The scars of being raised in a family such as his ran deep. For this reason, he did not like most people. He did not trust anyone.
He counted no one as friends. Well, perhaps Hyacinth, Romulus, and Violet, but only because they had been friends of the past. He would have supper with them tonight but after that?
His head hurt too much to think.
Wilcox walked in a short while later with a vile concoction in a glass he set on the small table beside his bed. “I thought you might be in need of this, my lord.”
He sat up, drank the liquid down in several large gulps, and indelicately set the glass back down on the table. “Tastes horrible. What’s in it?”
“Raw eggs and other ingredients you’d rather not know. It is good for clearing one’s head.”
“I see, but will it kill me or heal me?”
Wilcox smiled wryly. “Hopefully, not kill you, or else I’ll be out of a job.”
Innes laughed even though it hurt his head to do so.
Since he was in no particular hurry, he washed and dressed in his own good time, then headed to his study to attend to several matters of business he’d neglected when Hyacinth had burst back into his life and interrupted his well-ordered day. He attended to them while polishing off a late breakfast and imbibing large quantities of coffee.
His solicitor joined him in the late morning. “Would you care for a cup, Mr. Haversham? Or perhaps some tea instead?”
“No, thank you, my lord. These matters should not take long, and I must be on my way shortly. My youngest son, Tim, is singing in the church choir this afternoon, and I promised him I would not miss it.”
Innes was surprised. “Do you do this often?”
“What? Put my family ahead of my work?” Haversham shook his head. “When it is called for. The work will get done. Whether I get to it later this evening or put in extra hours tomorrow will not matter to anyone. But I will not be able to reclaim the memory of watching my son in his first recital.”
Innes thought back to his father. He had done the same a time or two, showing up unexpectedly at his school for such affairs. Never with Witch Wife Number Three, of course. His father probably had to lie to her and pretend he was off on urgent business. She would have found a way to stop him from coming to visit him, otherwise. “It is commendable, Mr. Haversham. Your son is fortunate to have you.”
“I try my best, my lord.”
They spoke no more of families and ran quickly through the most pressing matters. He liked Haversham’s nimble mind. Now he had to find himself a good estate manager and a reliable banker or financial advisor.
His father’s men were capable, but they would be working for the new duke. He did not want them knowing his affairs and revealing them to his odious brother. Not that they would ever voluntarily disclose a confidence. But his brother would find ways of forcing them to do it.
He considered asking Romulus about his cousin, Finn Brayden. He had heard glowing reports about his financial acumen. Haversham was keen on the idea the moment he’d tossed out the name. “An excellent man, my lord. His wife makes soaps.”
Innes laughed. “And how is his wife’s soap making relevant to his financial reputation?”
“The wife and her sister run the finest perfume shops in England. They were already known before Finn married her, but he did help the sisters expand the business and keep it thriving. Their shops are mostly in Oxford, but they also sell in the finest London establishments. More than just perfumes, mind you. Colognes for men, soaps, oils, lotions, healing ointments. Have you never heard of the Farthingale soaps?”
“Farthingale? What is his wife’s name?”
“Finn is married to Belle Farthingale. The other sister is Honey Farthingale. She is now married to the Earl of Wycke.”
Innes had never met them. At least, he did not think so. Then again, whenever Violet and Romulus entertained at home, he preferred to be upstairs in the nursery playing marbles with Charles and Harry, the Farthingale boys who were about his age. Sometimes they would allow Hyacinth to play with them so long as she promised not to put the marbles in her mouth. “How are these ladies related to Violet Brayden?”
“Cousins.”
He supposed they were all on good terms. He’d never met people more caring of each other than that Farthingale clan. He doubted much had changed over the years. Hyacinth was of the same mold.
A man could suffocate with so much family around. “Take yourself off, Haversham. Enjoy your tiny Tim’s performance. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thank you, my lord.” He hastily packed up his papers and hurried out before Innes had a change of heart and called him back.
He had no intention of doing so.
Perhaps he would even mention his good deed to Hyacinth and see how she responded. Why her opinion should matter, he simply did not know. Perhaps because he’d been closed off for so much of his life, he knew very little about people or how to respond to them.
No, that was not quite accurate. He was quite familiar with the worst of people and knew how to deal with them.
It was those with a kind nature who threw him off stride.
By eight o’clock that evening, he was walking to the door of Number One Chipping Way, not at all surprised to find Hyacinth standing beside their butler, her smile enormous as she greeted him. “Innes, you look so handsome in your Royal Navy uniform. Papa has worn his, as well. I knew you both would because you’re determined to show off to each other. I suppose you’ll compare medals next.”
“I’m sure your father has more.”
“But yours are newer and quite blinding in their shine.”
She had him grinning again. Then he remembered he needed to lecture her. A blistering lecture she would never forget. He held her back a moment before they entered the parlor to greet her parents. “Hyacinth,” he said, trying to appear stern and not falter as she continued to smile at him.
She regarded him with her big, gorgeous eyes. “Yes, Innes?”
He cleared his throat and frowned at her. “What you did in coming to my house on your own was the height of folly.”
He struggled to hold that frown. She looked so beautiful in her lilac gown, the soft color bringing out the violet of her eyes. Blessed saints. He could stare at her for hours and not grow tired of looking at her face.
“I was hardly alone. My friend dropped me off in front of your house, and I was only standing there a few minutes before your butler came out to me.”
“The point is, in those few minutes, someone might have come along and abducted you.”
“In Belgravia? On your street? With your private neighborhood guards patrolling?”
“Yes, even so. You are an heiress. Anyone—”
She laughed. “Who told you I was an heiress? I won’t deny that we are quite comfortable, but an heiress? I should hardly think so.”
“You’re not?” He was not about to admit his butler had told him. “But it changes nothing. You should not have come to me on your own. Your beauty alone would have caught the eye of every man. You were defenseless. What if someone had grabbed you?”
“But no one did.” Her eyes were aglow, and she was smirking. “Do you think I’m beautiful?”
“Gad, you are irritating. Stop making a jest of it. I’m serious, Hyacinth. You were alone. Someone could have stolen you off the street. Your father will lock you in your room for a month if he learns of it.”
She put her arm in his, her irritating smirk now gone. “You’re right, Innes. It is no jesting matter, and you are understandably angry with me. I’ve never done anything so rash before. I won’t ever do it again. I promise you.”
“Do you mean it?”
She nodded. “I give you my sacred, unbreakable vow. I know it was foolish. But I simply had to see you. I was afraid if I merely wrote you a note, you’d ignore it.”
He would have, for he was used to being alone and had grown comfortable with it…or perhaps he was merely resigne
d to it. Keeping one’s distance was a much easier proposition than learning to trust and risking one’s heart. “Well, so long as you’ve given me your promise. Don’t go out alone again, Hyacinth. You are Romulus and Violet’s only child. It would destroy them if anything were to happen to you.”
“And you, Innes? What would it do to you?”
“Don’t ask me that.”
She held him back another moment when he attempted to escort her into the parlor. “But I did just ask. Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because my heart is not in a good place right now, and my answer would likely hurt you.”
“I see.” She pursed her lips, now giving thought to his statement. “Well, there’s no help for it. Aunt Sophie and Uncle John host a party at this time every year. After supper, we all gather in the parlor and write down our Christmas wishes. I now know what my Christmas wish must be this year.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And that is?”
“I shouldn’t tell you, but I suppose there’s no harm in it since you’d never play along, and you obviously don’t know what I am talking about.” She regarded him as though he were dense as a rock. “My wish will be to heal your damaged heart, of course. You don’t think I’d waste such a wish on a new pair of shoes, do you?”
Chapter Four
As Hyacinth, her parents, and Innes sat around the dining table enjoying a fish soup, Hyacinth decided she would once again allow herself to fall in love with Innes. Not that she had much of a choice since her heart was leading the way and seemed to have already arrived at this conclusion.
He looked devastatingly handsome in his uniform.
So did her father. Her mother still swooned over him after all these years, and he felt the same about her. It was embarrassing sometimes, walking in on them as they kissed each other with a passion Hyacinth did not realize older people could still feel.
Was it possible for her and Innes to grow old together like this?
She dismissed the notion.
Innes hadn’t kissed her yet, and she wasn’t certain he ever would.
He and her father were now talking of their years together on the frigate her father used to command, the Plover. Something about a particularly fierce pirate attack in the St. George’s Channel, just west of the port town of Pembroke in Wales.
“You were what?” her mother remarked, placing a hand over her heart.
“Attacked by pirates,” Innes replied. “It did not happen very often. Most of those scoundrels knew to keep clear of us. But every once in a while, some idiot with pretensions of grandeur felt the need to show off and would attempt to take us on. The closest our ship ever came to sinking was the time that Welsh pirate, Owain Gryffedd out of Aberystwyth, caught us by surprise one foggy night and tried to set our ship afire.”
“Romulus! You never told me.” Her mother reached out her hand to her father.
He took it and swallowed it in his. “No, love. We were never in any real danger.”
“Indeed,” Innes agreed. “Your husband has the finest instincts I’ve ever seen in a sea captain. In any man, for that matter. He sensed them approaching and had us in position to attack by the time they reached us. He steered the Plover straight into them, ramming her bow into the heart of their vessel and sinking it before ours could catch fire. They still tried to burn us down but had aimed their flaming arrows too high and only managed to singe our mainsail. The air was too wet for their arrows to do much damage.”
He paused only a moment to stare at her father. “Captain Brayden, I never understood how you knew they were coming upon us.”
Her mother was now scowling at her father. “Yes, do tell us, Romulus. Why is this the first I’ve ever heard of your adventure?”
The table was small, and they were all seated close together. Her father still had hold of her mother’s hand with no intention of releasing it while she was so obviously overset. “It was nothing. I did not want to worry you, my love.”
Hyacinth was still curious as to the answer. “But how did you know they were coming at you, Papa?”
He shrugged. “Just a feeling prickling up my neck. Perhaps a sudden charge to the air. Also, a sudden change to the air. So many reasons that strike us without our knowing. It could have been the way the waves were suddenly hitting the hull. Different, somehow. It’s just an instinct one has for these things.”
Hyacinth was fascinated. “Is it the same instinct that told you Mama was the woman you would love forever and ever?”
His expression softened as he stared at her mother. “I suppose. Same prickle up my neck. Same charge to the air. But in a good way. My heart knew at once. But how does one possibly fall in love so quickly? We both were taken aback by the power of our feelings. The passing days ultimately confirmed what we felt for each other was real and everlasting.”
Hyacinth wished she could find the same enchanted love. “Did that book help?”
“What book?” Innes asked.
Her father groaned.
Her mother coughed delicately into her table linen.
“That is a story in itself, Innes,” Hyacinth said. “I saw The Book of Love only once, just last week. It’s next door at Aunt Sophie’s house.”
Her mother gasped. “You saw it?”
“Yes. It was tucked away in Aunt Sophie’s writing desk. I was helping her write her Christmas party invitations, and my hand brushed against it as I drew out the card stock. Innes, it has a faded red binding, and it was written a very long time ago. Nobody knows who wrote it. The point is, this book is magical and will lead you to your true love.”
She turned to her mother. “I think Innes ought to borrow it.”
He’d just taken a sip of his wine and swallowed it the wrong way. “Hyacinth, don’t be daft,” he managed to sputter between coughing fits.
Hyacinth waited patiently for him to regain his composure. “Do all men respond this way to the mere mention of love? Did you, Papa?”
Her father exchanged a grin with her mother.
“As for me, I would love to read that book,” she muttered, at the same time quite irritated with the men at the table. “Who wouldn’t want to know if they were about to exchange wedding vows with the wrong person?”
Innes cast her an impatient glance. “It isn’t a problem for me. I am never getting married.”
Hyacinth set down her spoon with a clatter. “That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. Of course, you must marry. It needn’t be to me. But I would consider you supremely foolish if you did not consider me. I would be perfect for you.”
Everyone’s spoon dropped with a clatter.
“Hyacinth!” her father intoned.
Perhaps she should not have said that.
“What?” She frowned back at all of them. “He is certainly old enough to marry. He is smart and handsome. No point in denying it since it is obvious to everyone…the handsome part. He looks magnificent in his uniform, and my eyes are still blinking from the shine on his medals. However, I’m not sure how smart he is. His statement about never marrying is quite idiotic, don’t you think? I’ve never met a man more in need of a happy home life. He already has a beautiful house. And a lovely carriage that he almost certainly overpaid for. Why let it all go to waste?”
Her father was staring at her in dismay but addressed Innes. “I don’t even know what to say. I cannot begin to apologize for my daughter’s sudden insanity.”
Hyacinth knew she had been more than a little outrageous. “No, Papa. You needn’t make excuses for me. I’ll apologize.”
She turned to Innes, hoping she looked contrite. Only, she wasn’t really contrite at all. He needed saving. He needed people around him that he could trust and who would make him happy. “I am sincerely sorry, Innes. In my own defense, I feel as though I’ve known you all my life and can be honest with you. For your own good, of course. You are the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother. This is why I did not censor my words.”
“Instead, you s
aid whatever popped into your head,” her father admonished.
“Did you not raise me to always tell the truth, Papa?” She turned once again to Innes. “Perhaps it was a little too much truth, too soon. I have to remember that we haven’t seen each other in years and are, in fact, strangers.”
She hoped he would not leave the table and walk away from them forever. Her parents would never forgive her if he did. “But you truly do not feel like a stranger to me. Never mind what I said about your marrying me. I wasn’t proposing to you. I only meant that I wanted you to be happy and cherished as you deserve to be. The same way my parents adore and cherish each other.”
Since no one uttered a word, she felt compelled to continue. “I told you yesterday that eligible young gentlemen are lining up outside my door. Well, the truth is, they are not. This is the reason why…I am not very good at keeping my mouth shut and simpering prettily. I talk too much and do not hesitate to give my opinion, usually unasked for and rarely appreciated. But don’t blame my parents for my failings. They would be crushed if you avoided them because of me.”
Innes raised his glass of wine and slowly sipped it, his gaze never leaving hers.
She cleared her throat. “Indeed, I can remain locked away in my room whenever you visit. You won’t ever have to see me again if you don’t wish to. Unless you do wish to see me. Do you think you might ever want to see me again?”
He put his elbows on the table and propped his chin on his hands. “Are you always like this?”
She glanced at her parents in desperation, but they did not appear at all inclined to jump in and save her. “Yes, I’m afraid so.”
No one said anything as the footmen cleared away the soup and brought out the next course, a venison pie. “I remembered it was your favorite, so I asked our cook to make it for us this evening,” Hyacinth said, wishing someone else would talk and relieve her of her misery. “Do you still enjoy it, Innes?”
He nodded. “Still my favorite.”
His expression gave away nothing. However, he remained seated at the table, which in itself spoke volumes. Her accidental marriage proposal—and it had been purely accidental—had not chased him away yet. “Good. I’m glad.” She cleared her throat again. “Mama, is that a new gown you’re wearing?”
O Night Divine: A Holiday Collection of Spirited Christmas Tales Page 24