“Nonsense,” Lady Phaedra said. “We are perfectly fine with a blanket and some pillows. Is this not the point of a picnic?”
Deerhurst couldn’t say. He’d never been on one before. “The ground is hard.”
She tossed a pillow at him. “Then sit on this.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about,” he said with a grumbling tone.
“Are you going to join us?” She sounded amused.
Deerhurst lowered to sit on the blanket.
“I love picnics!” Abigail exclaimed. “I want to have picnics every day.”
Phaedra smiled at her. “I’m sure that can be arranged.” She looked at him. “You are very quiet.”
That’s because he had no idea what to say. They were here with his daughter—an event he’d never anticipated. He had entered unchartered territory. The entire moment felt so surreal. Deerhurst almost imagined he had entered an alternative world. One where all his troubles and fears disappeared. Where secrets didn’t weigh him down to the bottom of the ocean with no way to breathe.
He reached for the wine. “Shall I pour us some?”
She smiled at him. “It’s not laced with anything it shouldn’t be, is it?”
He snorted and poured them a glass. “It’s light.”
“Can I have some too?” Abigail asked.
“No, pet, maybe when you’re older. I had Cook add some freshly pressed juice for you.”
“I don’t want juice. I want to pick flowers. Can I?”
“Of course, pet.” His words were scarcely cold before Abigail ran off to a small patch of flowers growing beneath a tree.
Deerhurst shook his head and handed Phaedra her glass. “Didn’t she moments ago say she loved picnics?”
She took a sip as she regarded him. “Children are a fickle bunch.”
He returned her stare. “Has Puck run off again?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Was that why I found you on my property again?”
The corners of her lips lifted. “No, I heard your daughter’s laughter and followed the merry tune.”
Deerhurst nodded slowly. “You haven’t asked about Abigail’s circumstances.” Her mother. Phaedra must be dying of curiosity, yet she didn’t delve, as he’d thought she would.
“It’s not any of my business,” she said softly. “And I meant what I said earlier. I would never spurn a child over the circumstance of their birth.”
He believed her. “I’ve been keeping her away from the probing eyes of society.”
“You are doing what you feel is best for your daughter.” She took another sip. “So, I was the first woman you ever courted? Fake aside.”
Deerhurst paused, deciding whether he should reveal a snippet of truth. Why not? This part was no secret. “I courted a lady before you.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Truly? She must have been some woman. What happened?”
Ah, there it is.
Unbridled curiosity.
