The Accidental Countess (The Aristocrat Diaries 3)

That… was about right.

Mum stood behind her, one arm wrapped around her body and clasping her opposite elbow while she used her thumb and middle finger to massage both of her temples. “Ffion, please.”

Nan stopped with her hands held out in front of her. “What? Don’t you like Eminem, Eleanor?”

“I’m not sure this is how Eva imagined welcoming us home. She looks a bit scared.”

I peered over my shoulder. Eva was standing deadly still, clutching her sketchbook, and staring at the scene in front of us.

She looked how I felt.

Dumbfounded.

Nan tilted her head to the side. “Oh, dear. You might be right. Hello, dear!” She shuffled across the hall, bypassed me entirely, and wrapped Eva in a huge hug.

Eva shook herself out of her shocked stupor and hugged her back. “Hi! I’m so sorry. I was in a world of my own.”

Mum laughed, greeting me. “Hello, sweetheart.”

“Hi, Mum.” I wrapped her in a hug. “You’re back early.”

“A heatwave is hitting. I thought the country was hot enough with me in it and might melt if the temperatures rose anymore,” Nan said, swapping Eva for me, leaving Mum to greet her.

“Oh, of course, Nan. Look at you. Showstopping.”

“I’d tell you off for giving me attitude if I didn’t know how utterly fabulous I was already.” She kissed my cheek and stepped back. “Truth be told, kids, I wanted my own bloody bed. Plate smashing and singing and dancing—it all gets a bit much at my age.”

Mum rolled her eyes. “She says it like she’s ninety and dropping dead any minute.”

“I might do if I hear another plate smash.”

Right on cue, a smash came from the direction of the kitchen. Baxter burst out, his paws skittling across the wooden floor, and Christopher was in hot pursuit.

“Baxter!” he hollered, chasing him right through to the other side of the house.

Mum craned her neck. “Whatever is he doing?”

“I’m going to assume those sausages have something to do with it,” Eva said, pointing at Lucy.

She had a sausage in her mouth, but it was connected to a string of several more, and Jack bounced along after her, desperately trying to snatch them up from the floor.

“Goodness gracious!” Mum said, clapping her hands. “Jack, Lucy, leave it!”

The dogs both stopped and immediately left the sausages alone. Their mischief morphed to excitement when they realised who she was, and she had to sidestep their loving to avoid the raw sausage being licked all over her.

“What a mess,” she continued, going to fetch the now useless sausages from the floor. “Where is housekeeping? The floors will need to be cleaned. Matthew, can you put these three dogs in the mudroom so they can cool down? I fear there’s too much excitement for them.”

“I’ll take these two,” Eva said, nodding at me. “You go and rescue Baxter from Christopher.”

I turned to follow in that direction, but Baxter came skidding out once again.

“Baxter!” Eva’s voice was firm and direct. “Come!”

Baxter immediately did an about turn, and all three dogs trotted after her in the direction of the mudroom.

“That bloody dog! They teamed up on me!” Christopher stomped back into the hall. “That’s the last time they come in my kit—oh, your ladyships. I didn’t know you were back.”

Mum’s lips twitched. “You do look rather busy, Chris. Are you sure we aren’t interrupting you?”

He blinked.

She burst out laughing and hugged him. “Eva has taken them to the back. Is anyone around to clean the floor? I’d prefer not to leave raw sausage trailing about the place.”

Christopher said nothing.

“Did the dog get your tongue, lad?” Nan asked, snapping her wrinkled fingers. “And some tea, while you’re at it. I’m bloody parched. Haven’t had a decent cuppa in two weeks.”

“You’ve drunk nothing but tea for two weeks, Ffion. If you were to cut yourself right now, you’d bleed out tea,” Mum said.

“I didn’t say I hadn’t drunk tea, Eleanor. I said I hadn’t had a decent cup of tea. Very big difference between mediocre tea and good tea.”

“Nan, Mum, why don’t you go and sit in the living room? Christopher will put a pot of tea on. I’ll see if Eva needs help, then hunt down someone to mop the floor, all right?” I ushered them both in that direction and nodded towards Christopher, who finally jumped into action.

Was there something in the water here today?

God, it’d been the longest day ever, and I wasn’t even sure it was three o’clock yet.

Mum and Nan finally disappeared into the living room with Nan still grumbling about the quality of teabags in Greece, and I found Eva as she was closing the door on the dogs.

“Did they go in there all right?”

She nodded. “I think Baxter knew he was in trouble.”

“Of course he did. That dog always knows when he’s in trouble.” I shook my head. “Mum and Nan are in the living room and Christopher is making tea. Are you coming?”