She did not allow herself to ponder that. They were at the front door, the carriage Desmond had sent for them slowing and then drawing to a halt. Desmond was waiting. A smile brightened his face as he opened the carriage door.
"Welcome! We have been waiting impatiently for your arrival."
"We have been waiting too," Caroline said. She launched herself from the carriage, and Desmond quickly caught her and swung her around before setting the squealing child on her feet.
"It is my turn now!" Henry leapt, as if he had been ordered to abandon ship, yet Desmond was prepared. He tossed the boy into the air and caught him deftly, grinning as Henry cackled gleefully.
"Mama, are you going to jump, too?"
"I do not think I will." Beatrice stepped down from the carriage, carefully placing her foot on the step, and then making her way to where her children stood. "But maybe Auntie will."
Lorelei narrowed her eyes at her sister, but it had no effect, especially since the fiend joined with the children, chanting, "Yes, yes, yes!"
Desmond stepped closer to the carriage door. "How would you prefer I catch you?"
"Preferably in such a way that I do not tumble to the ground," she laughed.
"I can promise that will not happen. After all," his eyes gleamed with mischief, "though I have not had a lesson, not a single one, I do practice every day."
She burst into laughter. His playful manner always warmed her heart, and today it inspired her to toss her fears aside as well.
She placed her hands on each side of the open door. "You have the better of me then, for I have not practiced alighting from a carriage like this. I shall likely screech the entire way."
He grinned. "We had planned the musicale for later this evening, but we can rearrange the schedule to accommodate you." He wriggled his fingers. "I am ready."
It was not supposed to be a momentous occasion. Yet it was hard not to view it that way. Desmond was asking for her trust, and she was taking a leap of faith, believing in his ability to keep her from a precipitous fall.
Lorelei gave her head a little shake. She removed her hands from the doorway, and jumped. She was in Desmond's arms in an instant, clasping her hands around his neck, while his were tight around her waist.
He slowly twirled them a few times, his gaze locked with hers the entire time. Lorelei felt her heart beating in an erratic fashion. It took all her strength not to place her mouth against his, especially since his lips were inviting her to do just that.
Too soon, even though it felt like an eternity, Desmond set her down. She started to fuss with her bonnet or her pelisse, but stopped to glance at her sister, expecting a teasing remark about fidgeting.
Instead, her sister was dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief as if overheated. She tossed Lorelei a sly wink.
Desmond chuckled. "Let us go inside and continue the festivities there."
Desmond stood just inside the entryway of the blue parlor. He could see the grandeur of the place was making Lorelei and her sister a bit nervous, while the children gaped at the opulence on display. He began to wonder if this had been such a great idea. He had not wanted them to feel out of place.
"Oh, Desmond, what lovely children!" His mother crossed the room and stopped in front of Caroline and Henry. "Aren't you perfectly wonderful?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I hope you like tea with lots of sugar, and cakes with icing piled on top."
"I do," Caroline said, her head bobbing vigorously.
"I do, too!" Henry beamed as if he had just been given a prize.
His mother held her hands out to them and they each grabbed one. "I have all of those things right over here." She led them to a small table Desmond could not recall seeing there before, and remembered it was something from the nursery, which his mother had likely had brought down for just this occasion. She seated herself with them in one of the child-size chairs and chattered happily as if they were friends from long ago.
"You have brought my mother immeasurable joy," he said to Lorelei and her sister. "Do not be surprised if she refuses to let them leave."
Beatrice chuckled. "Do not be surprised if my darling children send me home to gather their things. They were plotting to take up residence here the moment we headed down the drive."
"I will be happy to give you a tour of their new residence," he said with a grin, "but I can see my father is glaring at me for taking too long to introduce you."
His father had approached them slowly and now stood there, pretending to be put out with his offspring. Desmond made the introductions, adding, "Do not heed any disparaging comments he makes about me. I am his favorite son—"
"You are my only son!"
"A perfect specimen. That is what you told me when I clamored for a sibling. You said there could not be another child to rival my perfection."
Lorelei and Beatrice laughed at his father's mock dismay. "How could I have known you would prove me so wrong?"
His father grinned, not hiding his affection. He turned his attention to Lorelei and Beatrice. "Two beauties in the same family. Your parents must praise the Fates each and every day."
"When we were younger, they likely wondered why they had been cursed with two hellions." Lorelei linked her arm with her sister's. "We did our best to be merciful, with one of us attempting to be angelic when the other was not."
"It was only fair," Beatrice said, "to give them a slight reprieve. Imagine if we had both been on our worst behavior at once."
"Now I must pester you to hear some of these tales," Desmond said.
"I agree," his father said. "Perhaps we should fortify ourselves with some tea." He motioned them towards a nearby settee. "Mrs. Goddard, will you join me?"
"Of course," she said with a pert smile.
That left Desmond and Lorelei the sofa facing them. Once she was seated, Desmond sat next to her, wishing he could move even closer. He did not want to give his father any satisfaction in his patently obvious attempts to play matchmaker, however. He would be insufferable otherwise.
They had barely taken a sip of tea before Caroline and Henry came running over. "Mama, you have to come see what Mrs. Mayfield has given us."
Caroline grabbed her mother's hand, while Henry took Lorelei's. "You, too, Auntie."
"Of course," she said, giving Desmond an apologetic look.
"You must tell me every detail when you return," he insisted.
"I will."
He watched her hurry across the room, trying to keep up with her nephew, her rich laugh ringing throughout the room.
"If mother had not agreed to marry you," Desmond said, turning towards his father, "what would you have done?"
"I cannot even consider the possibility." He gave a theatrical shudder.
"But if she had withstood your entreaties—"
"Which she did for quite some time."
Desmond gave him an exasperated look. "I had hoped you would be able to advise me in my current predicament, but I might have better luck consulting the cake plate on the table."
His father chuckled. "I sympathize with your situation. I truly do. I despaired of convincing your mother to tie her future to mine. In truth, I was forced to give up—"