Page 6 of An Icy Christmas Engagement
“You are late,” she stated.
Cedric draped his arm across the spine of the sofa. “I was not aware you had set a time for my arrival. It shan’t happen again.”
Grace tilted her head to the side, not taking her eyes off him for a second. “Somehow, I doubt that. I’m just happy I did not have to ask Jacob to go to your house and drag you here by force.”
“I don’t think that would have worked,” Jacob said as he entered the drawing room, his arm still draped around his wife. They were a handsome couple, Cedric had to admit, and were bound to produce blond-haired, blue-eyed children that resembled them both.
He tore his eyes away from them, hating the twinge of envy he felt at the sight. He’d put aside the thought of love and marriage a long time ago. There would be no changing that any time soon.
“I’m inclined to agree,” Lily jumped in. “Cedric has only grown stubborn as he gets older.”
“Yes, that’s true.” Grace agreed with a serious nod. “And I would not be happy if your altercation came to blows. He can be rather hot-headed as well.”
“Hot-headed?” Jacob mused. “That doesn’t scare me. I am quite the accomplished boxer, you know.”
“Yes, dear, but you have not seen Cedric when he gets angry,” Lily told him. “He is more akin to a bear than man.”
“So you have no faith in my abilities, then?”
“I am just warning you, my dear.”
Cedric sighed heavily. “I came here to have dinner, not to listen to you all talk about me as if I am not present.”
“But it’s amusing, is it not?” Grace’s lips twitched, a surefire sign that she was enjoying herself at Cedric’s expense.
“Amusing to you, perhaps. But I would much rather spend my evening filling my stomach than debate who will win in a row between Jacob and I.” Cedric stood and began making his way to the door. “It is not much of a debate, however, since I would clearly be the victor.”
“I vehemently disagree!” Jacob protested, right on Cedric’s heels.
“Why don’t we test in the gardens after dinner?” Lily asked excitedly as she hurried after them.
“There will be no fighting tonight,” Grace drawled from behind. “Such things should be done during the day where I could gather my friends in time.”
“Tomorrow then?” Jacob asked hopefully. “Cedric, I hope you’re free.”
Cedric’s only response was a noncommittal groan.
***
Grace’s cook did serve fish, which meant that Cedric was forced to gorge himself on the appetizers and pick around the offending white meat until the dessert course was served. Grace did her due diligence, of course, and made sure to scold him about his pickiness, which Cedric only ignored. She’d been doing it for as long as he could remember and he had no intention of changing any time soon.
Besides, there were more important things on his mind. Like his potential saboteur and how he was going to fix the mess his steward made. It was all he could think about as conversation swirled around the grand dining room. Lily and Jacob seemed to be engrossed in a debate that Grace was having quite a bit of fun in playing the trickster’s advocate. Cedric only pretended to listen.
“Cedric?” Grace called at last. He looked up from the peas he was idly arranging into a straight line to see her frowning at him. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes, cousin,” Lily jumped in, her voice tinged with concern. “You have been rather quiet since we began. Quieter than usual.”
“Are you thinking about our boxing match on the morrow?” Jacob asked in what was clearly meant to be a jest, but fell flat. He coughed, embarrassed when no one laughed.
Cedric returned his eyes to the line of peas, considering if he should tell them about what bothered him.
“You might as well unburden yourself,” Grace said, clearly sensing the direction of his thoughts. “We may be able to help put your mind at ease.”
“Unlikely,” he grunted. “I’ve spent all afternoon trying to right the issue myself and have had no luck.”
“Mother, he thinks he’s smarter than us,” Lily sighed dramatically.
“Yes, I believe you are right,” Grace agreed without a moment’s hesitation, but her eyes remained on Cedric. “Tell us what it is about. Perhaps we may be able to help you see something that you did not notice before.”
