Page 44 of Lady Farah Creates a Scandal (The Season of Secrets #2)

F arah stood at the nursery window, watching the sunrise paint the Suffolk countryside in hues of gold and pink.

In her arms, eighteen-month-old Sarah dozed contentedly, her tiny fist curled around a lock of her mother’s hair.

From the window, she could see the rolling fields dotted with hundreds of white Merino sheep, their wool gleaming in the early morning light.

“There you are…” Rockwell’s voice came softly from behind her. “I woke to find your side of the bed cold.”

She turned, smiling at her husband as he crossed the nursery to join them.

At thirty-six, he was more handsome than ever, his dark hair touched with the slightest hint of silver at the temples.

The past five years of country life had added a healthy tan to his complexion and strengthened his already impressive physique.

“Your daughter decided dawn was the perfect time for her breakfast,” Farah explained, leaning back against his chest as his arms encircled both her and the baby. “And then I couldn’t resist watching the sunrise over our kingdom.”

Rockwell pressed a kiss to her temple, then one to Sarah’s downy head. “Our kingdom indeed. Though I suspect you’re really checking on the new lambs.”

She laughed softly. “You know me too well. The twins will be desperate to see them when they wake.”

As if on cue, the pounding of little feet echoed down the hallway, followed by excited whispers that weren’t nearly as quiet as their owners believed. Moments later, their five-year-old twins, James and Elizabeth, burst into the nursery, already fully dressed in their outdoor clothes.

“Mama! Papa! Can we go see the baby sheep now?” James asked, bouncing on his toes. He was the spitting image of his father, right down to the mischievous glint in his dark eyes.

Elizabeth, fair-haired like her mother but with her father’s adventurous spirit, was already heading for the door. “Cook said there were three new ones born last night!”

“Shh,” Farah cautioned, nodding toward the now-stirring baby in her arms. “Let me put Sarah in her cradle, then we can all go down to breakfast. After that, if Papa isn’t too busy with business today…”

“Actually,” Rockwell interrupted, “I think checking on the new lambs is exactly the sort of business I should attend to this morning. Especially with my most trusted advisors.” He winked at the twins, who beamed with pride.

As Farah laid Sarah in her cradle, she marveled at how naturally Rockwell had taken to fatherhood. The man who had once feared being tied down by family life now seemed to live for these moments with their children.

The nursery had become one of her favorite rooms in their sprawling country house.

The walls were covered in maps and illustrations of far-off places—Rockwell’s way of sharing his love of adventure with their children.

But unlike the restless explorer he’d once been, he now found his greatest adventures at home.

“Tell you what,” he said to the twins. “Go down and ask Cook to pack us a picnic breakfast. We can eat out by the south pasture and check on all the new lambs at the same time.”

The children raced off, their excited chatter fading down the hallway. Rockwell pulled Farah into his arms, finally giving her the proper good morning kiss he’d been waiting to deliver.

“I missed you this morning,” he murmured against her lips. “Six years of marriage, and I still hate waking up without you beside me.”

“Even though you know exactly where to find me?” she teased, running her fingers through his hair.

“Especially then.” His expression grew tender as he cupped her face in his hands. “Do you know what today is?”

“Mmm, Thursday?”

He chuckled. “It’s exactly six years since we moved here. Six years since we started this crazy venture with the Merino sheep. Six years since you made all my dreams come true—even the ones I didn’t know I had.”

Farah’s heart swelled with love. “I remember how nervous we were, wondering if it would all work out. The sheep, the mill investments, starting a family…”

“And look at us now.” Rockwell’s voice was thick with pride.

“The breeding program is more successful than we ever imagined. Armley Mills has tripled in size. People consider our wool the finest in England. But more importantly, we have three beautiful children, a home filled with love, and I fall more in love with you every day.”

“Flatterer,” she whispered, though her eyes shone with happy tears. “Though I must say, your latest letter to the Royal Agricultural Society was particularly eloquent. I especially enjoyed your passionate defense of our crossbreeding program.”

“Ah, so you’re the one who’s been editing my correspondence again!” He grinned. “I thought those sentences seemed more polished than usual.”

“Well, someone has to make sure England’s premier sheep breeder sounds appropriately dignified,” she teased. “Besides, I enjoy being part of every aspect of our life here. Remember how you once thought I was just a timid mouse?”

“Never.” He shook his head firmly. “I always saw the fire in you, even if I was too blind to realize how much I needed that fire in my life.” His hands slid down to rest on her still-flat stomach. “Speaking of which, when shall we tell the children about their new sibling?”

Farah’s eyes widened. “How did you know? I only just realized myself!”

“My love, you forget I know every inch of you.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I noticed the changes in your body, the way you’ve been glowing lately. Plus, you turned down Cook’s excellent kidney pie at dinner last night, and you never turn down kidney pie.”

She laughed, leaning into his embrace. “I was planning to tell you today, actually. Happy anniversary, darling.”

The twins calling from downstairs interrupted their tender moment. “Mama! Papa! Cook has the picnic ready!”

“We should go,” Farah said reluctantly. “Before they decide to head to the pasture without us.”

“Heaven forbid,” Rockwell agreed. “Though I must say, James already has quite the eye for picking out the best breeding stock. Did you see him with that new ram last week?”

“Like father, like son.” Farah smiled, reaching for her shawl. “Though Elizabeth is the one who’s been studying your maps and asking about your travels.”

“Perhaps we could take them all to London for the Season this year,” Rockwell suggested as they headed downstairs. “Show them a bit of the world beyond Suffolk. Though I must say, I don’t miss those endless balls and social obligations.”

“Liar,” Farah teased. “You miss watching me cause scandals and hide in your trunks.”

He caught her around the waist, pulling her close for one more kiss. “The only thing I miss is having you all to myself. Though I wouldn’t trade our life now for anything.”

They found the twins in the kitchen, supervising as Cook packed the last of the breakfast items into a basket. The children’s governess, Miss Wilson, was attempting to convince Elizabeth that she needed a warmer coat for the morning chill.

“I’ll carry the basket!” James announced, though the large hamper was nearly as big as he was.

“Perhaps we should share the burden,” Rockwell suggested diplomatically, taking one handle while his son grabbed the other. “That’s what partners do, after all.”

As they made their way across the dew-covered lawn toward the pastures, Farah’s heart felt full to bursting.

The morning sun illuminated the scene like something from a painting—her handsome husband and son carrying the picnic basket, Elizabeth skipping ahead to point out interesting clouds, the magnificent house rising behind them, and beyond that, the vast flocks that represented their shared dream.

They settled on a blanket near the south pasture, where several ewes were tending their new lambs. While the twins exclaimed over the wobbly-legged newcomers, Rockwell pulled out fresh bread, hard-boiled eggs, and slices of cold ham.

“Look Papa!” Elizabeth called out. “That one has spots like the ram from Spain!”

“Good eye, sweetheart,” Rockwell praised. “That’s one of our experimental crosses. We’re hoping to combine the fine wool of the Merinos with the hardiness of some of our local breeds.”

“Will it make the mills happy?” James asked around a mouthful of bread.

Farah smiled at her son’s precociousness. “The mills are already happy, darling. Thanks to your papa’s breeding program, Armley Mills now supplies wool to half of Yorkshire’s textile trade which is shipped around the world.”

“And thanks to your mama’s careful management of our accounts and clever investments, we’ve been able to expand faster than anyone thought possible,” Rockwell added, squeezing her hand.

“Tell us again how you met,” Elizabeth begged, settling into her mother’s lap with a piece of honeycomb.

“Well,” Rockwell began, his eyes twinkling, “it all started when your mama decided to hide in my trunk…”

“That’s not the beginning!” James protested. “First you have to tell about the boot!”

Farah laughed. “Your father’s Hessian boot, yes. Though perhaps we should save that story for when you’re older.”

“Much older,” Rockwell agreed with a wink that made her blush.

They spent a blissful hour watching the sun climb higher in the sky while the twins alternated between eating breakfast and checking on the lambs.

Farah leaned against her husband’s shoulder, his arm warm around her waist, and thought about how different her life might have turned out if she hadn’t found the courage to defy convention all those years ago.

“What are you thinking about?” Rockwell asked softly.

“How grateful I am that you taught me to be brave,” she replied. “To take risks for what I wanted.”

He turned to face her, his expression serious. “You were always brave, my love. I just helped you see it.” His hand drifted to her stomach. “Though I must say, I’m rather grateful you took the risk of hiding in my trunk that day.”

“As am I.” She covered his hand with hers. “Though I think this little one might be our biggest adventure yet.”

“Every day with you is an adventure,” he murmured, bending to kiss her.

“Papa!” James called out. “Come quick! I think another lamb is being born!”

Rockwell jumped to his feet, helping Farah up as well. “Coming, son! This is a very important part of being a sheep breeder, you know.”

As they hurried over to where the twins were watching the miracle of new life unfold, Farah’s heart swelled with love for her family and the life they’d built together.

She might have started out as a timid mouse, but with Rockwell’s love and support, she’d found her true self—and her true happiness.

The bleating of lambs, the excited chatter of children, and the warm laughter of two people who had found their greatest adventure in loving each other filled the Suffolk morning air.

The End