Page 27 of Leap of Faith
“Nonsense. The eldest cannot be too far from her majority.” He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture.
“I think you had best move along, Brosner,” Rotham warned.
“Before an introduction?”
“Most certainly,” Montford agreed. “Remember, they are not of age.”
Dominic smiled sweetly. The marquess walked away with a scowl.
“He did not play that well.”
“Not at all. He must be desperate,” Montford agreed.
“What the devil is Freddy doing with the youngest?” Rotham asked, looking over towards a large plane tree.
Dominic squinted to try to see better. “Is he climbing the tree?”
“If that doesn’t beat all,” Montford said. “Do you think she dared him?”
“Do not look now, but it appears she is going up after him.”
The other sisters must have noticed as well because they scurried en masse towards the tree.
“That is not going to make it any less conspicuous,” Rotham observed unhelpfully.
“Shall we go see what possessed Freddy to revert to a twelve-year-old?”
“I am not certain he ever progressed, actually,” Dominic reflected.
Nevertheless, they walked as casually as they could over to where the sisters had gathered beneath the tree.
Joy was stretched out on one limb, and Freddy was on the one just above.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” Freddy called, trying to coax the little tiger into coming to him.
“You didn’t,” Dominic scolded.
“I am quite certain he could not say no to a pair of pretty blue eyes,” Rotham reflected.
“I think I should have drawn your cork at Jackson’s. I would be happy to oblige when this charming display is over.”
While they considered ways to coax the miniature tiger down, from walking over to his townhouse to grab a ladder to throwing a sheet over the branch, Miss Whitford had taken some stones and was tossing them around the kitten, causing the branch to shake and the little fellow mewed with displeasure.
“Will that not make the little monster go higher?” Patience asked.
It did not. A little ball of fluff jumped—or fell—down into Grace’s waiting arms.
“That was unexpected,” Montford reflected.
“Come on down, Joy. I will catch you if needs be.” Dominic held up his arms.
But Joy needed no such help. Lithe as a cat herself, she climbed down and landed on her feet as though this was a common pastime for her. Very likely it was.
“Will you catch me if I need it?” Freddy looked down with a huge grin.
“You may rot in the tree for that caper,” he retorted. “I hope you intend to keep the creature with you, because there is no possibility of my mother allowing it in her house!”
Freddy swung himself down from the tree without incident
