“I don’t see any of our group here yet,” Lord Aubrey remarked. “Let me get us settled, and then I will order food and drinks for all of us.”
Eden smiled at him. “Thank you, Lord Aubrey. That would be most helpful.”
She had no intention of calling him Trajan whether alone or in company, but liked that he had suggested she could. She alsoliked his name, finding it quite interesting because of all the history behind the Roman emperor first bearing the name.
Since the food tent was quickly filling up, Lord Aubrey hurried off with young Connor to secure them a table and then assist him in carrying back their pasties, mince pies, and drinks. They kept their eyes on all who came in and out of the food tent, hoping to spot some of the group from the house party, but none had shown up yet.
“My Papa said he would be here,” Priscilla said, her voice plaintive.
“He will,” Eden assured her. “But let’s go have fun in the meanwhile.”
After they finished eating, they all walked around the fairgrounds together. But Eden and Priscilla soon split up from the boys, who wanted to partake in the various games of strength offered.
“I’ll watch the boys,” Lord Aubrey assured her.
She wasn’t certain he was up to the task, for the boys were quite devious when they wanted to be. But they seemed to be on their best behavior, so she agreed. She and Priscilla watched all three of them take up a side in a game of tug of war. The ground between the two sides had been muddied so that the losing team was going to get caked in mud.
Oh, well.The mud would wash off.
To her relief, Lord Aubrey and the boys won, so they were spared a mud bath. While the three moved on to attempt other games of strength, Eden took Priscilla through the various stalls that sold trinkets and other wares. She purchased a bracelet for the girl that was made out of colorful beads of glass, and then they watched a glassblower as he shaped his melted glass into delicate animal designs. Eden also bought a glass swan for Priscilla.
“It’s so beautiful,” Priscilla exclaimed, and hugged her. She immediately put the bracelet on her wrist, but when Eden took the swan to tuck in her own pocket for safekeeping, the girl made a fuss and began to cry. “I can carry it!”
“But you might lose it, Priscilla. It will be safer in my pocket.”
“No, no! I want to carry it,” she insisted as tears welled in her eyes.
Eden sighed. “Very well, but hand it over to me if you get tired of holding it.”
The girl nodded as she sniffled.
They walked on, browsing several other stalls until they encountered Connor and his house party guests. “There you are,” he said, striding up to them with a smile on his face. “I found the boys with Aubrey about ten minutes ago. Sounds like you had fun today.”
“Yes, Papa,” Priscilla replied, her eyes big as she stared up at him in adoration. “We did, but I’m tired now. I want to go home.”
“Sweetheart, my guests and I have just arrived. Why don’t I accompany you and Eden to the food tent and fetch you both lemonades? You can relax there and wait for us to take a turn about the fair.”
“All right,” she grumbled, but put her little hand in his without complaint.
The tent was crowded by now, and there was hardly a seat to be found. Being a duke had its advantages, however. The tent’s proprietor hastily directed his boys to set up a table and bench just for them in a quieter corner away from the food line, although this tent was so packed that nowhere was truly quiet. However, they were sufficiently out of the way so as not to be constantly jostled.
The proprietor attended to them himself, bringing lemonades for them and an ale for Connor. “Anything else, Your Grace?”
“No, Mr. Fitchett. This is excellent.”
Connor took a sip of his ale, cast a wink at Eden, and then turned to his daughter. “Tell me about your day, sweetheart. What did you and Eden do?”
The girl began to bend his ear, intent on describing every detail from the moment they walked out of Lynton Grange. “And then the goose bit Alex…”
Connor guffawed. “Ah, my boys. They fill me with such pride.”
Priscilla went on to describe their bird watching and walk through the fair. “Then Eden bought me this lovely bracelet.” She raised her wrist to show her father. “See how it shines?”
“Oh, yes. It is quite beautiful. Did Eden purchase anything for herself?”
“No, Papa. But she also bought me this swan…this…” She began to search around for it.
Eden groaned and did the same, hoping against hope it had merely fallen under the table. Unfortunately, it had not.
