Jack joined her at the window in time to see a procession of carriages roll into the courtyard.
“Good heavens, is that your cousin Skye?” Sophie asked when a well-dressed lady spilled from the first vehicle, followed directly by his sister, Katharine.
“What the devil?” Jack murmured as his cousin Quinn, the Earl of Traherne, descended after them.
The second carriage delivered his older brother Ash, Marquis of Beaufort, with his new bride, Maura, along with their aunt by marriage, Lady Isabella Wilde. Even more unexpectedly, their elderly uncle, Lord Cornelius Wilde, had accompanied them.
“I’ll be damned,” Jack remarked in bemusement before pointing out their identities to Sophie.
The final two carriages contained servants and baggage, he noted. As his family swept into the palace, he escorted Sophie from the salon in order to greet them in the enormous entry hall.
Skye immediately enveloped Sophie in a warm embrace before performing the introductions amid much laughter and chatter.
Meanwhile, Jack questioned his sister about the purpose of their visit. “What in blazes brought you here, Kate?”
“We came to support you, of course. From our family council, we knew you meant to visit Navartania after meeting with Mrs. Pennant in Paris, so we followed you to France shortly after you left London. We mean to present a united front against your father—as well as satisfy our rabid curiosity. We all have wondered about Prince Raoul for years.”
“Yes,” Skye chimed in. “We wanted to be here in case you needed us. We also wished to set Mrs. Pennant’s mind at ease. When we saw her in Paris, she charged us with making her displeasure known to you. She is not at all happy with you, Jack.”
“I would not expect her to be,” he replied, catching Sophie’s faintly accusing eye at the reference to her abduction.
“We dragged Quinn into acting as our escort to Europe,” Kate added. “And then Maura and Ash decided to come.”
“To be truthful, my wife twisted my arm,” Ash said with a smile. “You will see, Miss Fortin, that the women in our family rule, so their wishes always take precedence.”
“Hah!” Kate retorted. “That is a whisker if I ever heard one. It is all Skye and I can do to hold our own against you domineering males. At least Maura has made the battle more even.”
Softly laughing, Maura interjected a further explanation. “Our wedding journey was already planned for Italy and the Mediterranean coast, Miss Fortin, so we decided to detour through Navartania.”
“Then, to effect an even greater show of force,” Skye said, “Aunt Bella and Uncle Cornelius elected to join our trek.”
The elderly Lord Cornelius muttered something about female coercion as he removed his spectacles to polish the lenses. Then more audibly, he complained of stiffness and fatigue.
Aunt Bella concurred with a lighthearted laugh. “Yes, it has been a long journey and I am parched. May we have some tea, please, Jack?” Without waiting for a response, she tucked her arm in Sophie’s. “Pray, will you show us to a drawing room, my dear, where we can enjoy a comfortable coze? I am on tenterhooks to meet this royal father of Jack’s, but I am even more eager to know you better.”
As Sophie was led off, she cast Jack a glance that was half amused, half pleading for assistance. In turn, he smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if to reply, I have less control over my family than you might think.
They gathered in the salon and, over a substantial tea, proceeded to become better acquainted. Jack was incredibly touched that his family had chosen to rally around him. Growing up, he’d often felt like an outsider, holding himself alone and apart from the others, not allowing himself to fully belong. As a child, it had been hard for him to risk forming attachments, since he’d feared losing them as he’d lost his adored mother. Moreover, being an adopted bastard had always made him feel like a lesser member of the Wilde family.
But no longer. Not, in fact, since their last summer together at Beauvoir when he was seventeen. He’d been just as devastated as his cousins by the unexpected deaths of their parents, and their anguish afterward had actually brought the remaining Wildes closer together. They loved one another dearly and were fiercely loyal to one another, as they were proving now.
An hour later, the prince quietly entered the salon. A hush fell over the room, and it was up to Jack to make the formal introductions.
Prince Raoul looked taken aback to see both Kate and Skye. “You remind me greatly of Jack’s mother, Lady Clara,” he murmured as he bowed over Skye’s hand.
Jack agreed with the comparisons to his mother. Skye had her fair hair and blue eyes and Katharine her figure and regal carriage. Both had her bold liveliness.
The prince made a concerted effort to welcome the newcomers to his home. The Wildes, on the other hand, maintained a strict politeness, although their air of disapproval was tempered by Prince Raoul’s obvious illness. They were patently protective of Jack, however, and for once he was glad for his nosy, intrusive, sometimes vexing family.
Sophie was also glad as she watched Jack interact with his relations. To her great despair and regret, she’d lost her only sibling at a young age, and so had only fading memories of the sibling love she’d shared with Theo. Therefore, Jack’s large, vivacious, outspoken family seemed a bit radical, even overwhelming, although wholly captivating. She relished the way they laughed and teased one another and the deep bond of affection they clearly shared. And she couldn’t help longing to take part in their warm, loving camaraderie.
It was also clear that Jack inspired fervent loyalty and devotion in the other cousins. When the ladies went upstairs to change for dinner, Sophie found herself cornered by Skye and Katharine, who followed her into her bedchamber, eager to quiz her about her romance with Jack.
“We are so pleased you decided to give his courtship a chance,” Skye said at once.
Sophie hesitated to contradict her, not wanting to expose Jack’s abduction if they weren’t aware of it. “How much did my Aunt Eunice tell you?”
“We know that you didn’t come here willingly,” Katharine said. “But you can’t fault Jack for acting as he did. Abduction is a romantic expression of passion.”