A Family Affair (15 page)

George
stood
to
greet
their
guest,
who
came
through
the
door
looking
overwhelmed
by
the
crowded
room
and
the
loud
chattering.

Devlin
bowed
his
head
to
his
host
and
the
ladies
before
seating himself
in
the
chair
Butler
conjured
from
nowhere
and
placed
at
George’s
right.
He
looked
around
the
table
with
a
strange
expression
on
his
beautiful
face until
his
gaze
briefly
stopped
as it met Fanny’s.

She could feel her cheeks turn hot,
and he
gave her an amused smile.
He seemed to enjoy her transparency, but it made him too aware of every emotion she felt.

“You’re
up
and
about
early,”
George
uttered,
as
his wife
poured
their
guest
some
tea.
“Is
this
something
you
learnt
on
the
continent,
perhaps?
Lord knows
it
isn’t
common
here among your peers.”

“This
is
an
awful
hour
to
be
up
and
about.”
Drake
let
out
with
a
big
yawn.
“I
still
can’t
understand
why
I
c
ouldn’t
stay
in
the
sack
for
a
few
hours
more. At least
until
it’s
time
for
the
fashionable
hour.
It
would
do
wonders
for
my
complexion,
you
know.”

“If
you
would
get
any
prettier,
none
of
us
would
be
able
to
eat
anything.
Instead
we
would
just
sit
here,
admiring
your
perfection.”

Drake
looked
at
Sebastian
with
a
little
too
much
eagerness. “You
think?”

George
ignored
the
young
ones
and
offered
Devlin
some
ham
sandwiches.

“You
know,”
he
said
as
he
set
the
tray
down
again,
“your
mother
was
one
of
the
most
beautiful
women
I
ever
met,
and
had
she
not been
already
betrothed
to
your
father
I
think
I
would
have
courted
her.”

Devlin
looked
surprised;
this
was
news
to
him.
As
if
George
understood
how
little
Conan
had
told
the boy
about
the
mother
he
didn’t
remember,
he
continued
with
dreamy
eyes.

“As you know, she
was
born
in
the
small
village
of
Compton,
not
far
from
Chester
Park,
and
she
was
the
loveliest
person,
both
outside
and
inside.
My best friend in those days,
Freddie
Aldworth,
and
I
were both
seriously
in
love
with
her.
Our
hearts
were
crushed
when
we
were
told
she
had
been
engaged
to
your
father
since
before
she
was
born.
However,
the
information
didn’t
stop
us,
of
course.
My
father
was
very
upset
with
me
at
the
time,
because
we
learnt
Emily’s
favorite
flower
was
a
pink
rose,
and
as
there
were
loads
of
pink
roses
in
the
garden
of
Chester
Park
we
picked
a
few
and
gave
them
to
her.”

Uncle
Harry
suddenly
laughed
out
loud.

“A
few,
you
say?”
He
guffawed.
“More
likely
thousands.
You
and
your
fellow
spent
a
whole
night
covering
the
front
of
her
house
with
all
the
flowers.
We
all
were
made aware
of that
as
soon as
her
father
came
with
three
wagons
and
returned
them
at
our
front
door the next morning.
He
was
spitting
mad
at
you
and
Freddie,
and
threatened
to
stuff
them
down
your
throats
if
you
did
something
like
it
again.”

“Oh,
Papa,
how
romantic
of
you,”
Fanny
said
dreamily.
“I
do
hope
Grand-Papa
didn’t
get
too
upset
with
you.”

“He did get upset, but not because we gave them to Emily. No, he got upset because he was all caught up about Anna at the time. She had told him the day before how she loved pink roses, and so he had invited her to come and look at the ones at Chester Park. What upset him was that he now would have to tell her there was no point in her coming, as there were no pink roses left.”

“But what did Emily say?” Fanny asked, not noticing how Devlin too stared at George, waiting breathlessly for the answer.

“Emily, as the wonderful person she was, saved one pink rose, which she dried and put in her jewelry case, where she kept all her things of great value. As I said, she had such a good heart. When I heard she had passed away only a few years later, the world became a bit dimmer.”

George sat quiet for a moment, obviously pondering the past, before he continued. “But it was a true treat for me when you came to Chester Park with Rake, Devlin. You look so much like your mother, you know. You have the same dark hair, golden eyes, and bright smile. It was like getting a small piece of her back. It was quite saddening you only came that one summer. We would have loved to have you there every year. Why didn’t you return? I hope we didn’t offend you in any way?”

Fanny froze. This was a question she too had wondered. She had been terribly upset all those years ago when her hero—and future husband—didn’t return to her.

“My father never cared whether I came home during the holidays, until he heard I’d spent a summer with your family. I don’t know why it bothered him, but I had no choice but to obey him, as he was my legal guardian and I had no say at all.”

Rake, who had been listening, now asked quietly, “Why didn’t you tell me? I thought it was something I did wrong, because all you told me was that you didn’t want to come with me again.”

“I told you I
couldn’t
come home with you again,” Devlin said. “But you never asked me why.”

Rake nodded thoughtfully, and Fanny leaned back in her chair. Was this why? All those tears she’d spent when he didn’t come back, and now she was told it hadn’t been his own choice.

Maybe her mother was right, years ago, when she told Fanny she should stop wearing her heart on her sleeve. Everything that happened wasn’t because of her.

As breakfast came to its end, the Darlings one after another left the family breakfast room. Slowly it grew quieter, until only Fanny and her parents remained with Devlin. They were well aware of why he was there without anyone saying it.

“Do you want to tell us what gives us the honor of welcoming you to our humble home today, Hereford?” George pretended innocence but with a wicked smile. “Or shall I just tell Fanny to go and get dressed and tell her maid to get ready for a walk in the sun?”

“Papa!” Fanny protested, embarrassed over her father’s forwardness, but Devlin only laughed.

“I would really enjoy your daughter’s company for a ride in the new phaeton I just bought, if it would be all right with you, sir? Unfortunately, there won’t be any room for her maid.”

“It would be just fine—or, what do you say, my dear?” he asked Caroline, who nodded with tears in her eyes.

“Fanny, dear, why don’t you go upstairs and get yourself ready? We will await you in my office.”

Fanny nodded to her father. She had to restrain herself from running until she was out of sight. Then she took the stairs two steps at a time, and in a second she was in her bedroom shouting orders to her maid Nell, who just smiled and shook her head at her young mistress’ obvious hurry.

Fanny rummaged through the dresses in her large wardrobe. What should she wear?

She wanted to make a really good impression. She wanted to show him she wasn’t just a debutante or the little girl from his past but a grown-up woman who would make an excellent duchess.

In the end, she picked one of the new mousseline gowns she and her mother had ordered from the seamstress when they arrived in London. It was a lovely pink color that she knew fit her complexion and didn’t render her pale and colorless.