Teddy proved to be a wealth of information, though it came in the form of toddler verbiage that at times had to be deciphered.

As Rose assisted him in building a particularly lofty tower of blocks, he told her that he “missed his mumma,” but he wasn't “supposed” to be sad because she was “always in their hearts,” and he still “got hugs and kisses” from his father. Rose found this last bit hard to picture.

“Does your father play with you?” Rose asked. “Toys, and games, and such?”

“Sometimes,” Teddy answered.

He handed her a small cube and indicated that she should place it on top of the tower. She did so with great care, and Teddy smiled at the result of their efforts.

At that moment, Eleanor bustled into the room. “It's time for breakfast, Ted—” She startled when she saw Rose. “O—oh! Miss Rose! Beg your pardon. I didn't expect to find you in here.”

“I took a chance that the little master might be awake,” Rose said. “But I don't mean to intrude or interrupt the daily routine. I can show myself out.”

“There's no intrusion, Miss,” Eleanor assured her. “Would you like to join Teddy for breakfast?”

Teddy looked up at her with his large, innocent eyes. “Please, Miss Rose?”

Rose smiled down at his sweet face. “How could I say no?”

【♖】

Twenty minutes later, Rose was seated next to Teddy in the lavish, two-story dining hall. His dwarfed legs swung a foot above the floor as he sat upon the heavy wooden chair, happily indulging in a plate full of food.

“You don't want this?” Teddy asked. He held up his fork, the prongs of which were jabbed through more bacon than he could ever hope to fit into his tiny mouth.

Rose laughed and guided his fork back to his plate with a delicate touch to the stem. “No, none of that for me.”

Teddy blinked at her quizzically, like he couldn't quite decide what to make of her. “Why? It's good.”

“I believe you,” Rose said. “But I actually gave up pork in all its variations a little over a year ago.”

August hadn't asked her to do any such thing, but as a demonstration of her devotion to his family and their beliefs, she'd willingly retired her taste for pork, ham, and everything else associated with the consumption of pigs.

“I'm sorry, Miss Rose. I didn't realize,” Eleanor said. “Hope I didn't cause offense.”

“Not at all,” Rose assured her with a smile. “You couldn't have known. And I do love the smell. But I'll just have another slice of toast, if it's all the same.”

“Toast is dull,” Teddy informed her. “Unless there's jam.”

Rose and Eleanor shared a laugh at his matter-of-fact tone.

“Well, there you have it, Miss,” Eleanor said. “Toast is dull. In case you were unaware.”

Rose chuckled behind her palm. “Consider me educated. Thank you, Teddy.”

Teddy shrugged good-naturedly, his mouth full of bacon. “Yer-well-gum,” he uttered among his food.

Rose giggled. “Are you speaking in tongues?” She dabbed the corners of his mouth with her cloth serviette. “Slowly,” she soothed. “Chew, then swallow, then speak. Everything good is meant to be savored.”

“That's wise advice for us all, Miss Rose,” Eleanor said. “You'd do well to listen to her, Teddy.”

Teddy swallowed his food. “I'm listening!” he promised.

“Would you like to play outside after breakfast?” Rose asked him. “It's going to be a beautiful day. Maybe we could go for a walk? You can be my Warwick Hall guide.”

“We can look for buried treasure,” Teddy suggested, a smile lighting up his plump face. “Like pirates! Sometimes I find shiny things in the garden.”

The toast in Rose's stomach rolled a bit. “I believe it,” she said softly.

“Or you could take him out to the stables,” came a masculine voice from behind them.

Rose jumped in her seat and her head whipped around. There, leaning against the doorframe, was William.

For pity's sake! Rose thought, her heart hammering. How long has he been lurking there? Has he been watching? Listening? Of course he has. She shook her head in irritation.

“Some breakfast, Mr. Mercer?” Eleanor asked.

“No, thank you,” he replied. “I'm fine.”

“As you say, sir,” the housekeeper said. Taking a few empty dishes, she retreated from the room.

“The stables?” Rose asked, returning to his sudden comment. “Do you mean private stables? On your property?”

William nodded. “Yes, they're just out back.”

She glanced down at Teddy's petite stature. “Isn't your son a bit small to ride?”

“Teddy's too small to ride at present, but he enjoys visiting the horses.”

His eyes flickered over to his son, and a small but genuine smile pulled up the corners of his lips. It was the first time Rose had seen a smile reach his eyes.

She glanced down at Teddy's face. He had the round cheeks and wide eyes of a cherub from a Renaissance painting, and the sight elicited a smile from her, as well.

“Would you like to visit the horses later, Teddy?” she asked. “Maybe show me which one is your favorite?”

“Yes!” the little boy cried, his eyes alight.

“Well, that's settled, then,” Rose said amicably. “Perhaps your father would come with us? If he's not too busy?”

She looked to William for a yay or nay.

“Please, da'?” Teddy said from beside her.

William nodded absentmindedly. “I’ll accompany you two. Could use a bit o' fresh air, I s'pose. We could go now, if ya like.”

Rose hadn't uttered so much as a syllable in response when Teddy answered for her: “Now! Let's go now! Please, Miss Rose?”

With an infectious grin, he smacked the table top with his palms in excitement, and Rose found she was powerless to argue.

“I'm certainly not opposed to ‘now’,” she said, suppressing a chuckle. Giving Teddy's mouth a final dab with her serviette, she helped the little boy slide off his chair. “Lead the way, William. As long as I'm dressed alright.”

“You are,” he assured her, motioning for them to follow.

Teddy insisted on clasping Rose's hand as they made their way through the entrance foyer and out the front door. Rose was oddly moved by this. She found it curious how quick she was to find a reason not to despise William Mercer, in spite of the grizzly reason for their initial acquaintance.

I have not, nor will I forgive him, Rose thought, even as William glanced back at her and Teddy over his shoulder. I agreed to this absurd arrangement in order to keep an eye on him, nothing more. But there's no harm in doting on his son a bit. It may even inspire him to open up to me.

But as Teddy's little fingers squeezed her own, she felt a pang in her heart that she knew was very real.

This could become complicated.

“So,” she said in an attempt to chase away her conflicting thoughts, “which way to the horses?”

“Over here. 'Round back.”

Within seconds, the impressive wooden structure that served as the stables came into view, and William approached the entrance. The door was wide and appeared rather heavy, but he pushed it open and held it ajar so that Rose and Teddy could enter without hindrance.

Rose thanked him and looked around, intrigued. There was a long row of individual stalls on each side, separated by a wide walkway. The sharp scent of fresh straw was thick in the air. Whinnies, snorts, and the stomping of hooves could be heard from every direction.

William wasn't a man Rose would have expected to keep horses. He seemed so hell-bent on moving on and up in the world — in every aspect of his life. The most modern, the most streamlined, and at times, the most extreme. Horses were antiquated. Classic. Beautiful. Hardly what she'd expect from a gun-toting gangster.

“And why do you have horses on your property?” she asked conversationally. “Do you enjoy riding? Or is it an investment, perhaps?”

“Mainly I keep race horses, though I do enjoy riding,” he replied.

“Race horses!” Rose exclaimed, genuinely surprised. “My, how exciting! I've never been to the races. Well, cars, yes. Horses, no. Do you employ riders, as well, or do the riders come to you to buy or rent the horses?”

“The riders usually come to me. But I do employ trainers.”

Teddy let go of Rose's hand and tugged on the leg of William's trousers. He made a little noise of impatience and raised his arms in a clear indication of wanting to be picked up.

Rose stifled a giggle. “I think your services are being requested,” she said to William.

Chuckling at Teddy’s antics, William leaned down and scooped the boy up into his arms. He then carried his son over to the stall of a large gray horse and lifted him higher so that Teddy could see over the barrier. Teddy squealed in delight and reached over to stroke the horse's charcoal-colored coat.

William looked back at Rose. “Do you ride?” he asked.

She approached the horse Teddy seemed most enamored with, joining father and son at the chest-high barrier. With a cautious touch, she smoothed her hand across the mare's velvety nose.

“I do ride, yes,” she answered. “I'm actually quite good. My mother is always appalled because I prefer to ride astride rather than side-saddle. She tells me that I look like a—” She cut herself off when she realized Teddy could hear her every word. “Well...never mind that. Yes, I like to ride.”

Teddy's little hand touched hers on the horse's nose, and she looked over at the angelic visage of the boy where he was perched in his father's arms. William appeared lighter, as well, though his affectionate glances toward Teddy never lasted more than a moment.

The threat of tears suddenly stung Rose's eyes. This was the life she should be living. Had she married August when their wedding was scheduled, they'd be celebrating their first anniversary in less than a fortnight. She'd likely be pregnant, or holding a newborn. But none of that had come to pass. Instead, she was alone.

Always outside, looking in.

William set Teddy down and opened the stall door so that they could get closer to the horse. “Maybe we could go for a ride one of these days?” he suggested. “If you’re up for that, o'course. I've got some spirited, willful studs ideal for an experienced rider.”

“I'd love to take a ride some afternoon,” Rose said. “I'm up for it. Though, I do best with geldings or fillies. I've found stallions to be a bit too aggressive for my comfort.”

William raised an eyebrow at her. “Stallions are a bit much for ya, eh?” Looking at the ground, he let out a subdued chuckle.

“Yes…” Rose said cautiously. “Do you find that odd? They tend to be quite wild.”

“Maybe ya just haven't ridden the right one,” William said, looking at her with a loaded grin. “Wild can be fun.”

Several seconds too late, the meaning behind his innuendo became clear. With flushed cheeks, Rose scoffed and glared at her employer. “Really, William? Such uncouth talk in front of your son?”

“Uncouth? Don't know to what you're referrin', Rose,” he claimed, his grin still firmly in place. “We're just talkin' about horses. Aren't we?”

Rose gave him a look of significance and held it for several beats. “Quite. Horses. Nothing more.”

William merely chuckled.

With a roll of her eyes, Rose stepped inside the stall with Teddy. “What's this beautiful lady's name?” she asked, running her hand along the mare's gray coat.

“The Baronetess,” William answered.

“Ah. The Baronetess,” Rose repeated, trying to maintain a neutral tone. “Lovely.”

So, William had named the horse after his wife, in a way, as Clementine's father was a Baron. The idea was either very touching or very heartbreaking. Rose couldn't decide which.

She stroked the groomed hair of the horse's neck, lost in thought. Had the Baronetess been a horse they'd purchased together? Or maybe a gift from the late Clementine to her husband? Or maybe a substitution William had acquired for the purpose of keeping his wife's spirit alive?

Or perhaps a name was just a name.

Whatever the truth behind the mystery, Rose knew that now was not the time to ask.

She was pulled from her mental wanderings by a high-pitched squeal from Teddy. Each time the mare snorted or tossed her mane, Teddy would shriek and run behind Rose's legs, giggling all the while.

“Is she your friend, Teddy?” Rose asked. She picked the little boy up and brought him closer to the Baronetess. “Will she be yours someday? How stately you'll look riding such an impressive steed. Lord of the manor!”

“All of the horses I have here will someday be Teddy’s,” William affirmed. He made the comment casually enough, but Rose could tell that a great weight accompanied the words. “The horses, the land, the house, and everythin' else.” He stepped closer to the horse and gave her a gentle pat to the neck, running his fingers across her smooth coat. “But that's a few years off. Right, Teddy?”

He flashed a small smile in his son's direction, then reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, causing it to flop across his eyes.

“I can take care of the horses,” Teddy declared, pronouncing his Rs as Ws. “I know how. Water, hay, brush, run, um...shoes.” He counted each item on his fingers for Rose to see.

Rose smiled and looked over at William. “Well, I'm convinced,” she said. “You'll be able to retire in no time. Your horses and estate will be in Teddy's capable hands.”

“I wouldn't mind early retirement,” he said. “Perhaps you can help Teddy see to things for me.”

William's words of inclusion took Rose aback. Did he intend for her to stay here for the rest of her life? She bit her lip, realizing that they had never discussed the duration of her stay. She should have made him specify. An open-ended contract worked in his favor, not in hers.

But as she watched William address his son with such tenderness, Rose's heart fluttered oddly in her chest. He was so different with Teddy. Proof of great compassion beneath the hardened exterior. If she could get to know that man, the man inside the gangster, perhaps there could be a silver lining in this storm cloud after all.

“You have a large estate,” Rose noted. “I'd love to see more of it. That is, if the two of you would be willing to take me on a tour.”

“I think we can manage,” William said. “What would interest you most to see?”

A loaded question.

She had half a mind to say, I want to see where you burn and bury your bodies, but she refrained. A snide comment like that would do her no good; and heaven forbid Teddy would understand and become upset. No, there would be plenty of time for confrontation later — while not in the presence of a child. For now, she must proceed with care.

Teddy was not the only reason for her restraint, however. A little niggling thought was spreading like cancer in the back of her mind. That being, the more time she spent with William, the more and more difficult it was to believe he had killed Dmitri in cold blood. Was there more to the story, as he'd claimed?

She didn't like the growing uncertainty, so she pushed it away.

“Hmmmm…” she said, tapping her chin in an exaggerated show of contemplation. “How about we see something off-the-beaten-path of the typical Warwick Hall tour?”

William prompted her with raised eyebrows. “Meanin'?”

“Show me the place that makes you feel the most at peace.”

He smiled, just a bit, and nodded his head. “Well, that's an easy one. Follow me.”

【♜】【♞】【♟】

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