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Phoebe tried to sound casual as she told West, “We’re going to play here for a few minutes You’re welcome to keep company with us”

He held her gaze “Would you like me to?”

Phoebeattempt to make her plead for his company But there was a subtle note of uncertainty in his tone He wasn’t sure of her, she realized He’d ht want The realization sent a flush of warh her

“Yesstay”

Before long, West ading with Justin in the ankle-deep shallows, helping hi pebbles Phoebe, who had discreetly res, sat on a bank with Stephen, holding hi across in the shallows Nanny had spread a cloth on a patch of ainst the trunk of a nearbytree, snoozing lightly

Feeling a soft nudge against her side, Phoebe twisted to discover that the black cat had juainst her affectionately

“Kitty!” Stephen exclai at the cat

“Gently,” Phoebe cautioned, andmotion over the animal’s back “Oh, she likes that Can you feel her purr?”

“the bands of white are chalk,” West was saying a few yards away, bending to examine a pebble Justin held in his palm “It’s made out of the shells of creatures so tiny, you can only see them with a microscope”

“Where did the tiny creatures come from?”

“They formed on the ocean floor All this land used to be covered ater”

“I know that story,” Justin said brightly “Noah and the ark”

“It was long before Noah”

“How long?”

“Millions of years”

Justin shrugged and said prosaically, “I don’t know a million I can only count to ten”

“H a second is?”

“No”

“One Two Three Four Five” With each count, West snapped his fingers “That was five seconds Now, if I were to keep snapping like that without stopping for ten days, that would be almost a million seconds”

Although Justin didn’t fully grasp the explanation, he clearly liked the snapping He tried to ie it

“Like this,” West said, shaping the sether “Now try”

Frowning with concentration, Justin attempted another snap, but there was no sound

“Keep practicing,” West advised “In the round”

“But I need more pebbles,” Justin protested

West grinned “You’ve filled your pockets with so many pebbles, you’re about to lose your trousers Come, let’s show them to your mother”

The black cat retreated a few feet, watching warily, as Justin emptied the contents of his pockets onto a handkerchief Phoebe had spread on the ground

Phoebe dutifully admired the many-colored pebbles and picked up a white-banded one Glancing up at West, she asked, “How do you know so much about chalk formation, Mr Ravenel?”

“It’s because of the estate quarry Before we started digging, I had to consult with ist”

“What’s a geologist?” Justin asked

The question made West smile “A scientist who studies rocks and drinks too much”

As Phoebe set down the pebble, Stephen grabbed it and tried to put it in his ood for you” The baby whined irritably, reaching for the forbidden pebble In a ht nap She rubbed her eyes and began to stand up

“It’s all right, Nanny,” Phoebe said “Justin, will you fetch a toy from the pram?”