Elizabeth stroked the cat. “That’s valuable information for next time.”
“Next time? No.” Alex shook his head and waved his hands side to side. “Good God, I may as well move Aunt Cat in so you can start a rescued animal commune.”
“Absolutely not. My sister is insane.”
“At least she only showed up with one dog, not three cats!”
“Dogs are overrated. Far too needy. Cats mostly look after themselves.”
“Do they, Ma? And who is going to scoop out the litter trays? Feed them every morning? I do not pay Boris or the housekeeping team to do either of those things.”
The cat jumped out of Elizabeth’s arms and elegantly landed on all four paws on the sofa, where it promptly circled six times, rubbed its butt against the cushion, and plopped down into a ball.
Lovely.
“I’ll do it,” Elizabeth answered him. “I brought the cats here, so I shall take care of them. I’ve already set up an empty bathroom with litter trays and a scratching post so they can settle in.”
Alex made a point of looking around the library. “They look relatively settled to me.”
“Overnight and when they’re unsupervised. I don’t want them damaging the woodwork.”
No. We couldn’t have that, now, could we?
Alex closed his eyes and sighed. “Mother, we cannot keep the cats.”
She took a step back and pressed her hand against her chest. “Whatever do you mean? Of course we can! This is their home now!”
“No. Please collect them all and put them in the bathroom you said you had ready, and you will return them to the rescue centre tomorrow.” He hit her with a firm glare as she opened her mouth to argue. “No. Do not argue with me,” he said, harsher than I’d heard him speak to her. “I’ve already explained the situation with Olympia, and you knew how I felt. You went behind my back, and whether you like it or not, this is my house and I make the rules where she is concerned.”
Elizabeth pressed her lips into a thin line. “I will not return them, Alexander.”
“Then I’ll arrange for one of the empty cottages to be cleaned and prepared for you, and you and your merry band of scratching bandits can move out there.”
Oh.
Oh, dear.
He really did not want these cats, did he?
“You would kick me out of my own home?”
“Kicking you out implies I’d be leaving you homeless.” He took a step back. “I would be homeless myself before I would do that to you, and you know it.”
She didn’t respond, but there was a flash of regret in her eyes.
“Those are your options. Return them, or you can move into one of the cottages on the estate until such a time I’m satisfied that Olympia is responsible enough to take care of them.”
“Papa, I—” Olympia rushed into the library at the exact moment he finished his sentence. She drew up short when she saw us all standing and staring at each other, and slowly flicked her gaze between us all. “What are you talking about? Oh, my gosh, is that a cat?”
Alex dropped his chin to his chest.
“Granny, is that a cat?” Olympia asked, rushing over to the bookshelf where the black one was eyeing her with curiosity. She held her hand out ever so gently to let the cat sniff her fingers. “Oh, she’s pretty! Is it a she? Is it ours? Can we keep it?”
“Granny is looking after her friend’s three cats for the night,” Alex said, turning around to look at her. “They’re going home tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Olympia’s shoulders sagged. “I understand.”
“She’s going to put them in one of the empty bathrooms now so they don’t cause trouble. Isn’t that right, Mother?”
Elizabeth’s jaw twitched, but she forced a smile for Olympia’s benefit. “Yes, sweetheart, that’s right. My friend asked me to watch them tonight, and I thought they would be fine here, but Papa would like them away from the library.”
“Can I play with them in the bathroom?” Olympia asked, scratching the cat under her chin.
“Perhaps for a little while later,” Alex replied gently. “Come on. Have you seen Peter yet today? How are the baby rabbits doing? Are they ready to find new homes yet? Shall we go and check?” He quickly ushered her out of the library and shot a look back in our direction that said those cats had better be out of the library by the time he got back.
Elizabeth sighed. “Well, that went well, all things considered.”
“Really?” I peered at her in confusion. “You think that went well?”
“Yes.” She grinned at me. “He told me to get rid of them tomorrow. There’s still time.”
Oh, dear.
This couldn’t possibly go wrong.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN – ADELAIDE
There was something beautiful about the wee hours —the ones where nobody was awake, when there was nothing but the whispered hooting of owls through the darkness, the rummaging of nocturnal wildlife, the calming woosh of a gentle breeze against the windowpanes.