Page 43 of The Marquis, the Minx, and the Mistletoe
"It's true then?" Sheldon didn't fancy that much could shock him, but he was amazed that this snippet of Somers family lore had never been brought to his attention.
"Shortly after Gideon and I were married, when Heloise was ... well, when she was required to pass most of her time indoors, she and I embarked on a study of Somers ancestry together, as a surprise for Gideon. He was so fixated on restoring the family honor without really knowing much about anything that had come before his father's generation, and so we went digging and we found ... erm ... a variety of things."
"I daresay you did." Sheldon cleared his throat rather than laughing outright. "You created that family chart in the study, then? With Heloise?"
"Yes, of course." She nodded. "You'll notice the line from the late Lord Somers to the dowager is rather crooked, for its creation was the very moment Heloise went into labor, while she was holding the paintbrush! I'm not sure how well Gideon welcomed the knowledge that he was not sprouted from a line of purity and perfection, but he seems fond enough of the chart. Reggie nigh has it memorized."
Papa's favorite story, Sheldon thought, holding his tongue in the hopes that he had just stumbled onto the solution to Reggie's puzzle. Rose continued to chatter as they walked, unaware that her companion had lost half his focus at the mention of the Somers family history.
It was an effort, once seated at the dinner table, to look anywhere but directly upon Miss Everstead, who glowed in a deep blue gown. Her cheeks were pink and her lips glossy, looking fully recovered from the hardship of the storm. If he could, he would simply stare at her for the rest of the night.
As it was, he had to be discreet about his stolen glances, for Gloriana seemed wise to his attentions and somewhat less approving than he would have expected of her. Twice she had interrupted his mooning with some question or other, forcing his attention back to the mundane business of conversation rather than allowing him to be lost in his thoughts.
Tia toyed with her necklace, a single pearl drop on a ribbon hung dangling between her collarbones. It drew attention to the breasts that he had been interrupted in revealing only a day ago. God, but when would he be able to get her alone again? Part of him thought that he should simply wait until the household was asleep and slip back into the green room tonight, but did he dare presume such a thing without her leave?
Dinner was completed seemingly before he'd taken the first bite, and he allowed himself to be shuffled along to the next destination afterward. So distracted was he with this prospect that he failed to notice the lady herself appear at his side, a tiny glass of port held between her fingers, once they had retired to more comfortable respite by the fire.
"You have eluded me today, Sheldon Bywater," she said lightly, taking a seat on the adjacent chair with the cool indifference of a practiced socialite. "I am rather cross about it."
He glanced at the others to ensure they were not being listened to, and lowered his voice to a gravelly whisper as an extra precaution. "Believe me," he rumbled, "there was nowhere else I'd rather have spent my day than in your company. I was enlisted to salvage the stables."
"Yes, it turns out the horses are not much fond of being kept underground," Gloriana put in loudly, her eyes narrowed at them from across the room. "We very much appreciate your help, of course."
He wasn't certain, but in his periphery, he thought he saw a flicker of annoyance cross Tia's face. Did she truly go so far as to roll her eyes? Perhaps they'd had a spat? But no, Glory's ire seemed directly pointed at him, not her friend, despite Tia's clear animosity at the intrusion.
"They are all back in the stables tonight," Gideon assured her. "It isn't perfect, but we were able to stabilize the place well enough, for now."
"The loft fell," Callum bemoaned to Heloise, who patted his arm sympathetically.
"Well, since you are so interested in what I have to say," Tia said pointedly at Gloriana, "I suppose I will simply announce it to you all."
Sheldon's heart froze. In earnest, he thought that for a moment it had been encased in ice, so panicked was he by the sudden concern of what she was about to say.
"I've found the first star," she announced, whipping it free of her skirt where she'd been hiding it, and holding it triumphantly aloft to the admiration of the others. She smiled widely, giddy with her achievement. "I can't believe I did it!"
"Oh, that one is mine," Heloise noted with a twist of her lips. "Did I make the clue too easy?"
"If you had, one of us would have found it on the first night," Alex said. "Well done, Everstead! Though, if you divined the answer, I daresay that's cheating."
"No divination was involved," she assured him with bright satisfaction. "I am going to keep Heloise's star, I think, for it's not likely I'll have another stroke of dumb luck in a home you are all much more familiar with."
"Whoever thought," marveled Heloise, "that I would be preparing a special holiday gift for you, Tia? Fate is such a funny thing."
"Yes," Tia agreed, "try as we might to steer our path, some of the strangest things truly seem to be inevitable."
"I'm inevitably going to need another glass of wine," Alex observed, earning a swat to the arm from his wife.
The conversation dissolved back into its enthusiastic buzz around them, with Rose plotting her Yuletide decor for Christmas night while Alex and Callum set the stage for a game of dice.
Sheldon felt a very particular type of contentment in moments like this one, with the Somers family. As a child, the word he had always thought of wassafe. It was a strange word given the circumstances, perhaps, but that was how he felt when he was allowed to blend into their dynamic, to participate in the warmth of their home. He felt safe.
And tonight, as he caught the eye of the beautiful woman seated next to him, sharing a smile of a thousand unspoken things,safealso felthopeful.
He hoped Tia was right. He hoped she spoke truly about fate and will and their intended destinations. He wished beyond wishing that he could reach across and take her hand, in full view of everyone. Instead, he knew that he must simply bide his time, and be patient. If he could do that, then all would be as intended.
Inevitable.
Chapter 21
