“How is she with children?”
“Adelaide didn’t specifically address that subject with me, but she adores cats. I would think a woman who loves cats probably enjoys children as well.”
“She sounds charming, but I’m afraid Miss Duveen isn’t a viable choice for me.”
“Because she doesn’t dress in the first state of fashion?”
“You do seem to relish insulting me, but no, her fashion sense has nothing to do with my reluctance. Her love of cats does.” Walter bent over to pick up a shell that caught his eye, handing it to Gwendolyn after he straightened. “Cats make Oscar and Priscilla sneeze.”
After glancing at the shell, Gwendolyn sent him a hint of a smile before depositing it in her pocket. “How unfortunate, because I found Adelaide to be a most delightful lady. She has quite the collection of cats, and I can’t see her giving them up for a gentleman who possesses numerous deficiencies, even if you’re rumored to have quite the fortune.”
“I do not have deficiencies.”
“Yet another topic we’ll need to agree to disagree about, but . . .” Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes toward Priscilla, who was now wailing in earnest and shaking a finger at the pony Walter had left with a footman. “Your daughter is in serious need of a nap,” she said, before she began marching in Priscilla’s direction without another word.
Walter strode to catch up with her, ignoring the concerned looks his mother and mother-in-law sent him—looks due, no doubt, to the fact Gwendolyn was now standing directly in front of Priscilla, who was howling louder than ever.
His mouth went a little slack when Gwendolyn leaned over and hefted Priscilla into her arms. Priscilla immediately went stiff as a board and stopped howling, probably because no one had ever treated her in what she undoubtedly considered a roughshod manner.
“Every bather at Bailey’s Beach has heard quite enough of your theatrics today, dear,” Gwendolyn said. “In the interest of sparing them a cacophony of continued screaming, you are now going to repair home.” She arched a brow toward his two governesses, who were watching her with wide eyes. “I suggest, once you get home, the two of you get her down for a much-needed nap.”
“Don’t need a nap,” Priscilla grumbled.
“Given your less than pleasant temper, yes, you do, but what caused you to make such a ruckus this time?”
Priscilla began wiggling, her face scrunching when Gwendolyn didn’t let her loose, merely readjusted her hold so that Priscilla couldn’t wiggle at all.
Evidently realizing she’d been thwarted in her bid for freedom, at least for the moment, and probably because she did look tired, his daughter jerked her head toward the pony, who was sitting on its haunches, its eyes on his mother-in-law’s hat. “It’s a boy.”
“And why would that discovery be worthy of a tantrum?”
“I wanted it to be a girl.”
Gwendolyn gave Priscilla’s shoulder a pat. “Well, he’s not a girl, and no amount of wanting is going to change that.”
She set her sights on Samuel and Oscar, who were both looking at her in disbelief, as if they couldn’t believe she’d put an end to Priscilla’s tantrum. “Boys, gather up the sand pails, shovels, and those two toy boats and bring them to your carriage.”
“They’ll do no such thing,” Matilda Stokes, Walter’s mother-in-law, countered. “We employ footmen to fetch and carry.”
Gwendolyn leveled a look on Matilda that had his mother-in-law inching closer to his mother, Ethel. “In the interest of making certain your family doesn’t find themselves banned from Bailey’s Beach, Priscilla needs to go home sooner than later. Given the number of toys the children now find in their possession, handed to them from Walter’s many admirers, it’ll take your footmen numerous trips to retrieve all of them. Having two boys who are quite capable of carrying a few toys to a waiting carriage will be the best way to expedite your departure, something I assure you all the bathers will appreciate.”
After sending the boys an arch of a brow, which had them scrambling to scoop up pails, shovels, and their toy boats, Gwendolyn turned and marched past Matilda, who was looking rather incredulous, as if she couldn’t believe her order had been ignored, or perhaps his mother-in-law was merely looking that way because Priscilla was now laying her head against Gwendolyn’s shoulder, her eyes closing as Gwendolyn strode away.
Because he was relatively certain Gwendolyn would send him one of her frightening looks if he arrived at the carriage empty-handed, Walter snatched up two dolls, one kite, and a few toy soldiers lying on a blanket and headed after her. He paused to tell the footman holding on to the pony he was going to have to walk the beast back to Sea Haven, an unenviable task if there ever was one, because his cottage was on the other end of Bellevue Avenue.
By the time he reached his carriage, Gwendolyn had settled Priscilla into it, wrapping his already sleeping daughter in her favorite blanket. Samuel was sitting beside Oscar on the seat opposite his twin, clutching his toy boat to his chest as he stared solemnly at Gwendolyn, who merely smiled at the look.
“Thank you for helping with the toys, Oscar,” she said, straightening after she’d tucked a corner of Priscilla’s blanket under her chin. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Miss Gwendolyn Brinley.”
“Is Father going to make you our new mother?” Oscar asked.
Gwendolyn gave Oscar’s knee a pat before she backed out of the carriage. “You don’t need to worry about me marrying your father. I’m not in Newport looking for a husband, and even if I was, I wouldn’t be a contender in your father’s eyes. Truth be told, he approached me earlier to become your governess.”
Samuel’s eyes widened. “Priscilla isn’t going to like that.”
Gwendolyn’s lips twitched. “I’m sure she wouldn’t, but no need to fret. Your sister is going to soon have reason to exercise her lungs again. I’m not a governess—I’m a matchmaker.”
“What’s a matchmaker?” Samuel asked.
“I help young ladies find suitable husbands.”
“Too bad you don’t help gentlemen find suitable wives,” Oscar said. “Father was having a time of it today, and I didn’t get the feeling he was making much progress in his search to find us a mother.”
“Father really is searching for a mother for us?” Samuel asked, his eyes growing wider than ever. “Priscilla told me that, but I thought she might have been fibbing.”
“She wasn’t,” Oscar said. “I overheard the grandmothers discussing how Father’s determined to marry again soon.” Oscar glanced to Walter before he returned his gaze to Samuel. “They said he’s returned to what I guess is called the marriage mart because he’s annoyed with our behavior of late.”
Walter frowned. “I wasn’t aware you knew I was considering marrying again.”
It came as little surprise when Oscar rolled his eyes. “I’m not a baby, Father, and I’m very good at listening, something the grandmothers seem oblivious about. It wouldn’t have been hard to figure that out on my own though. You haven’t joined us in Newport in years, except to drop in to make certain we’re still alive. You’ve also not attended society events, but you’re doing that now.”