Gravel biting through the knees of his pantaloons and the palms of his gloves, Daniel peered around the corner of the maze. He wiped the sweat from his brow as he hurriedly checked behind him and before him once more, his breath coming in deep rasps. The path stretched empty to the exit. He listened but heard only the faint sound of the summer breeze rustling through the close-cropped laurel. Heart pounding, he scrambled to his feet and raced toward freedom. Behind him, he heard shouts of pursuit and doubled his speed.

“Halt, or I’ll shoot!” John yelled, leaping into his path. Daniel skidded to a stop. James and Adam leaped onto his back, and he went down laughing under the weight. As soon as all three of them were on top of him, he wrestled James and John to his chest and tickled them unmercifully while Adam whooped in delight.

“Mercy, mercy!” James giggled.

“I give up!” John shouted, squirming.

Daniel released them, and they crawled off him, collapsing on the path laughing. As their merriment faded, he heard the sound of carriage wheels on gravel and knew they were in for it.

John sat up, eyes wide. “Mother!”

Adam sobered immediately, and James rolled to his feet. “Are you sure? How did she know where to find us?”

They looked so worried that he rose and wrapped his arms about the three of them. He was surprised that he seemed to feel as guilty as they looked, though he wasn’t sure what any of them had to feel guilty about. He supposed his feelings came from remembering how his own mother had reacted when he came in with dirty or torn clothes. But was having a little fun really such a heinous crime?

Knowing they couldn’t very well avoid their own mother, he shepherded the boys toward the exit and across the small stretch of lawn to the edge of the drive. The Kinsle carriage did indeed stand within the arch by the front entryway, with Evenson and one of the footmen hurrying out to greet the arrival.

Cynthia was just alighting on the footman’s arm as Daniel led the boys forward. Her slender body in the black dress was tensed, and as they drew near he could see that her lovely lips were set in a tight line, her finely etched brows drawn together in a frown. The stern look did not ease as she caught sight of the boys, and beside him he felt John hesitate.

“Mrs. Jacobs,” he managed with a bow over the boys’ heads, “a pleasure.”

“That I do not believe,” Cynthia told him, her voice as stern as her face as she looked them all over. He supposed the boys were a bit dusty. Even his tweed jacket and dark pantaloons were caked with the stuff, and he felt something, most like a twig of laurel, sticking out from behind one ear.

“Boys” she said firmly, “you cannot run away like this. Anything could have happened to you, and no one would have been any wiser. I realize you enjoy coming to visit Mr. Lewiston, but I can assure you this incident will not repeat itself. Say your farewells and get in the coach at once.”

Adam’s lower lip was trembling again, James was biting his lip, and John was pale and still. “Goodbye, Mr. Daniel,” he muttered for them all.

Daniel very much wanted to tell her that they were no trouble, that surely they were allowed to have a little fun, but somehow he sensed she would not thank him for interfering. Perhaps if he could speak with her without the children present his comments would be seen as less of an intrusion.

“That was well done, John,” he said, looking up to meet Cynthia’s frown. “But I think we would be very rag mannered to have your mother come all this way without offering her some refreshment.”

“I don’t need any—” Cynthia started, but he purposely turned to the hovering Evenson to forestall her.

“Evenson, do we have any more of those delightful cakes we had the other day?”

Evenson opened his mouth, but John was shaking his head violently no. “I…I believe they are all gone, sir, but I’m sure Monsieur Henri can find something else suitable for the lady.”

“Excellent.” Daniel offered Cynthia his arm. “Shall we?”

She bit her lip. Did all the Kinsle’s have that habit? Then she glanced around at the three upturned faces. He added his pleading look to theirs.

She sighed. “I suppose there’s no harm in it. Thank you for offering, Mr. Lewiston. Please lead the way.”

Daniel tried to ignore John’s look of triumph as they walked into the house. He escorted them all down the long, twisting corridor to the withdrawing room and murmured pleasantries while Evenson arranged for tea. It arrived a short while later along with a game of nine pins, which Evenson erected in the corner, taking the boys aside so Daniel could entertain the lady. Somehow Daniel thought Evenson had gotten the easier end of the deal.

He took a sip of the tea to steady himself. He had been calling himself a coward for several days since his half-hearted attempt to begin courting her. Evenson reported that several of the eligible Wenwood bachelors had already called, making his chances even smaller. But each time he sent the boys home, he wondered if it would be for the last time. Each time they left, the house seemed larger and more empty.

And he was beginning to realize that the boys needed him as much as he needed them. There weren’t many men who would understand how it felt to be raised only by a mother. For all their sakes, he had to try again to get Cynthia to see him as a suitor.

 

*

 

Cynthia sipped her tea slowly, glancing about the room. It did not seem to have changed much from what she remembered. In fact, it was almost as if the room had been abandoned on the day she had eloped, so thick was the dust on nearly every surface, from the walnut credenzas on either side of the marble fireplace to the grouping of sofa and chairs in the center of the room to the farther corners of the polished wood floor. The area in which the boys were playing at least seemed to have been dusted, but she wondered if perhaps it had been by the seats of their britches. She took another sip of her tea, listening to the polished oak pins clatter to the base amidst the rise and fall of children’s voices. Across from her, Daniel offered her the smile she remembered when she and his sisters had pulled a prank on him. She felt instantly contrite and lowered her cup to the silver tea tray.

“I’m so sorry the boys keep intruding on you, Daniel. It’s just that there’s so little to do at Kinsle House right now and…”

He held up a hand. “Please, Mrs. Jacobs, you mustn’t apologize. I enjoy being with the boys. Please don’t keep them away on my account.”

Cynthia stared at him, but his round face was earnest, his grey eyes sparkling, and his smile rather endearing. “You, you actually like them?”

His smile deepened. “Of course I like them. They’re intelligent, fun-loving, adventurous little jack-n-apes. I’ve always wanted brothers. I guess I’ll have to settle for nephews, and surrogate ones at that.”

Something thawed inside her. “You don’t know how good it makes me feel to hear someone praise them. They really are darling boys. If only Jonathan realized that.”

“Jonathan and Colonel Hathaway,” Daniel muttered, although he reached for his tea so quickly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.

A cheer went up from the bowlers, and Cynthia smiled at their enthusiasm. It took her only a second to realize that Daniel was sharing her smile. He really does like them, she thought, warmed more by his caring than by anything that had happened since Nathan’s death. Daniel seemed to have noticed her regard, for he paled and cleared his throat.

“Mrs. Jacobs,” he began.

Cynthia couldn’t stand his nerves. She had obviously been overly stern in her dealings with him, and guilt smote her anew. “Daniel, please, you’ve known me since I was born. We grew up together. I was a dreadful child, always helping your sisters tease you, but I hope you can see I’ve grown beyond all that. You can call me by my first name. In fact, I wish someone would. It would be nice to remember I have a name other than ‘Mother.’”

Her speech only served to make him more nervous by the way he fidgeted on the chair. He adjusted his cravat self-consciously and swallowed. Then, seeming to make up his mind, he straightened. “Very well, Cynthia then. I understand that you may be thinking of remarrying.”

Cynthia took a deep breath to keep from screaming in vexation. Not him too! All her good intentions disappeared. “That, Daniel, is hardly your concern.”

To her surprise, he smiled. “Now, that is the Cynthia I remember.”

She refused to allow his whimsy to sway her. She must have looked sufficiently fierce for his smile faded and he was forced to take another fortifying sip of tea, hand shaking as he set down the cup.

“Dash it all!”

Cynthia recoiled from his exclamation and he shook his head.

“I never could do anything right around you,” he told her. “But if you must remarry, would it pain you too terribly to consider me as a candidate?”

She stared at him. This could not be happening. Daniel Lewiston, proposing? He could not be in love with her, not after having known her as the giddiest girl in the neighborhood. And it had been a very long time since she had thought of seriously considering anyone as a husband but Nathan. She looked at him more closely.

That mahogany hair framed an earnest face. Those shoulders could carry a woman’s burdens. A shiver went through her. For the first time she didn’t see an overgrown version of the boy she had known; she saw a man. She could feel her own tea cup start to tremble and set it hastily down. Then she noticed that he looked no more delighted with the matter. Sweat was beading on his brow, causing his dark hair to curl on his forehead. His grey eyes were stormy with emotion, but she’d have termed it fear rather than love.

“You don’t really want to marry me, do you, Daniel?” she asked softly.

He inhaled slowly, focusing on her face.

“I didn’t think I particularly wanted to marry anyone, at least not right now,” he replied. “But I’ve never been happier than the last two months since your boys arrived. I’d hate to lose them to someone who didn’t even care about them. Not that you’d marry that sort, but sometimes widows don’t have the luxury of choosing. I just wanted you to know that if you must marry, I’d be proud to be the boys’ father.”

Tears welled behind Cynthia’s eyes, and she looked hastily away from him. “Thank you, Daniel. I don’t think you can know what that means to me. It’s very kind of you.”

“Kind, but not wanted,” he murmured. She couldn’t meet his gaze. “Cynthia, are you already in love with someone?”

She shook her head, blinking the tears away. “No, no, of course not. I don’t want to get married any more than you do.” She glanced up in time to see him start.

“Then why…” he began, but his brow cleared suddenly. “John was right. Jonathan can’t keep you.”

Embarrassed, Cynthia held out her hand in entreaty. “Please don’t let anyone know. Nathan tried to take care of us. He always brought enough money home from his trips to see us through a year or two. He was hoping this last trip would put him in a position to share in some prize money. It also put him in more danger. When he was killed in battle, I was sure he’d put something aside for us in his belongings, but the Admiralty swears there was nothing. Jonathan will do what he can for us, I’m sure. It’s just that three growing boys…”

Daniel nodded. “Then we should marry.”

“Well, I like that,” Cynthia exclaimed, drawing back. “Don’t I have something to say in the matter?”

He had the good sense to look abashed. “I’m sorry if I seem to be making decisions for you, but can’t you see our marriage would be for the best? This place is huge, I’ve got plenty of blunt with nothing useful to spend it on, and truth be told I think I’ve always been lonely. Don’t you see? We both get what we need.”

It was quite logical. She could see that. Jonathan and his sisters would be delighted with the match. In fact, one of the reasons she had teased him so unmercifully when they were younger was that their parents kept insisting he would one day offer for her. Sometimes she thought she had just been building up an excuse as to why he wouldn’t offer. But now he had offered, and if she accepted him, the boys would have a father, one who would dote on their every act, and a steady, reliable source of income. It was perfect for the boys and for Daniel. But would it be perfect for her?

She smiled politely at him. “You’ve given me a great deal to think about, Mr. Lewiston.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Lewiston? I was just plain Daniel at the start of this conversation. Have I been demoted for my audacity?”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “I’m sorry, Daniel. It’s just that this is a very serious decision. I need time to think.”

“Take all the time you like,” he replied, returning her smile. Another cheer went up from the bowlers. “Just so long as you allow them to visit while you think.”