Then, breaking the moment as surely as he had created it, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward to the melee on the blankets.
Rose had a wonderful time eating the tidbits Maud and Mary had cooked, fighting off the attention of the tribe of tow-headed children, and hearing all the Browning family news. She commiserated with Maud for the loss of her husband, and for a moment, she was as teary-eyed as Rose had been. “He would have so loved to have seen this,” Maud said, blowing her nose with her handkerchief. “He so loved you, you know.” Rose bowed her head. “But enough of this maudlin talk. We must celebrate the day away.”
Each of the Browning girls had two children, except for Grace, who only had one toddling baby, so there were seven little tykes squabbling over the sandwiches and cakes. In the end, Isabel’s husband shouted, “Right, swim time,” and started stripping off his shirt and shoes. The rest of the men followed, including Will. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he looked straight at Rose, holding her gaze with each button he freed. Everyone else was busy helping the children strip down to their drawers and not paying them any attention. She watched as he slid the shirt from his shoulders, revealing the muscles of his chest, which she felt she now knew quite intimately. For a moment, it was as if everyone else faded away, and there was just him and her, staring at each other. Rose could not help but drink him in. He stood before her, not moving, letting her peruse him. Then he reached for his boots and his stockings and peeled them down. Rose felt as if it was hers he was removing rather than his own. Then he gave her a delicious grin, turned, scooped up one of his nephews, ran towards the water, and jumped in, still holding the child, who was screeching with delight. Rose fanned her face with her hand.
The men and the children splashed and swam and chased each other. Will pretended to be a crocodile snapping his jaws at Grace’s baby, who squealed in return.
“He is so good with the children,” Grace laughed. “He really needs to have some of his own.”
“He really does,” Mary agreed, staring at Rose.
The women lay on the blankets for the next few hours, catching up on each other's lives. Isobel Browning was expecting another child, and her husband had recently qualified as a lawyer. Mary's pregnancy was beginning to show, and there was no other conversation for a few minutes except about childbirth and the difficulties of raising toddlers. Rose felt completely alone and sad that she would never be able to experience what all these women had accomplished so effortlessly. Grace Browning must have noticed because she shuffled forward on the blanket to sit beside her.
“Are you really going to marry the ugly Duke?” she asked.
“We are betrothed,” Rose replied.
“But it is like some awful fairytale,” Grace persisted. “The beautiful damsel trapped in the tower needing someone to rescue her. Do you want to be rescued?” The girl asked.
So much, Rose thought, but she didn’t say it.
“Do you not love Will anymore?” Grace asked then. “Could he not be your knight in shining armor?”
Before Rose could answer, Will had clambered out of the water and come to flop down next to his youngest sister. “What are you two talking about?” He asked her.
“Fairytales,” Rose said quickly.
Will punched his sister lightly on the arm. “Fairytales, eh. You are nearly twenty-one. You have to give them up sometime.”
“Why?” Grace said challengingly, looking at Rose.
She got up to go to her baby, leaving her and Will alone.
“Are you enjoying yourself?” He asked.
“It’s wonderful,” Rose replied truthfully, and Will looked pleased.
“I wanted you to celebrate your birthday with everyone who loved you,” he said, and her eyes jumped to his, but his were already closed as he lay on his back in the sun. He did not open them, as the words “everyone who loves you” roiled around in her mind.
“I wish you could swim with me,” he said quietly. “Maybe my other plan was a better one.”
He left that thought hanging in the air between them.
After everyone had climbed from the water and dried themselves, the children started a raucous game of tag, and the adults produced presents for Rose. She was quite overwhelmed by the pile that they placed in front of her. Perfume, scarves, a jewelry box, some homemade jam, and pickles. “What do you buy for a duchess?” Maud laughed.
“You are right. I am blessed in terms of possessions,” Rose laughed in return. “But I will treasure every single one of these.”
Mary and Jacob gave her a pair of silver earrings which Rose loved, and while she was enthusing over those, Will suddenly handed her a small green velvet jewelry box.
“Happy birthday, Rose,” he said softly, and her eyes flew to his.
Inside was a solid gold heart-shaped locket on a chain, with an aquamarine stone in the top of one half of the heart.
“Oh, Will,” Rose exclaimed. “It’s gorgeous.”
“I thought the stone would match your eyes.” His words were nonchalant, but his look was anything but.
Grace leaned forward, breaking the moment between them, to look at the locket. She took it in her hands and opened it.