Calliope squealed. “Look! The gypsies are back.” Julius asked her not to scream in his ear anymore, and he’d allow her to select a new ribbon. She squealed again then slapped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
As Bess drove the sleigh into the yard, a spotted spaniel with floppy ears ran to greet them.
“Mr. Perkins!” Calliope scrambled from the sleigh as soon as it stopped and crouched on the ground to ruffle the dog’s ears.
Bess sought out her cousin and discovered her skating with one of Julius’s brothers. Max, perhaps?
She had worked hard trying to memorize all of Julius’s siblings’ names at breakfast. It was a daunting task, and three sisters hadn’t been present. The only name she remembered with certainty was Hugh’s. The youngest Seabrook boy was rambunctious during the meal and was scolded often. Bess thought the boy was just excited for a fun day with his brothers and sisters where he didn’t have to watch is manners as closely.
Julius’s sister was lying in wait for the birth of her first child. Therefore, she and her husband were not attending the house party. Reportedly, Major and Mrs. Rowland preferred the quiet of the cottage and the company of their dogs anyway, so it was no hardship for either of them. Julius had suggested his brothers and sisters take the party to Ammie and her husband instead. Hence, the impromptu Christmas Eve gathering.
Bess suspected she and Gemma had only been invited because Julius felt an obligation to entertain them since they were his guests. His motive didn’t concern her overmuch. She was thrilled to be included. Since Julius’s arrival on Davensworth Cottage’s doorstep, Bess woke each morning with an unbearable eagerness for his company, like her insides couldn’t settle until she saw his face.
A stablehand came to unharness the mare. Julius extended his hand to Bess. “I imagine you prefer to observe rather than venture onto the ice so soon after your fall.”
“You imagine wrong, my lord.” Placing her hand in his, she climbed from the sleigh. “I want to grab every moment of pleasure this day has to offer.”
Chapter Nine
Julius pressed a mug of warm chocolate into Bess’s hands and returned to the sideboard to retrieve one for himself. She laughed at one of Clive’s stories about the time he, Julius, and Max climbed onto the roof at Everly Manor and became stuck. When they yelled for help, Ammie and Laurel thought there were ghosts in the attic stuck in the afterlife. The smokey sound of Bess’s laughter melted his insides. He loved the rich, sultry tone.
His sister Ammie sidled close to him. Without her hooded cape to hide her condition, her belly appeared even larger than it had that afternoon. He poured a cup for her; she accepted it with an arched brow.
“How thoughtful, Julius.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Yes,” she admitted then shook her head when he frowned. “Not about being a thoughtful brother. You’ve always come to my rescue. I meant the way you are with Lady Hadley. I’ve never seen you dance attendance on anyone. I am filled with optimism.”
“Optimism.” He chuckled under his breath and poured himself a mug. “I hope you haven’t cornered me in order to ask if I’ll place a bet for you at Ascot.”
“It was one time,” Ammie said with a huff. “If you had granted my wish, we would have had winnings to split. I promised I would share.”
“Only because you knew Mother would kill me when she found out. Then you wouldn’t have to hand over a single shilling.”
Ammie grimaced and clutched her stomach.
His heart jumped into his throat. “Are you in labor?”
Ammie shushed him. “You will upset Phillip. The baby is kicking again.”
Julius’s alarm ebbed. “An active one, eh? Mother would claim it’s the Danish blood.”
“Maybe she is right. I am beginning to worry my child will take after his Uncle Hugh,” she said. “I thought the boy would mellow with age.”
Julius glanced over his shoulder to observe the scene in the other room. Their twelve-year-old brother was hopping on one foot and waving his arms to gain Ammie’s husband’s attention. “He is still obsessed with the major, I see.”
“Phillip is very patient with him. I don’t know how he bears it. All those questions about the military… They are never ending.” Ammie’s favorite spaniel, Mr. Perkins trotted into the room and sat at her feet. She broke off a piece of a biscuit and fed it to him. “I noticed you changed the subject. Why are you different with Lady Hadley? And don’t bother denying it. Your face becomes all soft when you look at her.”
“It does?” Julius touched his cheek. “Faith, did anyone else notice?”
Ammie shrugged. “No one has said anything to me, but they weren’t prohibited from going on the ice. I had little to do besides pay attention.”
Julius should deny her claim, at least until he sorted his feelings for Bess. In his family, secrets were as real as unicorns. They didn’t exist. But it was Ammie. If anyone would understand, she would. Besides, he wanted to confide in someone.
“I think I love her,” he whispered, “but it’s too soon. Isn’t it too soon?”
“I had the same worries about Phillip.” Ammie placed her mug on the sideboard and held her lower back with both hands. “Who falls in love in a matter of days? It is madness.”
“It could just be a strong attraction,” he said.
“You’ve been attracted to ladies in the past. Does it feel the same?”
“No,” he murmured. “Nothing has ever felt this way. I want to be with her all the time. Am I losing my mind?”
“If so, I lost mine around the same time last year.” His sister met her husband’s eyes and smiled. “My heart knew the truth before my head. You don’t need your little sister telling you what to do, but you might want to listen to what your own heart has to say.”
He would be a fool to ignore her advice. Major Rowland adored her. There was no other reason he would tolerate Hugh firing questions at him that he’d answered a hundred times already.
“For my second act of kindness,” Julius said, “I will rescue your husband.”
“You are destined for sainthood, dear brother.” He didn’t miss the touch of irony.
Julius snatched a needlepoint pillow from a rocking chair as he returned to the drawing room. “Hugh, come here. Let’s play a game.”
He instructed his brother to stand in the middle of the room. “I will throw the pillow to Clive, and if you miss it, Major Rowland will give you orders.”
“What if I catch it?”
“If you catch the pillow,” Ammie’s husband said, “I will allow you one question.”
Hugh liked the idea and threw himself into the activity, and sometimes onto the floor. When William, three years Hugh’s senior, joined the game, Julius couldn’t hear anyone over the racket the boys made.
Ammie motioned to her sisters from the doorway.
Laurel raised her voice to invite Bess and her cousin to follow. “It is quieter in the dining room.”
The ladies retreated with their chocolate and gathered around the table. Julius’s attention strayed to the adjoining room. Ammie was asking Bess a question. When Mercedes took over the interrogation, Laurel and Ammie shared an enigmatic smile. The twins were plotting something. They had a knack for communicating without saying a word.