Page 12 of The Marquis, the Minx, and the Mistletoe
"Youhid it last," Gideon muttered underneath Sheldon's continuing speech.
"I popped these off the old carriage the first one came from. Got about a dozen in my luggage. I thought it might be a spot of fun to resurrect the game with the little ones, especially now that Reggie's old enough that he won't immediately try to eat it."
"Oh, you think so?" Gideon replied with open laughter.
Gideon and Rose had two children. The eldest son, Reggie, was notoriously rambunctious, just cresting the edge of five years of age, and had attempted to eat every gift Sheldon had ever presented to the lad. The younger boy, Leopold, was still too small to cause much of a ruckus, not even a year old yet.
"I always thought it'd be Heloise who'd give birth to a wild animal, not you," Sheldon chuckled, dropping himself back in his chair. "Instead she ends up with the most polite child in the empire, and you're stuck with ... well, Reggie."
"Rose says he is the product of every whim I neglected as a boy," Gideon replied fondly. "I hope she is right. Those whims deserve their turn in the world, despite my neglect."
"Hear hear," Sheldon agreed. "Perhaps he'll know where you lost the original star, hm? If he inherited that side of you."
"We've been through this!" Gideon snapped. "It wasyouwho hid that star last."
"It most certainly was not," Sheldon said with a sniff. "If you'll be honest with your recollections, you know that the last time I had the star was on Christmas Day, and it didn't go missing until Epiphany!"
"Yes, and the lastIhad it was on New Year's Eve, when I explicitly recall you demanding your reward in dessert!"
Back and forth they went, until their breakfast had arrived and been fully eaten, at which point, Gideon Somers required a nap.
Chapter 7
In a way, the upset this morning had resulted in a less stressful interrogation than Tia had otherwise anticipated. She had been led first to Glory's rooms, where she had changed into a borrowed dress, with nice heavy skirts that warmed her legs even before she'd added stockings.
Glory had made a few comments, giggling and merry, about the mishap this morning, but did not otherwise pry into the shocking way that Tia had awoken this day. Perhaps she was saving those questions for the full interrogation, which Tia knew was imminent.
Afterward, they had adjourned to a small library on the second floor, where Lady Somers had arranged for a private breakfast and conversation, free of the curious audience that might have surrounded them in the Somerton dining room. It was just Tia, Glory, and Lady Somers herself, who insisted that Tia call her by her given name, Rose.
Rose and Gloriana were first cousins, drawn by happenstance to marry brothers and maintain their lifelong bond into the new frontier of adulthood and marriage. Tia had heard much about Rose d'Aubrey, as she was named then, during her years with Glory at Mrs. Arlington's School for Girls in Bath-Spa. She had always been described in such glowing terms, as a pillar of strength and safety for young Glory.
She would read the letters she got from Rose aloud in the little dormitory they shared with Nell Applegate, and sometimes told stories of Rose being amusing or brave when she felt wistful about her home county of Devonshire.
Tia could only hope that Glory's recounting of her cousin's remarkable poise and patience would hold true today, as she presented herself as an interloper to the viscountess, seeking shelter from her proper and dutiful obligations.
Rose was a darker version of her cousin, not quite as startlingly beautiful, but rather soft and pleasant, with a warm aura that people often wished to stand near. Her hair was a darker, honey-blonde than Glory's and her eyes a warm golden brown. When Tia entered the little library, her nerves as frayed as rope ends, Rose d'Aubrey Somers gave her a smile that did feel somehow reassuring, and gestured for her to sit on the couch and help herself to morning repast.
Her stomach lurched, hungry from days of barely eating but absent of appetite due to the anxiety. Tia attempted to keep her hands steady as she buttered a piece of toast, allowing Glory to break the silence rather than attempt an opening statement.
"We had a bit of a commotion this morning," Glory began, her voice bright, as though this was no matter at all. "Lord Moorvale arrived this morning and took to his bedroom, unaware that it was in use. There was a bit of a startle and he cut himself with his straight razor, but I do not think it was otherwise disastrous."
"Hm," Rose said, tilting her head. "So long as the story never leaves these walls, I suppose. If that had happened in London, they'd be getting ushered to the altar as we speak."
"Ah, that would be a cruel irony," Glory considered, taking a sly sip of her tea, "considering why Tia came to us in the first place."
"Lady Somers," Tia said, drawing in a deep breath. "I must first apologize for arriving as I did, with no warning, and imposing myself upon you. I confess that none of this was well-planned or very logically plotted on my part. I was acting on what must have been the instinct of a frightened animal, and it led me to your door. I only hope that you will allow me to stay, at least for a while, until I know how to piece my life together again."
Rose considered her, sparing only a short glance at her cousin's hopeful face. "Does your family know where you are, Miss Everstead?"
"Tia, please," she responded, doing her best not to grimace. "They do not. My note was vague, and I intend to write them to assure them of my safety once I am settled somewhere safe for the winter. I will not be a pest or an expense, I promise you. I shall even take on duties in the household to earn my place if it pleases you. As you know, I am well educated in the running of a household and capable of any number of tasks otherwise suitable for a governess, maid, or companion. Perhaps it will be an appropriate preparation for whatever future is left to me."
Lady Somers gave a little twist of the lips, the ghost of a smile.
Was she amused?
"That will not be necessary, Tia," she said with her soft and steady voice. "You are welcome to winter here. Indeed, I fear you have no choice. Winter storms will begin soon, and Yorkshire will be encased in ice. However, I do insist that you alert your family to your presence here and allow me to write a companion letter that will be sent with your own."
"Aren't you going to tell us what happened?" Glory cut in impatiently. "I know nothing at all about your jilted groom, save his name and rank, nor why you ran at the prospect of wedding him!"
