise to address Miss Lyndon properly, and a gentleman never reneges on his promises, does he?”
Neville thrust his tiny hand forward. “No, sir.”
The two males shook hands, and then Robert gave the boy a little pat on the back. “Run along back to the nursery, Neville. Miss Lyndon will follow in a moment.”
Neville practically sprinted back to the house, leaving Victoria slackjawed and utterly limp. She turned to Robert, nearly dumbstruck. “What did you…How did you…”
Robert beamed. “Just offering you a bit of assistance. I hope you don't mind.”
“No!” Victoria said with great emotion. “No, I don't mind. Thank you. Thank you.”
“It was my pleasure, I assure you.”
“I had better see to Neville.” Victoria took several steps toward the house, then turned around, her expression still dazed. “Thank you!”
Robert leaned back against the tree trunk, utterly pleased with his progress. Victoria couldn't stop thanking him. It was a most satisfying state of affairs.
He should have disciplined the boy ages ago.
Chapter 6
A full day passed before Victoria saw him again. A full day of waiting, of wondering, of dreaming about him even when she knew that was absolutely the wrong thing to be doing.
Robert Kemble had broken her heart once, and she had no reason to believe that he wouldn't do it again. Robert. She had to stop thinking of him that way. He was the earl of Macclesfield, and his title dictated his behavior in a way she could never hope to understand.
It was the reason he'd rejected her, the reason he'd never once seriously contemplated marrying a poor vicar's daughter. It was probably the reason he'd lied to her. During the past few years Victoria had learned that seducing young innocents was considered a kind of sport among noblemen. Robert had just been following the rules of his world.
His world. Not hers.
And yet he had solved her problems with Neville. He certainly didn't have to do that. The young boy was now treating her as if she were the queen. Victoria had never had such a peaceful day of governessing in her career.
Oh, she knew that heroes were supposed to slay dragons and quote verse and all that, but maybe, just maybe, all it really took to be a hero was getting the world's most difficult five-year-old to behave.
Victoria shook her head. She couldn't afford to place Robert on a pedestal. And if he tried to see her alone again, she would have to send him on his way. It didn't matter if her heart soared when she saw him, or if her pulse raced, or if her—
She forced herself to stop in mid-thought and turned her mind back to the matter at hand. She and Neville were taking their daily walk around the Hollingwood grounds. For the first time in memory, he hadn't stomped on her foot or poked at some poor insect with a stick. And he called her Miss Lyndon every chance he got. Victoria was pleased that he had finally learned a lesson in manners. Perhaps there might be hope for the boy after all.
Neville raced ahead, then whirled around and ran back to her side. “Miss Lyndon,” he said with great gravity, “have we any special plans for today?”
“I am glad you asked, Neville,” she replied. “We're going to play a new game today.”
“A new game?” He looked at her with a bit of suspicion, as if he had already discovered all of Britain's worthwhile games.
“Yes,” she said briskly, “we are. Today we are going to discuss colors.”
“Colors?” he said with that particular brand of disgust only a boy of five years can convey. “I already know my colors.” He began to list them. “Red, blue, green, yellow—”
“We are going to learn new colors,” she cut in.
“…purple, orange…” He was shouting now.
“Neville Hollingwood!” Victoria spoke in her sternest voice.
He quieted down, something he probably wouldn't have done before Robert's intervention.
“Do I have your attention now?” Victoria asked.
Neville nodded.
“Excellent. Now then, today we are going to study the color green. There are many different shades of green. For example, the leaf on that tree over there is not the exact same color as the grass we are standing on, is it?”
Neville's little head shot back and forth between the leaf and the grass. “No,” he said, as if not quite believing what he was seeing. “It's not.” He looked up excitedly. “And it's not quite the same color as the stripe on your dress!”
“Very good, Neville. I'm very proud of you.” He beamed.
“Let us see how many different shades of green we can find. And once we're done we shall find names for all these greens.”
“There is moss on the rocks in the pond.”
“Yes, indeed. We shall call that moss green.”
“What is the green on your dress called?”
Victoria looked down and surveyed her drab dress. “I believe it is called forest green.”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “It's much darker than the forest.”
Julia Quinn's Books
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- A Night Like This (Smythe-Smith Quartet #2)
- The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy (Smythe-Smith Quartet #4)
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- The Duke and I (Bridgertons, #1)
- First Comes Scandal (Rokesbys #4)
- The Other Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #3)
- Because of Miss Bridgerton (Rokesbys #1)