"Help me, Stefan!" Robert giggled, rushing behind Stefan for cover.
Alexandra glared at Stefan, "Hand the lad over."
Stefan laughed. "Calm down, Alexandra. I'm sure the lad made a mistake. He'll never trouble you again, I promise."
"You always promise that Robert will never cause trouble, but he always does! There's no escaping him. And he troubled me because he knew you'd arrived. So he could run to you and take cover. Hand him over, Stefan! I'll spank him, so he knows never to do that again."
"And what would mother say about you spanking her beloved, Alexandra?" Robert chided.
"Argh!" Alex growled. "You see now what he does?"
Behind her, William hid his chuckle behind a cough. Although his siblings’ disagreement entertained him, he did not want to be drawn into the fray.
Stefan tried to mediate between the two. He touched Alexandra's shoulder and grinned down at her. "Come on now, Alex. We all know Robert always says you're his favorite. Teasing you is his way of getting to you."
"By troubling me, you mean. I find no favour in that."
William couldn't hold his laughter anymore, he burst out, clutching his sides.
Stefan hid his laughter behind a somber look. Acting as the arbiter to one of his siblings’ disputes was not the welcome he had anticipated.
"Alex, my dear sister. I've come a very long way from France. Is this the welcome I get?" He spread his arms wide and grinned at her.
Even his little sister could not refuse him when he smiled. She smiled back and jumped on him, hugging him dearly. "We have all missed you, Stefan!"
William sauntered over to them. Robert hugged his legs. He saw his mother emerge from the door, a smile on her face.
He had been gone for nearly three fortnights. When he was handed the duchy and everything involved in its running after the sudden death of his father, Stefan was shocked. He hadn't been emotionally ready to take over such responsibility.
After a year of being the Duke of York, he found that he was doing it all wrong, unable to make the right decisions, unaware of what was truly happening around him. He had been trained for the day he would take over but he had not expected it to be so soon.
His mother had sent him to France, to meet with the Duke of Guise, who was her father's longtime friend and confidante. She had said he would help her son pull through. And he had because Stefan was back— stronger and better.
"Who made this meal?" Stefan asked, nearly choking on how much salt had been added to the stew.
Robert pouted his small lips, shaking his head. "Alexandra thought she'd surprise you upon your return, so she persuaded the cook to let her prepare this. But it's not much of a surprise anymore since the meal isn't so good. Am I right, Stefan?"
William, who sat beside the eight-year-old burst into laughter. "Sometimes I forget you're still a babe, Robert."
"Am not!" Robert snapped. "Stefan said I'm a lad!"
"A lass, you mean." Alexandra smiled sweetly from where she sat. She had been quiet while everyone ate. Except, no one was eating. They had not touched their meal at all. Only Stefan had been eating. They all knew that a lady of fine breeding with no practice whatsoever, couldn’t possibly master the art of cooking.
Stefan dabbed the side of his mouth and tossed the napkin aside. Alexandra cast her gaze down, ashamed. Stefan smiled at her. "Come on, Alex. You're a noble lady of seventeen. Cooking isn’t for you. Mama must have taken care of the things that a girl of your status should know by now. How to dance, paint, sew and —"
"Lady Castleroy has demanded that I learn to sew now!" Alex cried, unable to hold her tears any longer.
Robert no longer laughed or pouted. He stared at his sister in pity. William looked away.
"Who is Lady Castleroy?"
"Lady Castleroy is her chaperone." William cleared his throat.
"Chaperone? Hmm... And she...?"
"Has been giving Alex a tough time. She's too hard on her. And her debutante is a year away, not days away. Mother would not agree to what me and Robert say. She believes Lady Castleroy will prepare Alexandra to appear before the ton," William hissed.
He seemed furious. "It's quite unfair! The lady gives her almost impossible tasks. She asked Alex to walk with heavy books from papa's library on her head! It was outrageous! And mama wasn't around to see!"
Stefan rubbed his jaw. Although Alexandra was older than William by two years, the boy was very protective of her. Even Robert, who bothered her often, was protective of her as well. His siblings were close, they understood each other. And he liked that they did. He was proud that they were so loving. That they understood each other’s pain. Even though he was much older than they all were, he often stayed around talking with them. He didn't want to be estranged with any of them. Not ever. Not after what had happened to —
"Stefan! Will you talk to mama? Alex wants another chaperone."
He rose instantly. "Of course, Robert. I will speak with her now."
With substantial strides and a growling stomach, he headed towards the salon. He pushed the doors open and stepped in. His mother sat there, rocking back and forth in a chair and reading one of the poems she enjoyed so much. He stopped by the door when he smelled something. He tilted his head, his nose flaring.
"Mother, is that chicken —?"
"Oh, of course, dear. I've had a meal prepared for you. I knew that after eating Alex's surprise, you'd still be hungry." She chuckled. Then she gestured to the table beside the settee opposite her. "You should help yourself."
His mother always knew what to do. He took a seat and began eating immediately. "So, Mother, what is this I hear about Alex's chaperone giving her a difficult time?"
The dowager scoffed. "Nothing of such, dear. Lady Castleroy is strict, yes. But, at this point, she is what Alex needs."
"But —"
"Alex wore breeches a month ago and went to shoot arrows at trees. I think she has forgotten she is a lady and not a boy. Her debutante is less than a year away, and if she keeps this up, she may end up a spinster for life. I don't want that for her."
Stefan pressed his lips together. After taking a sip of the wine his mother had placed before him, he inclined his head. "No one says anything good about Lady Castleroy."
"It means she's doing her job then. I want Alex to be a proper lady before the season ends."
Stefan saw the point in what his mother was saying. Alexandra liked to behave like a lad. And maybe he had a hand in that somewhat by humoring his sister so much.