Twilight was fast approaching. John sat on the porch and watched his son play with the dog. He smiled at the camaraderie between the boy and Gideon. The dog barked and ran after the ball. The day at the beach had left him more relaxed than he’d been in a long time.
The dog changed directions and raced toward the front porch. John turned to see Addie exiting the house. She stood poised on the top step with an expectant expression. She’d changed from her bathing costume into a shimmery green dress. Her thick hair was wound on top of her head again. He much preferred it down.
“Have you come to call us to dinner?”
She nodded. “Mrs. Biddle said it would be on the table in five minutes.”
“I haven’t seen Driscoll. I think it might just be us.”
“He mentioned he had to make a trip up the coast.” She approached with graceful steps, pausing only to pet the dog and direct him back to Edward. “When would you like to go over Edward’s lesson plans?” she asked when she reached John. “I’d like to ensure I’m doing what you expect.”
He waved Edward over and told him to go get washed up for dinner. When the boy complained, then finally ran off to the house, John gestured to the wicker lawn furniture. “Have a seat and we can talk about it.”
She gathered her skirt and sank onto the chair. Her clear green eyes focused on his face. “Edward is very bright. Is there a reason he is not attending school?”
“I would think it is obvious,” he said.
Her eyebrows winged up. “His affliction? But surely that doesn’t prevent him from school attendance.”
“Kids can be cruel. I don’t want him laughed at or ostracized.”
“You sound as though you know this from personal experience.”
He shied away from the memories of kids mocking his English accent when his family had first immigrated. He’d worked hard to overcome it. “Doesn’t everyone?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to school,” she said, her tone wistful.
“Never?”
She shook her head. “My father taught me, and I obtained a degree by correspondence.”
“Admirable.” He meant it. Not many women cared so much about education.
Her cheeks bloomed with delicate color. “Edward has to learn to live in the real world. Better now than to coddle him so much he doesn’t know how to face adversity as an adult.”
“He’s five years old. There’s plenty of time for him to face the hard knocks of life.”
She inclined her head. “He’s making great progress in just a few days on his numbers and letters.”
“Excellent.” He found himself watching her as conversation lagged. She was so innocent and sheltered, yet intelligence and fortitude glimmered in her eyes. He’d told her more about his feelings for his son than he’d even discussed with Katherine. Interesting. His wife’s tactic had always been avoidance and tears.
Addie’s slipper-clad feet, peeking out from under her green dress, moved in a rhythmic way, and she was humming “Maple Leaf Rag.” A carriage rolled down the driveway. The groom rushed to help with the horse, and John watched Lord Carrington clamber down and toss the reins to the groomsman. John rose to greet him and noticed the arrival had caught Addie’s attention as well.
“That’s Lord Thomas Carrington, one of Henry’s friends from England. I haven’t seen him in quite some time.”
A bowler perched atop his head. Once upon a time, a black, curly beard had burst furiously from his cheeks and nearly encased his nose and mouth. John had often wanted to suggest Carrington follow the newer fashion and become smooth shaven, if only to see what lay beneath that mass of dark hair. Someone must have told him, because he’d shaved the beard into a trim mustache.
Carrington nodded as he passed. “John.” He stopped when his gaze landed on Addie.
John extended his arm to Addie and waited until she took it. “Miss Sullivan, this is Lord Carrington. Thomas, Miss Sullivan is a friend of the family and has arrived to take charge of Edward’s education.”
The big man moved closer. “Delighted to meet you, Miss Sullivan,” he boomed. “I hope you’ll forgive me for remarking on how fresh and pretty you look this evening.”
Addie blushed. “Thank you, Lord Carrington.” She withdrew her hand from John’s arm. “I’d better make sure Edward gets his hands clean. If you’ll excuse me.” She stepped through the front door.
Both men watched the graceful sway of her skirt. “Pretty girl. Yours?” Carrington asked.
“Of course not,” John said.
Carrington bared his teeth in a smile. “Excellent. I have a mind to call on her.”
“She’s thirty years your junior, Carrington!”
“And pretty and fresh as a flower.”
John barely managed to hold his temper. “If you’re here to see Henry, he’s gone to a concert.”
“A fine reason to call again tomorrow.” Carrington tipped his hat and strode to the buggy.
John stood slack jawed, emotions reeling. That man couldn’t be allowed to get his hands on her.
Addie eyed the bicycle John rolled from the carriage house. “Are you sure I can do this?”
“Of course. It just takes practice.”
“Can I ride too?” Edward asked. He sat with the dog on the grass, watching them.
“Not tonight, little man,” John said.
It pained her to see the light go out of Edward’s eyes. She ran her hand down the gleaming paint. The metal warmed to her touch. “It’s lovely. What do I do first?”
“Put your, uh, right lower limb through to the other side and perch on the seat. I’ll hold the bike steady.”
She lifted her skirt just enough to stick her leg through the opening, then sat. Just gripping the handlebars made it seem more real that she was about to have her first lesson on riding a bicycle. She was conscious of John’s nearness as he held the vehicle steady.
“Now put your feet on the pedals,” he instructed.
She propped her shoes on the platforms. “Do I move them?”
He nodded. “Let’s go. Don’t go so fast I can’t keep up.”
She began to push. John ran beside her on the brick drive, his breath warming her ear. A grin stretched across her face as the wind lifted her hair. “I love this!”
She rode up and down the driveway with John jogging beside her. At the top of the drive, she circled and began to pedal back toward the house. The bicycle rolled and maneuvered as if it were a part of her. She turned her head to tell John again how much she enjoyed the experience and realized he wasn’t beside her anymore. She was balancing by herself. Her initial reaction was to jerk the handlebars, and the bike wobbled, but she regained control and pedaled on down the driveway. She made the final approach to the house on a sweeping curve.
It came more quickly than she’d mentally prepared for. She swerved too far, too fast. The bicycle rocked, and she jerked on the handlebars again to straighten it out. The cycle tipped, and she and the bicycle went down in a tangle of limbs and metal. Addie felt no pain at first, just the shock of taking a tumble. Then her elbow throbbed to inform her that she’d scraped it. Her forearm too. She pushed herself upright as John came running toward her.
“Miss Addie!” Edward, too, rushed to her side, but Gideon reached her first and pranced around her.
“I’m all right,” she said as John arrived.
He knelt beside her and slipped his arm around her. “Are you injured?”
She had no idea of her true condition with him so close. Assessing the pain level, she leaned her head against his shoulder. His presence was the best medicine. “I-I don’t think so.”
Edward threw himself atop her, and she pulled him onto her lap when she realized he was crying. “It’s okay, darling.”
“You’re bleeding,” the child wailed.
John moved away, and she hugged Edward, relishing the little-boy scent of grass and dog. “It’s merely a scratch, Edward. Proof of valor.” John was still near enough that she could smell his bay rum hair tonic.
“I should call the doctor,” John said. He placed his hand on her shoulder.
“No, no, I think I can get up with your assistance.” Aware she was showing more of her leg than was seemly, Addie flipped her skirt into place. She brushed a kiss across Edward’s cheek and scooted him onto the grass. “Papa’s going to help me up.” She grasped John’s arm and allowed him to lift her to her feet.
“Does anything hurt?” he asked.
She smiled into his face. “Only my pride.”
“Let’s get you inside.”
She glanced at the heap of wheels and metal. “No, I want to get back on the bicycle.”
His mouth gaped. “You aren’t afraid?”
“I’m terrified. But if I don’t get back on now, I might never do it. The fall will expand in my mind. I want to learn this.”
She released his arm and stepped away, though she preferred to stay close to him. “The bicycle appears unharmed.”
“But you’re not. You’re bleeding.”
She bent her elbow up to have a look. “As I said, it’s merely a scratch.” She straddled the bicycle again. “I believe I need your assistance.”
“Against my better judgment.” He steadied the bicycle.
She put her feet on the pedals and began to move up the driveway, though her chest was tight and her breathing labored. Chances were, she wouldn’t fall again. Even if she did, she meant to master this skill. She loved the freedom she felt on the conveyance.
John ran beside her again, and she knew he wouldn’t let go unless she forced him. Maybe it was safer to ride with his assistance. But no, playing it safe wouldn’t help her learn to ride by herself.
“You can let go now,” she said, keeping up a steady pressure on the pedal though her pulse began to thump.
He stepped back, and his hands dropped away. “You can do it!” he shouted after her as the bicycle picked up speed on the slope toward the house.
Addie gained confidence as the wheels turned easily and the bicycle handled well. She was beginning to understand how to handle it, and her balance didn’t waver. She reached the front steps and braked. When the bicycle rolled to a stop, she put her feet down and sighed. She’d done it.
“Bravo!” John said, running to her side. “Your form was excellent. Now try to start it by yourself, without my assistance.”
She smiled back into his animated face. What was this relationship that was developing between them? He’d never answered her question about philandering. Maybe he treated every woman as if she were special. Mr. Driscoll had warned her to be careful, but it was hard to think of such things when she looked into John’s face.
His smile faded when she didn’t move. “Miss Adeline? Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine,” she said, hastily putting one foot on a pedal.
She gave the bike a push with her right foot, then put her foot on the pedal and began to rotate the wheel. Her balance became steadier as the bicycle picked up speed. She was doing this alone! When she reached the top of the driveway, she turned in a circle and rode back to the house.
Her cheeks were warm from the ride. “I’ll put the bicycle in the carriage house. Thank you for teaching me to ride. It was most exhilarating.”
“One of the stablemen will do it.” When she dismounted, he leaned the bicycle against the porch. “I should put some iodine on your scrapes.”
“I can do it.”
“It’s hard to do by yourself. You can barely see if it’s clean.” He caught her arm and steered her toward the house, then down the hall to the parlor. “Wait here. I’ll get water and iodine.”
She rolled up her sleeve while he went to get the iodine. When had anyone tended to her so lovingly?
Dirt caked her elbow and arm where she’d grazed it on the driveway. Blood oozed from the abrasion. When John returned, he knelt and set the basin of warm water on the floor. Wringing out the washcloth, he touched it to the blood. She didn’t flinch.
“Nasty scrape,” he said. He washed the area as gently as he could.
“I can’t see it well.”
“As I said.” He smiled and set about cleaning the injury. The only time she winced was when he applied the iodine. “Sorry,” he said.
“The sting will ease in a moment.”
He rose and stepped back. “I wouldn’t hurt you if I could help it,” he said.
Addie’s eyes flickered, and she sobered. “You never answered my question at the beach,” she said. “About your intentions. Were you avoiding a straight answer?”
He grinned. “You are so direct.” He grew serious and held her gaze. “No, I’m not a philanderer, though Henry believes I need a new wife. He’s been on a crusade to find me one.”
“What do you think about it?”
“I have no desire to enter the matrimonial state again. Or at least I didn’t.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, her voice soft.
“There is something between us, Miss Adeline. I don’t know what it is, or where it will lead.”
“I don’t either.”
“I would like to find out,” he said. “In fair disclosure, let me mention that I’ve been seeing a young woman in the city. My commander’s daughter, Margaret. But I give you my word that I won’t be seeing her again.”
She bit her lip. “Have you been dating her long?”
He hesitated, then shrugged. “We’ve gone out four times.”
Her expression softened. “Oh, Lieutenant North. That poor woman. What will she think when you don’t ask her out again?”
“She’s beautiful and sought after. I’m sure there are many men who will be glad to step into my shoes. I shall call her tomorrow and inform her of my interest in you.”
Her eyes shimmered with moisture. “I don’t like that she’ll be hurt.”
He laughed. “Miss Adeline, there isn’t a woman alive who would find it in her heart to empathize with a rival as you do.” That’s what drew people to her, he decided, the compassion that emanated from her. Was it the result of her faith or something else?
“Did you love Katherine too much to replace her?”
He smiled. “What a romantic you are, my dear. Our marriage was less than warm.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, resting her hand on her chin. “I saw a photograph of her. She was very beautiful.”
“And spoiled.” John’s smile faltered. “Edward embarrassed her. I fear at times I embarrassed her more.”
Addie appeared so small in the large chair as she propped her chin on her hand. “You?” she asked.
Her tone implied it was beyond her comprehension that anyone wouldn’t be honored to be on his arm. No one in his life had ever treated him with so much respect. No wonder she intrigued him.
“I didn’t have enough ambition. Or perhaps I had the wrong kind.” Such an honest woman as Addie deserved the truth from him. “And I know I wasn’t the husband I should have been. I was away often, working hard to be the man she could look up to. I didn’t handle the stress well. We drifted so far apart that we were strangers in the same house.”
Addie shuddered. “I’m so sorry. Poor Edward, to lose his mother at such a young age.”
If she only knew how much better off his son was without the mother who hardly acknowledged his existence. “He barely knew her. She avoided him when she could.”
Her eyes glistened again, and she blinked quickly. “Poor child.” She rose. “Thank you for tending to my wounds.”
“My pleasure. Good night.”
“Good night,” she echoed.
He watched her walk away, her gown swishing with every step. Something about her made him want to be better than he was. When he saw the admiration and respect in her eyes, he could feel himself straighten and walk taller. Not many women caused that kind of reaction in a man.
So many women simpered and danced around the truth. Addie was exactly what she seemed. Being around someone so honest was a refreshing experience.