Everything and the Moon (The Lyndon Sisters #1)(24)

“Not at night.”

“I've never been outside in the forest at night.”

Victoria smiled. “I have.”

“You have?” He looked at her with new respect.

“Mmm-hmm. Now then, what other colors can you find?”

“What about the dress my mama was wearing this morning? It was an icky color, but it was green.”

Victoria was inclined to agree with his assessment of Lady Hollingwood's dress, but she wasn't about to say so. “Your mother's dress was not ‘icky,’ Neville,” she said diplomatically. “And we call that color—er, I suppose it would be called brackish green.”

“Brackish.” He let the word roll around in his mouth for a moment before pointing a stubby finger to Victoria's right. “What about his lordship's coat? That's green, too.”

Victoria felt her stomach plummet to somewhere in the vicinity of her feet as she turned her head. She groaned. It would have to be Robert. There were at least a dozen “his lordships” on the property for the house party, but no, it would have to be Robert walking toward them.

Not that she thought this was any coincidence.

“Good morning, Miss Lyndon, Master Neville.” Robert swept into a courtly bow.

Victoria nodded her head, trying to ignore the way her heart was soaring and her pulse was racing. She let out a snort, thoroughly disgusted with herself.

“That is certainly a nice greeting,” Robert said, smiling at her reaction.

His gaze locked with hers, and Victoria felt the breath leave her body. She probably would have stood stock still all afternoon, staring into his eyes, if Neville had not interrupted them.

“My lord! My lord!” came the voice from below.

Reluctantly, both Victoria and Robert looked down.

“We're practicing colors,” Neville said proudly.

“Is that so?” Robert crouched down to the boy's level. “Did you know that objects have their colors because of certain properties of light? One cannot see colors in the dark. Scientists call this concept the wave theory of light. It's a relatively new discovery.”

Neville blinked.

“My lord,” Victoria said, unable to suppress a smile. He'd always been so passionate about the sciences. “Perhaps that is a bit beyond the scope of a five-year-old.”

He looked up at her sheepishly. “Oh yes, of course.”

Neville coughed, clearly wanting to steer the conversation back to the matter at hand. “Today,” he said firmly, “we are discussing green.”

“Green, you say?” Robert lifted his arm and pretended to look at his sleeve with great interest. “I am wearing green.”

Neville beamed at the attention he was receiving from Robert. “Yes, we were just talking about you.”

Robert leveled a rather knowing look in Victoria's direction. “You were?”

“Yes.” Neville turned to Victoria. “Miss Lyndon, weren't we talking about his lordship's coat?”

“You certainly were,” Victoria retorted, not enjoying herself in the least.

The boy tugged at her sleeve. “What kind of green is it?”

Victoria regarded Robert's coat, an article of clothing so expertly tailored it might well be classified as a piece of art. “Bottle green, Neville. It is called bottle green.”

“Bottle green,” he repeated. “Thus far I have learned moss green, and bottle green, and brackish green, which I shall call icky green—”

“Neville!” Victoria reprimanded.

“Very well.” He sighed. I shan't call it icky green. “But—” The boy looked up sharply at Robert. “Do you know what color the stripe on Miss Lyndon's dress is?”

Robert stood, letting his eyes rest on the stripe, which happened to be on her bodice. “No,” said, not looking back down to Neville. “I don't know.”

Victoria fought the urge to cover her breasts with her hands. It was absurd, she knew, because she was fully dressed. But she felt as if Robert could see straight to her skin.

“It's forest green,” Neville proclaimed. “And Miss Lyndon should know, because she has been in the forest at night.”

Robert arched a brow. “Has she?”

Victoria swallowed painfully, trying not to remember the magical evenings she'd sneaked out of her room and run through the forest in Kent with Robert. It was impossible, of course. Those memories played poignantly through her mind every day. “One can't see colors in the dark,” she said peevishly. “The earl said so.”

“But you said that forest green was as dark as the forest at night,” Neville persisted.

“Perhaps if the moon was out,” Robert mused. “One could see a bit of color, and it would be so very romantic.”

Victoria glared at him before turning back to the boy. “Neville,” she said, her voice sounding odd to her ears. “I'm sure the earl is not interested in our color games.”

Robert smiled slowly. “I'm interested in everything you do.”

Victoria tugged at Neville's hand. “We really should not keep his lordship. I am certain he has many important things to do. Things that don't involve us.”

Neville didn't budge. He looked up at Robert and asked, “Are you married?”