“She’s lying abed with a sore head this morning,” Teddy said impassively. “She never gets up till noon. Last night, she threw a crystal vase at Papa and then spent all evening dancing in the music room with Colfax.”
Mina started. Dancing with Colfax? For a moment she wondered if she had heard him correctly. “Is your Mama fond of music?” she asked, with an attempt to steer things into safer waters.
“She likes dancing,” Teddy answered with a shrug.
“What do you think?” Jeremy came into the room and Mina hurriedly turned back around to looking at her late mother.
“I think it’s a very beautiful portrait,” she said. “And you were quite right, far superior to my own miniature.”
Her brother was silent a moment, gazing up at the pretty painted face. Then he too, looked across at Mina before turning back to it in silent contemplation.
“Are you still sorry I don’t resemble her?” she asked lightly, though she did not really know what prompted the question.
“No,” Jeremy said after a long pause. “No, I rather think it’s for the best all told.”
“You don’t look like a bit like her,” Teddy said frankly. “She wouldn’t know about Incitatus, would she, Papa? Or Alexander the Great. I can tell,” he added darkly. “She’d like dancing and sleeping in bed late.”
“Not when I knew her,” Mina answered truthfully. “She liked embroidery and sentimental tales about self-sacrifice. Oh, and pictures of kittens and babies in frilly dresses.”
Teddy looked, if anything, even more disgusted. Jeremy grimaced. “You almost make me pity my poor father,” he said with a laugh. “More and more I appreciate their basic incompatibility.”
The way his mouth twisted over these last two words made her wonder if he was thinking of his own marriage. Then a footfall announced their lunchtime refreshments had arrived, via the unknown footman. Jeremy dismissed him with a nod and then gestured for Mina to be seated.
The silver tray bore a selection of thinly sliced sandwiches, chicken and cress flavored with celery salt, egg salad with mayonnaise, and roast beef and tomato. This was accompanied by crackers and thinly sliced ham, a plate full of individual glazed fruit tarts, a glistening jelly, and a cream custard. There was a small pot of tea in a fine bone china teapot with one cup which Mina guessed was for her and a jug of lemonade for Teddy. Jeremy wandered over to a side table and poured himself something to drink from a decanter.
“You must have a sandwich first, Teddy,” Mina chastised when the boy went straight to the fruit tarts.
“You sound like Nanny,” Teddy complained, but reached for a sandwich all the same.
“I can see you need a firm hand,” she told him reprovingly but the boy just grinned. “Have you some plan for my nephew’s education, now you have withdrawn him from school?” she asked Jeremy forthrightly.
He lowered his glass, blinking. “I haven’t really given it much thought,” he admitted.
Mina’s sharply indrawn breath let him know what she thought of that! “Perhaps a tutor?” she suggested.
Jeremy grimaced, lowering himself into the seat opposite her. “I suppose I shall have to look into it,” he answered without much enthusiasm. “Though the last time I engaged a tutor, it did not go well.”
“Mama did not like Mr. Edwards very much,” Teddy confided.
“Is that the impression you gained, my son?” Jeremy said, enigmatically meeting Mina’s eye. “Funny, I had almost the opposite conviction.”
Mina thought it could only be a good thing that Teddy was too occupied spooning a custard cream into his bowl to pay much attention to his father’s words.
“What a pity I did not think to engage you, sister dear, in the capacity of governess,” Jeremy continued.
She glanced across at him quellingly. It was a little too late for that, she thought, though a couple of weeks ago she would have snatched his hand off at the suggestion.
“I shouldn’t want Aunt Minerva for a governess,” Teddy interrupted. “She’s too strict. Besides, you can’t have an aunt for a governess. Even I know that.”
Jeremy laughed. “She would be strict, would she not? But quite apart from that, your aunt is lately married, and I doubt her husband can spare her.”
Mina’s hand shook slightly as she poured her tea, but she made no reply to this and the probing look he gave her.
“I have an uncle too then?” Teddy said with his mouth full of sandwich.
Mina’s startled gaze met Jeremy’s. “I suppose you do, my boy,” Jeremy answered languidly and crossed one leg over the other. “Your Uncle Nye.”
“That’s a funny name,” Teddy said, swallowing the last of his sandwich and reaching for a fruit tart.
A low, husky laugh in the doorway, had them all looking up to see Lady Faris, who looked to Mina to still be in a state of dishabille. A frilly white wrapper was drawn over a gown Mina was not entirely sure was meant to be seen by light of day. “Surely you do not expect your son and heir to acknowledge such an acquaintance?” she asked, coming into the room and addressing her husband directly.
“Why not?” Jeremy replied coolly. “Mina allow me to introduce you to my good lady wife. Amanda, this is my sister Mina.”
Seeing that Amanda threw her only the most cursory of glances, Mina did not raise from her seat, but instead poured herself a second cup of tea which she could just squeeze from the dainty pot. “How do you do?” she said perfunctorily and without any expectation of reply.
Amanda rounded the table and helped herself to a couple of grapes from the fruit bowl. She pulled a face. “Everything tastes foul from that hot house,” she said. “You should fire that head gardener and get a younger man on the job.”
“Hudgins has been here for thirty years, man and boy,” Jeremy replied without heat. “Nothing tastes good if you’ve ruined your palate the night before.”
“Ruined my palate—how dramatic,” his wife responded, her eyes glittering. “Don’t you think your master is ridiculously dramatic sometimes, Colfax?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder and Mina saw that the blonde footman had entered the room in her wake.
“I couldn’t possibly comment, my lady,” he said without expression and she laughed.
“My, we are proper this morning,” she commented dryly, turning back to her husband. “Is that due to your schoolmistress of a sister’s presence?” She shot a mocking look at Mina. “Next you will be inviting orphans and foundlings to dinner.”
“My dear,” said Jeremy blandly. “You must not squander your precious company on us like this if our little party is not to your liking.” Amanda flushed. “I’m sure you have a myriad of things you would rather be doing than entertaining my guest with your antics.”
“You—!” His wife bit back her words with effort and Mina saw Jeremy’s cold answering smile with something of a shiver. Clearly there was no love lost between the two of them. She took a deep breath to collect herself. “Oh Teddy,” Amanda said, as if she had only just caught sight of her son. “You still here? Isn’t it time you went back to school yet?”