As Beaumont was inside, they allowed a footman to open the coach door and a man wearing a black mask over the upper part of his face stepped out. She knew it must be Lord Jasper, who had been burned in a fire during the war. Following him was Olivia, a woman with dark hair holding the hand of a small boy of perhaps seven with bright red hair. Nicholas moved forward, hand outstretched, but Lord Jasper pulled him in for an embrace. “It’s good to see you, Nickers.”
Nicholas started to make introductions, but Lord Jasper said they might as well wait for Colin and Daphne FitzRoy, and a moment later a man with dark curly hair emerged followed by a lovely blond wearing a profusion of pink with more bows that Amelia could count.
Amelia made herself commit all the faces to memory as the masked man was introduced as Lord Jasper and his wife Lady Jasper, though her Christian name was Olivia. She appeared to be in the early stages of pregnancy, only a bit of rounding of her belly evident. The boy was her son, Richard, and he almost immediately started asking questions about horses. Amelia promised him he could have a tour of the stables tomorrow—take that, Rafe Beaumont!—and then she was introduced to Colin FitzRoy and his wife Lady Daphne.
The Dravens and Murrays arrived from Catmint Cottage then and everyone started talking at once. Amelia was drawn into several conversations, but after a few minutes she felt a tug on her skirts and looked down to see Richard Grantham looking up at her with his big blue eyes. “Do you have any food here? I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Richard!” his mother chided. “That’s not true. You had a meat pie in the coach.”
“But that was ages ago!”
“Actually,” Amelia said, “we are about to sit down to dinner.”
Richard’s face turned suspicious. “At a long table?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “Mama, I don’t like dinner at long tables.”
“He knows long tables mean a formal dinner,” Lady Jasper explained to Amelia. “I don’t suppose you have a nursery, but—”
“Actually, we do,” Amelia said. “Master Mostyn is there with his nurse.”
“Oh, of course! Lady Lorraine brought the baby.” She looked down at her son. “Shall we go see the baby?”
Richard nodded eagerly. “Yes. I can practice being a big brother.”
“That’s right.”
Amelia led them to the nursery and left them with the nurse and Lady Lorraine and then went down to the dining room to make sure all was ready. Her mother was there already and assured her dinner would be ready momentarily. “You look a bit flushed, my dear. Are you well?”
“Just trying to keep up with everything,” Amelia said. “Everyone but Stratford Fortescue and Nash Pope have arrived. Colonel Draven said he sent Stratford Fortescue to find a way to make Mr. Pope come since Mr. Fortescue is apparently an expert at strategy.”
“I’ll have Cook keep something warm for them in case they show up later. Should we call everyone else to dinner? Have the guests from the inn returned yet?”
“I think just a few more minutes.”
“Then you have time to sit down.” Her mother led her to a chair and sat beside her.
“I am supposed to be caring for you,” Amelia said.
“Oh, I’m fine.” Her mother waved a hand. “But you seem...out of sorts.”
“It’s the baby, I think,” Amelia said.
“Oh, yes,” her mother said. “I heard him crying. He must have his father’s lungs.”
“I don’t mind the crying,” Amelia said. “I don’t mind the baby at all. In fact—” Her voice hitched, and she was shocked to find she was almost in tears.
“My sweet girl, what is it?” Her mother sank down in the chair beside her and took her hands. “What has upset you?”
“I’m not upset,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m happy.”
“I see. What are you so...happy about?”
“Lady Lorraine and the baby. I went to bring Lady Jasper to the nursery with her little boy, and Lady Lorraine was there holding her baby and rocking him in the rocking chair. Mr. Mostyn stood behind her, his hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her and the child. Well, maybe not smiling exactly, but looking tenderish.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I’m envious. Mama, I could feel the love between them. I could feel their love for the child. I wanted that so badly in that moment. I still want it.”
“Of course, you do.” Her mother took her face in her hands. “You will have it. Patience is all you need. Lord Nicholas will come to love you, if he doesn’t already. How could he not?”
Amelia laughed because her parents had always behaved as though she were perfect and anyone who wasn’t immediately smitten with her must be dicked in the nob.
“There. That’s better. I don’t like to see you cry.”
“I should stop behaving like a watering pot or everyone will ask what the matter is. Are my eyes dreadfully red?”
Before her mother could answer, the door opened and Florentia peeked in. “I think we should call the—what is the matter?” she asked as soon as she saw Amelia. “What did my oaf of a brother do now?”
“Nothing.” Amelia took the handkerchief her mother offered and dabbed at her eyes. “I just saw Lady Lorraine and Mr. Mostyn with the baby, and the picture was so sweet, I started watering.”
Florentia gave her an incredulous look. “We’ll all be crying tonight when the child keeps us up until dawn. But I suppose they had to bring him. Do you need another moment or shall I sound the gong?”
“Oh, do sound the gong,” Amelia said, having not heard it since she had dined there with her mother the night before her wedding. As Florentia went to do just that, Amelia straightened her dress and hair and went out into the foyer so she and Nicholas could escort everyone to dinner.
NICHOLAS HAD ALWAYS hated long, drawn out dinners, but though the dinner that evening must have gone on for more than three hours, it seemed as though it was over with a snap of his fingers. The ladies had left the men to their port and war reminiscences after perhaps two hours, and Nicholas found himself enjoying the stories everyone told. Of course, Phin and Rowden had the most amusing stories, and Colin and Jasper’s stories were the most hair-raising. Duncan argued with everyone’s account and insisted on giving his own, which always cast him in a more heroic light. Ewan said almost nothing, but he laughed a great deal, which was something Nicholas didn’t remember him ever doing. Aidan seemed to remember details everyone else had forgotten and settled most of the disputes, and Neil and Colonel Draven insisted upon telling every embarrassing anecdote centering around Rafe that they could think of.
Finally, Rafe suggested a toast to their fallen brethren, and Draven gave a speech to honor them. Colin was three sheets to the wind by then and Neil offered to take him back to the inn. As soon as they rose to leave, the others did as well, and Nicholas bid them all good night.
He would have waited until the house was dark and quiet before making the painstaking trek up the stairs, but Ewan told him to put an arm about his shoulders and all but hauled him up in just a few minutes. Nicholas would have never allowed him to do it if he’d been completely sober, but it was nice not to struggle for once. He slapped Ewan on the back, and Ewan apologized in advance for the baby who he promised would wake at three in the morning and cry for at least an hour.