Page 13 of The Marquis, the Minx, and the Mistletoe
"I told you last night," Tia said miserably, dropping a cube of sugar into her teacup with a furtiveplop. "I simply knew, with sudden and fierce certainty, that it was all wrong. My grandmother died some months ago, you'll recall, and in the absence of her for advice or comfort, I simply saw no option but to flee. Not everyone has parents like yours, Glory."
"I understand," Rose said with a raise of her eyebrows. "My own mother is hardly a pillar of strength or a font of advice. If I had lost my uncle at a pivotal time of my life, I might have also done as you did."
"Youdiddo as she did," Glory tittered. "You ran off in the night and made your own future. Then Nell did the same. Who would have thought that the only reasonable woman in my direct social circle would someday be Heloise bloody Somers?!"
"Laughlin," corrected Heloise as she entered the little library with a breezy smile, her heels trailed by three gangly mutts and Lord Moorvale's gigantic bloodhound. "I was told breakfast was in here. Hello, Tatiana."
"Heloise," Tia replied, coming to her feet. "You are looking well."
Hel smiled, her bright green eyes sparkling with mischief. "Glory doesn't mean it," she said, sweeping into the room and taking up a plate as the dogs piled onto a rug near the fire. "We've drawn a truce in the end, believe it or not."
"Is that true?" Tia asked, turning wide eyes to the other women in the room, who both nodded in confirmation. "Perhaps this house is a place of miracles."
Heloise chuckled, tucking an errant red curl behind her ear as she examined the offerings of food. "It is a house of chaos," she corrected. "The miracles are incidental."
"I imagine Alex has told you, in flamboyant detail, why Tia is here?" Glory said with a roll of her eyes at the entirely predictable antics of her husband.
"With bells on," Heloise confirmed. "Tia, you have my sympathy and support, despite our past history."
"Your history?" Rose inquired, raising her brows.
"Oh, dear Glory was not my only victim," Heloise said easily. "As you know, I suffered a rather wild and tumultuous adolescence. Tia, please accept my apologies on behalf of my past self. I solemnly do promise not to lace any of your underthings with Indian pepper dust during your stay at Somerton."
"Oh, I had forgotten about that!" Tia gasped, narrowing her eyes at Heloise. "That was you?"
"It was," Heloise confirmed, as though taking credit for an impressive piece of needlepoint rather than playing such a nasty prank.
It had been the day of an etiquette recital, and Tia had come to realize her body was on fire just as the time arrived to demonstrate posture and poise. Needless to say, she had gotten horrible marks that day. "I had a rash for weeks!" she said sharply. "And Mrs. Arlington thought I was attempting to be funny. What did I do to deserve that?!"
Heloise held Tia's eye for a moment, as though checking to be sure she should answer, her lips curling into a little smile. She straightened her shoulders, lifted her chin, and adopted an imitation of Tia's Norwich accent, reciting, "Oh, Heloise, those freckles are truly dreadful. I've heard with lemon juice you might simply burn them away! Shall we try? There's nothing to do for that hair, however. Perhaps a very large bonnet? You mustn't take it to heart when Mrs. Arlington puts you in the rear. She is only thinking of what's best for us all."
Tia's cheeks were burning by the time she finished this shamefully familiar quote from years long past. "What was wrong with us?" she whispered in mortification. "I am so sorry."
Heloise, however, simply offered a broad grin and popped a mulberry into her mouth. She shrugged, reaching for the tea, and said, "forgiven," and then to Rose, "is Mother here?"
"Not yet," Rose replied, evidently unperturbed by this recollection of their less than dignified days as schoolgirls. "They should arrive by luncheon, I would wager. The reverend had business in the township to attend this morning."
Heloise nodded, stretching her arms over her head with a sigh. "It will be nice to enjoy the winter without any imminent births to manage. I expect this to be a truly jolly Christmas, all things considered. Hopefully no one sets the village on fire this year."
"Yes, Heloise, hopefully not," Rose said with a little frown.
"I've got something just lovely for Callie," Gloriana said, placing a familiar hand on Heloise's arm—truly a bizarre sight for Tatiana, but apparently not alarming to anyone else. "The children are finally old enough to really enjoy Yuletide!"
"Yes, my hope is that this year, Reggie doesn't attempt to dive face first into the Yule log, at least until after Epiphany," Heloise replied with a chuckle. "Gideon is always insisting that the lad has calmed himself, but I think the only person he's fooling is himself."
"Gideon's flights of fancy always seem to be related to decorum, don't they?" Rose replied with amusement. "He is so wonderfully consistent."
"You've arrived to a bit of festive chaos," Glory said to Tia. "I advise you embrace it, for there is no escape."
"She isn't wrong," said Rose. "I expect the remainder of the day to be fairly hectic with planning. If you are able to write your missive to your parents today, I will review it and write my own companion note to send on the morrow. We ought to make haste with it, before the snow thickens."
"Yes, of course, My Lady," Tia said quickly, her heart thudding in her chest. "I will do it as soon as we finish eating."
"Wonderful. Oh! And before I forget, Lord Moorvale has insisted that you retain the green room, so you do not need to fuss about having your things moved," Rose added. "I daresay you got the most luxurious guest suite in the manor."
Tia was momentarily speechless. She wanted to argue, just from the habit of contrary defensiveness regarding Sheldon Bywater, but the appeal of keeping that incredible, soft bed for herself was more tempting than any instinct to argue propriety. "Thank you," she said, “so very much."
"Tia, believe it or not, everyone in this family understands your plight, in one way or another," Glory said, reaching for her hand. "You will see. Things are not as hopeless as they may feel."
