They arrived at the last step, and he released her, surprised that he was reluctant to do so.
“I will call upon you tomorrow, Miss Redfern. I think it best you return alone to the ballroom.”
“Of course. Thank you, I will be waiting.” She had to tilt her head back to look at him. “I really cannot thank you enough for this, Mr. Haddon.”
“No thanks necessary, I assure you. Jackson and I are friends.” He’d been about to say “were,” but he thought that may have made her sad.
She nodded, then walked away. Rory wasn’t sure why, as he stood there watching her disappear, he felt like something momentous had just happened in his life, but he did.
Following minutes later, he made his way back to his family, who were all still sitting where he’d left them what felt like hours ago. Sliding into his seat, he ignored the looks they sent him.
“Where have you been? You missed the last part of the performance,” his brother Joseph, Earl of Ellsworth, hissed. Large, and some said handsome—Rory would never be one of those—he was a man who wore his title and the responsibility that came with it with ease. At his side was his love, the golden-haired, beautiful Lady Millicent.
Theirs had not been an easy path to love, but they had overcome the obstacles and were now nauseatingly happy, and he could not have asked for more for his brother.
“I went up to the turret.”
“Why? It’s freezing.”
“Bracing,” Rory corrected him.
“Thankfully that is over for another year,” Milly said as the guests all heaved a sigh of relief the torture had ended. “I hope supper is soon.”
“Why are you cross?” Rory asked her. His eyes then circled those guests he could see now standing to find Miss Redfern.
“I am the size of a large heifer, Rory. Why do you think?”
“But an extremely pretty and elegant heifer,” Joe added.
“My feet are swollen.”
Milly and Joseph were expecting their first child in two months, and Rory had to say he was looking forward to greeting his niece or nephew.
“I will rub them later.”
“Oh, that would be bliss.” Milly smiled at her husband, and suddenly it was as if they were alone. Rory looked at his younger brother, Charles, who replied with a roll of his eyes.
Charles and he were friends even though they annoyed each other and bickered endlessly. In fact, he could honestly say his brothers were his best friends.
“Oh lord, that old windbag Harrop is angling for an invite to Greyton. Joseph, do not under any circumstances allow that to happen.” Ellie, his vivacious sister, arrived as they got out of their seats. At her side was her husband, Louis, Viscount Thurston.
“As he has yet to get an invite there at Christmas or any time, I fail to see why this year would be any different, Ellie,” Joseph said.
They were all versions of each other, the Haddon siblings, with small variations, but there was no doubting they were family.
“Just be on your guard. How are you, Milly?” She moved to her sister-in-law’s side and started chatting about babies and swollen feet. The men grouped together as if by mutual consent and tried to ignore the women’s conversation.
“Do any of you know Jackson Redfern?” Rory asked.
“The Redfern whose father is the Marquis of Malvoy’s nephew?” Louis asked. He was a watcher and remembered names.
“The very one.”
“Actually, do you know I haven’t seen or heard anything about him lately. Has he been in London this season?”
Charles looked about as if Jackson Redfern would suddenly appear.
“What are you doing?” Rory asked his brother.
“Looking for him?”
“Why? Louis just said he hadn’t seen him lately, so why do you think he would be ambling past you?”
“Why are you testy?” Joseph asked.
“I’m not testy. I just saw his sister, and my thoughts ran to Jackson naturally, as we were close at Eton.” Rory wasn’t ready yet to come clean as to what he’d discussed with her, but if he needed the support of his family, he would do. Right now he couldn’t be sure if it was just the overactive imagination of a sister. And yet, she didn’t seem prone to hysteria. Having said that, he barely knew her. The odd thing was, he suddenly wanted to.
“He’s hungry. Come.” Milly slipped her arm through Rory’s. “I get testy when I’m hungry, especially now, when I have the appetite of a jungle animal.”
Rory allowed her to drag him toward the supper room while his mind tried to remember everything Jackson Redfern had once told him about his sister.
Chapter Four
“I’m hoping there is at least some form of cake. Some of these hostesses insist on slivers of food that have little taste, feeding us tidbits of this and that when in fact what we want are eclairs and cake.”
“Is that the child talking or you?”
“No, that’s all her. Milly has a hunger for cake and eclairs that outshines yours, Rory,” Joe said over his shoulder. “The child has merely made that appetite more ferocious.”
“I shall try not to get in your way then.”
Milly patted his hand. “I will only bite you should there be one eclair left and you reach for it.”
“She’s only half joking,” Ellie said.
Releasing his sister-in-law, he watched her wander to the table with his sister. Looking along the length, he wondered it did not buckle under the weight of everything piled on top of it. He smelled spices and saw large wedges of fruitcake that he would be eating shortly.
More boughs of seasonal greenery hung about the place in here, all tied up with red satin ribbon. He saw some mistletoe, and his thoughts went to Miss Redfern. Had she been kissed under a sprig of mistletoe before? Had she even been kissed?
“Move along, Miss Redfern.”
“You appear to be hungry, Lady Trockler.”
Turning, he found her with an elderly woman, presumably the aunt, and Lord and Lady Trockler. Digging into his memory, he came up with another tidbit Jackson had told him. This aunt had come to live with them after the passing of her son.
She was dressed in lilac from head to toe, and even had a small spray in her hair.
“Good evening, Lord Trockler, Lady Trockler, and Miss Redfern.” Rory bowed. No point in alerting anyone that they’d already conversed this evening. “I hope you are enjoying the ball?”
“No I’m not. The seats are too hard, and the music was over loud,” Lady Trockler snapped. She then stomped away followed by her husband.
“That woman was born mean,” the lady with Miss Redfern said.
“This is my aunt, Mrs. Silver. Aunt, this is Mr. Haddon, he is an old school friend of Jackson’s,” Miss Redfern said before dropping into a curtsey. When she rose, he saw color in her face. Clearly she was uncomfortable seeing him again so soon.
“Allow me to introduce you to my brother, Lord Ellsworth, and brother-in-law, Lord Thurston, and lastly my youngest brother, Mr. Charles Haddon.”
As Milly and Ellie were now at the far end of the table, he left them out of the introductions.
“Oh my, you have all grown into handsome men. Of course I have seen you often at social gatherings, but as I spend most of my evenings seated with friends gossiping, we have never conversed. Can I say how proud your grandfather would have been of you all.”