Yes, this was what he liked so much about Eden. She had a natural kindness along with a strong dose of patience, no doubt developed over years of coping with her combative parents. He liked that Connor and Alex were also politer than they would have ordinarily been were she not here. Indeed, they quite surprised him by how considerate they were toward her.
It was odd to see his heathen sons behaving like gentlemen around her.
“Eden, would you care for a scone?” Alex asked, rising to fetch one for himself from one of the silver salvers on the sideboard.
“I would love one. Thank you, Alex.”
“My pleasure,” he said, placing the scone on her plate.
Connor stifled a grin. Who was this stranger? Had he accidentally walked into the wrong house?
His eldest was also attentive to Eden. “What should we pack for our morning hike, Eden? I can help Priscilla and Alex gather their supplies. Priscilla, if your pouch is too heavy, I’ll carry it for you.”
“That is very considerate of you,” Eden replied. “I have kept the list of supplies to a minimum. But we must pack some ofthese delicious scones along with lemonade to drink. We won’t venture too far today because your father must return in time to greet his guests. So, a short morning hike, then a picnic on the beach. Maybe we’ll remain on the beach and collect seashells if the weather is not too stifling. There ought to be a cooling breeze off the water.”
“Can I take off my shoes and dip my feet in the water?” Priscilla asked.
Eden nodded. “Oh, yes. It is a requirement. One must dig one’s toes in the warm sand and then dip them in the cool water. But you must remember always to wear your sunhat in order to protect your skin.”
Priscilla pouted. “I don’t like hats.”
“You don’t? But you look so pretty in them.” Eden pretended to study Priscilla’s features. “I have the perfect hat for you. It is identical to mine. We shall look like twins. I hope you don’t mind, or else we—”
“I don’t mind.” Priscilla’s eyes lit up and she cast Eden the biggest smile Connor had ever seen on his little girl. Now content, she took her own seat and finished her breakfast.
Connor was not sure what had just happened. All this fuss over a hat? And now his daughter was thrilled she was going to look like a miniature version of Eden? All she would lack were the spectacles.
Well, he wasn’t going to question it. His children were happy.
They all ran upstairs to prepare for their hike, and met downstairs fifteen minutes later. Eden and the children were equipped with their small pouches containing pencils, pads, and binoculars, while he carried a larger pouch filled with food that Mrs. Ward, his longtime cook, had stuffed to the brim.
Well, his boys were at that growing stage and ate like rabid wolves. Within the hour, there would be nothing left in the sack but crumbs.
The sun shone on their faces as they stepped outdoors to begin their hike. Connor allowed Eden to take the lead, since she was the nature expert. Besides, his children were never going to listen to him. Why should they? He was merely their father and a powerful duke, while Eden was fun and filled them with excitement as they set out on their adventure.
He quietly studied his children, his heart filling with pleasure as he saw they were smiling from ear to ear.
And behaving! If Eden said to turn right, they turned right. If Eden said to stop, they stopped. If Eden put a finger to her mouth and whispered for them to be quiet while they studied a family of geese, they immediately quieted.
“Watch where you step,” he reminded his children, because geese were notorious for leaving trails of droppings wherever they waddled.
“Hush, Papa!” they all urgently whispered.
“Eden told us to be quiet,” Alex admonished him.
“Oh, they’ve flown away,” Connor’s namesake grumbled, frowning at him. “See what you’ve done?”
Priscilla, whose big eyes looked enormous under her hat, also berated him. “Papa, did you not hear Eden tell us to be quiet?”
Eden could not suppress her chuckle. “Do not be so hard on your father. He is new to these adventures. We’ll encounter these geese again now that they have settled here for the summer. As your papa said, they leave their droppings everywhere. We’ll have only to follow their trail to find them again. I am fairly certain we will come upon them here every morning.”
“Unless Papa chases them away again,” Priscilla muttered.
“Blessed saints,” Connor said with a laughing groan, and held out his arms in surrender. “My apologies to all. What next, Eden?” In truth, it was refreshing to feel like the goat wheneveryone else who ever came around him acted as though he were a sun god.
“We’ll head over to Finch’s Meadow,” Eden said. “The morning mist should have lifted by now, and the deer ought to be feeding. We might even spot rabbits or a fox on the open ground.”
One would think they were about to discover dragons, faeries, and sea monsters. Connor looked on in amazement, for his children were enraptured.
