Page 11 of The Marquis, the Minx, and the Mistletoe
"Feel free to go elsewhere," Gideon grumbled. "All of you."
Alex was beside himself to divulge, leaping from the window's cushioned seat with a flourish like some medieval bard and gesturing to himself to gather the attention of the room. He was, after all, the only one who had been present for Miss Everstead's dramatic arrival, and had, presumably, been briefed of the salacious particulars by his wife.
"She is a runaway bride!" he revealed, raising his orange-red eyebrows. "She fled the morning of her nuptials and posed as a governess, riding from Norwich to Yorkshire on her own, disguised in her grandmother's homespun!"
"Gracious," Heloise said, her green eyes bright and wide. "I wonder what caused that."
Sheldon did not comment, though he felt a sudden buoyancy in his chest. He did his best to retain a passive facial expression as Alex shushed his sister and Gideon made a noise of impatience.
"She did not know until she was already on the road that she would ride to Somerton, and so as of the moment, her family and jilted groom have no idea where the lovely Tatiana has gone. Soon the snow will be too thick to send her back, as well. Glory and Rose were discussing how best to handle the situation when the cacophony went off this morning. I suppose she thought it best to handle the matter without disturbing you in your state of ill health, old chap!"
Gideon managed a weak chuckle. "She thought correctly."
Alex squinted at his brother, tilting his head as though it might give him new perspective. "You really are ill, aren't you?"
Gideon frowned at the scrutiny, and asked again, "Why are you all in my bedroom?" which again, no one entertained answering.
"Well, Moorvale, it was a close thing, but I think you will live," Heloise said, twisting the remainder of the ointment she'd made in a bit of waxed paper and handing it to Sheldon. "You'll want to keep this away from the dogs, though. It's mostly honey, and I don't fancy making endless batches of it."
"Sir Francis Walsingham would never!" Alex said defensively, of his own dog and Echo's eldest puppy. "He is a dog of honor."
"You named him after a notoriously effective spymaster," Heloise reminded him flatly. "He's just got you fooled."
"Humph," said Alex.
"Will you two get out of here!" Gideon groaned, discarding his teacup in favor of pressing his fingers into his forehead. "I need to speak to Sheldon. Have breakfast for us both sent up, won't you?"
"Fine, fine," Alex said with a roll of his eyes. "That's the thanks we get for keeping you informed."
"The lack of information was to my benefit!" Gideon barked, which only served to make his siblings giggle as they shuffled each other out of the room, the door clipping shut behind them.
"You did ask why she was here," Sheldon pointed out, once they'd gone. He did not move from his chair on the other end of the room. He'd already lost his beard today and didn't care to catch cold as well.
"Well, you can't close Pandora's box once it's open, can you?" Gideon said with a shrug. "Just keep me company while I eat, hm? Rose has been keeping me locked up here like some errant princess in a fairy story. Doesn't want the grippe bouncing around the household all season, I suppose."
"Mm, and have you complained?" Sheldon asked with a grin. "You love when she dotes on you."
"Ah, that I do," Gideon confessed easily, reclining on his throne of pillows. "You ought to consider getting yourself a wife, too, you know."
Sheldon winced, pushing himself up from the chair and crossing the room to examine his cut in the mirror rather than respond to the recent recurrence of that thought in his own mind. It wasn't so bad, he decided, despite the sheen of ointment dabbed all over his cheekbone. Still, it was not particularly dashing insofar as injuries went, which was less than ideal considering the good fortune that had just fallen in his lap. He hardly recognized himself without even a light layer of stubble to offset his features.
Like this, face completely bare, he looked far too much like Da. Without the beard, one could see the relation in the hollows of his cheeks and the generous curve of his mouth. The breadth of his brow seemed more pronounced. Even the lines of his jaw were familiar, a recurring feature in the ancestral portrait hall back at Hawk Hill. He barely recognized himself in that reflection, but recognized his father's face all too well.
"I'm sure Rose will have it sorted before you even get back down the stairs," Gideon said, misinterpreting the glower he’d seen from across the room. "You'll be back in the traditional swing of things before you know it. I know how much you love all things Yuletide."
"Actually, I insisted that they put me in the guest room instead," Sheldon said, eyes still on his reflection. "It would be far too strange for me to sleep in there now, after all this."
"And you don't think it'll be strange for her?" Gideon replied, his brows drawing together. "No. I am forcing myself to remain uninvolved. You two figure out your rooming situation on your own."
"I just told you that it's already sorted," Sheldon replied, turning to face his friend. "I did bring a surprise for the little ones, though. Are you in too much of a snit for me to show you?"
"I don't havesnits."
Sheldon flashed his teeth in an antagonistic smile while reaching into his pocket and fishing out one of the iron stars he'd had pried off that old carriage. He tossed it at Gideon, who, despite his woes, managed to catch the thing before it smacked him in the nose.
"Good Lord!" Gideon said, his eyes widening in genuine delight as he inspected the item in his hand. "I can't believe you finally found this.”
"It isn't the same one from years ago," Sheldon corrected, dropping his hands into his pockets and rocking on his heels. "That one is still wherever you hid it last."
