Page 65 of His Spirited Lady
“At least the carpet will stay nice,” he said. They’d slid down the banister in Quebec so often that Julia teased they were afraid to ruin the carpet.
Oliver met his gaze. “I was thinking the same.”
The sadness in his eyes made Richard feel better, which pricked his conscience. “At least he didn’t do it with the baby.”
Simon had begun riding down with Oliver when he wasn’t much older than Carys. Richard had waited until after his first birthday.
“Which you will not ever do,” Thea said to Simon in her sternest mother voice. “It’s enough that the maids won’t have to dust the stairs until you leave for university.” She shifted her gaze between Richard and Oliver, signaling a change in topic. “You didn’t bring anything for the pot, did you?”
Oliver shook his head. “We left most of it with Mrs. Bell, but I dropped a brace at the dower cottage for your mother.”
It was almost impossible to believe that the black-clad, unsmiling woman was Thea’s mother.
“I’m sorry for the reception you likely received,” Thea said. “The post arrived today.”
Oliver stopped bouncing Carys and put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. The baby didn’t appreciate the change.
Richard took Carys in hand, sat in a chair, and resumed the jostling to calm her. Oliver had always hated the post, and it seemed Thea shared the sentiment. “Bad news?”
“A letter from my sister.” Thea covered Oliver’s hand with hers, chafed it over his knuckles. “Same song, different verse. Nothing from Italy, though.”
“Small graces.” Oliver glanced at Richard. “My mother is in Milan. Painting.”
He’d written that he’d exiled his mother for her treatment of Thea, but he’d never mentioned Thea’s sister. Richard wanted to ask, but he understood they might not wish to share the story outside their family.
“Simon?” Thea asked. “Would you please go fetch Carys’s favorite blanket? I think she’s cold.”
The rosy-cheeked child in Richard’s arms was putting off enough heat for two people, but he stayed quiet as his nephew bolted from the room.
“And come down the stairs on your feet, not your bottom,” Thea shouted.
Oliver leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Thea’s sister, Milly, is in prison for blackmail, kidnapping, and attempted murder,” Oliver whispered. “She blames us because we put her there.”
If they were responsible for her arrest, there was only one possibility of a kidnap victim. Richard’s blood ran cold. “Who did she blackmail?”
“My mother. And when we rescued Simon, she almost drowned him. Would have, if not for Thea.”
And Oliver, who hated bad news and talk of death, hadn’t said a word. “You should have told me.” Richard cleared his throat to banish the tremble in his voice.
“I tried, but on paper it read like a penny dreadful.” Oliver leaned back and pulled Thea close, kissed her hair. “It’s still difficult to imagine.”
In this sunny room with a crackling fire, with Carys gurgling in his arms and Simon thumping down the stairs, it was too easy to imagine Oliver without the woman in his arms. Richard had seen it before.
“Ben Latimer stopped by today.” Though Thea was speaking to Oliver, she stared into the fire. “He’s back from Scotland and looking for work. I don’t have anything for him at the inn. Do you need anyone?”
“I wish I did. Ben’s a good hand, and I’d like to help a soldier.” He focused on Richard. “Ben came home after the war in Spain only to be faced with parents who were in ill health. Once he was on his own, he deeded the property back to me and went for a walk.”
“How long ago?”
“He said he’s been to Skye,” Thea said. “He looks fit and ready to work, and his appetite hasn’t lessened. He ate until Hazel stopped filling his plate.”
“Why don’t I hire him for the distillery?” Richard said. “I’d like to have someone there to help Amelia.”
The couple exchanged a look. “You want to hire Ben for Amelia?” Thea finally asked.
“Is he a drunkard or unreliable?” When she shook her head, Richard pressed his points, ticking them off on his fingers. “Amelia can’t keep being in two places at once, especially right now, and neither can I. Drake can’t be expected to put his other ventures on hold simply to make it more convenient for us. She needs help with the heavier work, whether she’ll admit it or not.”
Carys began to whimper, prompting Thea to cross the room for her daughter. “You sound as though she’s going to continue production.”
