Mary and Robert had been married four and a half years, but from the little bit he had seen of them, they still acted every bit the newlywed couple. He was able to see Robert, an earl as well, when parliament was in session. But ever since having her first child a little more than three years ago, she had rarely left their house in the country. Carver had visited them there a few times, but he knew it was not enough.
“What is your lady-love like, Carver?” said Kate, the baby of the family and by far the most romantic. How was it possible that she was already eighteen years old? “Did you meet in a ballroom?” she asked with fluttering eyes.
It was then that Carver realized how inappropriate Daphney’s made-up tale would be for his sisters’ innocent ears. Hearing such a vulgar tale of their brother seducing a maid would be a little more than shocking—not to menti
on untrue—and not an image he was willing to put in their minds.
“Actually, yes. That’s exactly where we met.” He would give Daphney the revised edition of her story later.
“Is she a beauty?” asked Elizabeth, the sister that was just under Carver in age and getting ready for her first season in London.
To most, twenty would seem a touch old to experience her first Season, but the duke and duchess saw wisdom in waiting until their daughters were more mature to handle the London ballrooms. Carver, for one, was thankful for their prudence. He was not at all ready to see his baby sisters parade around the marriage mart, being courted by hordes of maggots who would never deserve them.
His mind flashed to images of men like Lord Newburry pursuing Elizabeth and his hands involuntarily flexed.
The women all continued to bubble over with questions about Daphney. Well, all except for Mary. She was eyeing him with a narrowed gaze as he answered the questions any doting fiancé would be happy to field. How was it possible that she already knew something was amiss?
Before he knew it, a half-hour had passed while they laughed and recalled tales from the past few years. He had seen his sisters in town when his parents had come for a stay, but it had never felt like this much of a reunion. The beautiful young women they had grown into both astounded and frightened him. Especially Elizabeth. She had far outgrown the slightly plump little girl he had left behind three years ago when he moved to London. Elizabeth now held the sort of looks he knew London would deem Incomparable.
“Alright, my darlings, I must kick you out or else I’ll be late for dinner and Daphney will think I have already jilted her.”
Before fully leaving the room, Kate paused with a dreamy look. “Daphney. I like that name. Do you think she will mind if I call her by her given name?” But was it her given name? The thought was beginning to eat at Carver. For some odd reason, he felt the name was not at all right for her.
“I don’t think she will mind.”
The rest of the girls continued to file out of the room, each one pausing to hug him.
Mary, however, stopped short of the door. Her light grey eyes pierced him with an intense look. It never ceased to amaze him how similar his eyes were to hers. Is this what it felt like to be on the receiving end of one of his glares?
“You took long enough coming home.” She knew exactly why Carver hadn’t been home. And as the closest to her in birth and relationship, he knew his absence had been hard on her. Truth be told, it had been hard on him as well.
He took her hand and squeezed it. “I know. I’m sorry.”
Mary’s eyes darted away as they began to pool with tears. Goodness, the woman never cried! She must have missed him more than he realized. “Oh Mary, don’t cry,” he said, pulling her into his chest.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said with a small chuckle. “It’s this baby making me cry, not your ugly face.”
He pulled her away by the shoulders to look at her. “You’re expecting again? That’s wonderful news, Mary!” This would be number two for his sister. He was particularly fond of his little niece Jane. Being the fun uncle was a role he hadn’t expected to enjoy as much as he did. Though he didn’t go to visit his niece often enough. He would change that in the future.
Mary smiled but with a distant and almost sad look that he didn’t quite understand. “Number two,” was all she said.
“And Robert hasn’t jumped out of the window yet?” He hoped to bring a lighter smile to his sister’s face.
“I boarded them up,” she said with a twinkle. It struck him that Mary and Daphney had similar senses of humor. Perhaps Mary would like Daphney after all.
Why the devil do I want Mary to like Daphney?
After everyone had finally made their slow progression out of Carver’s room, Brandon, his valet, helped him quickly change for dinner. He pulled on his favorite black dinner jacket and biscuit colored pantaloons, then all but darted from his chamber. He didn’t want to spend a minute more than necessary alone in that room of unwanted memories. Or any rooms of that house for that matter. But at least there were other people to distract him in those other rooms.
Speaking of, where was Daphney? If he kept his attention focused on teasing Daphney, he wouldn’t think on the fact that his best friend and love of his life would not be at the dinner table, as she often had been when she was alive. Or that she wouldn’t wink at him from across the table. And that he wouldn’t smell the familiar scent of her lilac perfume when he would steal a kiss before handing her up into her carriage at the end of the night. None of that would happen ever again. Being home again was making something he had refused to acknowledge feel frighteningly real.
Part of him was debating packing his things and riding back to town that night. But then he stopped just a few paces from the stairs when he spotted someone. It was Daphney. The last remaining rays of light were pushing through the windows and bathing her skin in a soft warm glow. What was she doing just standing there? Her gloved hand was poised on the banister but she wasn’t moving. He couldn’t see her face but her body looked stiff. Not that he was noticing her fine figure. Blast. He must have been noticing it to realize it was fine.
But not again.
He cleared his throat to announce his presence and went to stand beside her. “Pardon me, miss, are you in need of a handsome gentleman to escort you down to dinner?” Playing the part of a flirtatious rake was turning out to be more fun than he had expected.
Daphney turned around and Carver’s breath caught in his throat. He hadn’t realized how much the bonnet she had worn earlier in the day had hidden her features. The woman’s hair was a rich dark brown and swept back into a loose chignon with two soft curls hanging down to rest on her lovely collarbones.