“We don’t mind the work, do we, Thomas?” Amelia said, her features still dazed with joy.
“No, especially when it means we can play with puppies.”
He should have found a dog for them before this. Ian fought down guilt as he watched their enthusiastic response to what was a very good idea from Samantha Fremont.
As was the case for too many other things, he had used Susan as an excuse not to move forward. They could have found a dog the moment she moved out and filed for divorce, when they were so lost and confused in the Oxford flat.
What would they have done with a dog, though, when Susan came back after her cancer diagnosis?
He could have figured something out. She had been desperate and in no state to put up a fight about having to live with an animal.
It didn’t matter. He didn’t have any real excuses now. Susan was gone, had been gone more than a year. It was time he and the children started figuring out their lives without her.
“If you can show responsibility as you help care for Ms. Fremont’s puppies, perhaps we can discuss looking for a dog ourselves when we return to England.”
Their eyes widened with delight.
“Do you mean it?” Thomas asked, as if he were afraid to hope.
“Yes. We will have to talk about it to determine what sort of dog, but I don’t see why we can’t, as long as you do an excellent job helping our neighbor with her puppies.”
“Oh, we will,” Amelia assured him. “We will take the best care ever of them. You’ll see, Dad.”
She rarely called him Dad. Susan had always encouraged the children to call them Mother and Father. He had always found that too formal and decided he liked Amelia veering away from the path her mother had set her on.
“Can we see them now?”
“Yes. Find your shoes, both of you, while I talk to Mrs. Gilbert a moment.”
The children raced off, leaving him alone with the housekeeper, nanny and chauffeur who was worth far more than her weight in jewels. He and the children truly would have been lost without her, both before and after Susan’s death.
He faced her warily, this woman who had raised him, David and Gemma as much as their own mother had. “I hope checking in on the puppies once or twice a day won’t be too much of a bother. I should have talked to you about it first.”
“I’m only surprised to hear of it, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry. I bumped into Ms. Fremont last night out on the dock and she proposed the idea of having the children look in on the puppies while she’s at work. She has a clothing boutique in town. Did you know?”
“I did. She’s a lovely girl, that Samantha Fremont. I met her the other day while you were out on your boat, when the children and I were outside playing. She’s sewing your sister’s wedding gown.”
“I know.”
Letty tilted her head and gave him an appraising look. “You know, maybe while you’re here, you should go on a date or two. It might take your mind off everything.”
He didn’t have to ask what she meant. Letty was as much a trusted friend as an employee. She knew he regretted having to leave his work behind when they returned.
All their lives would change forever when this summer was over. Letty understood how he dreaded packing up their things and moving to Summerhill.
“Thank you for the advice,” he said stiffly.
“I’m only saying. You’re handsome enough when you’re not glowering like that. You’re on the tall side but some women like that. You can be a bit too bookish but so far you have your own hair.”
“A glowing endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.” He tried not to laugh.
“Not to mention, you’re the heir to an earldom. I’m told some women apparently favor that kind of thing.”
He knew that only too well. Since his brother died, leaving him the only male heir of his father besides Thomas, Ian had struggled with a sudden unexpected and unwanted popularity among certain women who had been drawn to him only because he was a viscount now and would one day inherit several properties, farms and businesses.
He preferred not to think about any of it.
“Do you mind about the puppies?”
“Not at all. Not at all,” she said as she cleared away the breakfast dishes. “As I said, I was just surprised, that’s all. They’re darling little things and the responsibility will be good for the children.”
“Exactly what I thought.”
“And they’ll be glad of the distraction from their lessons.”
“Thank you. You’re a wonder.”
“As I’ve been telling you for years now,” she said with a cheeky smile that made him smile reluctantly in return.
“As this is the first visit, it may take a little longer than usual. Put your feet up and read a book for a few moments, why don’t you?”
“Now that is the best idea I’ve heard all week,” she said. “When you’re back, you can find me in the cozy sunroom, looking out at the water and reading my book. I only need a big floppy cat to make the scene perfect.”
“Thank you, Letty.”
He really didn’t know what he would have done without her and considered himself the most fortunate of men that she had agreed to come out of retirement to help him and Susan after Amelia was born and later when Thomas came along. She had been about to retire for the second time when Susan had left him. Letty had stayed to help pick up the pieces, and though she had threatened to quit when he agreed to take Susan back after her diagnosis, she hadn’t followed through.
She was a lifesaver, though he supposed he
