His By Christmas (Hamilton Sisters) (6 page)

“The boys are here!” Yvette exclaimed with gladness. She took a nearly two-year-old Christopher in her arms and pulled him up to her lap. She only knew it was him because his name was embroidered on his little blue jumper. “Hello, sweet boy! Oh my, Lisette, they get bigger every time I see them!” She rained kisses on the boy’s little face, delighting in cries of “Auntie ’Vette.”

It was quite remarkable that Lisette had once been worried that she wouldn’t have any children and now she had three! In total Yvette was currently aunt to eight nieces and nephews. It would be great fun at Christmas when everyone arrived home again and all the children were together!

Smiling broadly, Jeffrey lifted Charles, the other twin, high up into the air, making the boy squeal with laughter. “What a little man you’ve become, Charlie!” He looked over at Lisette as he sat back on the sofa with Charles on his lap. “Now these two boys both favor Quinton, most definitely. But how you ever manage to tell either of them apart is beyond me. They truly are identical!”

Glowing with pride at her handsome little boys, Lisette admitted, “It hasn’t been easy. I’ve started to let Christopher’s hair grow a little longer so it’s easier to identify who is who. I must admit that I live in dread of mixing them up.”

“What does it matter if you mix them up?” Genevieve observed from her chair, airily dismissing her daughter’s fear. “They know who they are.
Quelle importance si vous les confondez? Les jumeaux savent qui ils sont eux. Les garçons restent des garçons. Ils n’ont pas tant d’importance
.”

“Mother!” Lisette gave Genevieve a hard look of disbelief, her delicate brows furrowed in consternation. “How would you like it if someone always called you by the wrong name?”

Genevieve threw up her hand and waved it in the air. “Eh. I would not care. What does it matter? Boys are boys!
Je ne m’en inquièterais pas.
”

Lisette frowned in consternation. “
Maman
, you are being impossible.”

Yvette tried to contain her laughter. Genevieve was in rare form today. Lisette, usually the picture of serenity, was already losing patience with their mother and they had only just arrived. Yvette fervently wished she could leave her mother here with Lisette for a few days.

Just then, Lisette’s husband, Quinton Roxbury, entered the room. Quinton was tall with golden blond hair and most handsome. Yvette thought he was smart, funny, and kind too. As far as brothers-in-law went, she had acquired four good ones over the years. She wondered idly how Lord Shelley would fit in with her sisters’ husbands. She tried to imagine him sitting here with her family and playing with the children, and she had a bit of difficulty doing so.

“Well, look who’s here!” Quinton made a fuss over Genevieve, making her flush with happiness. He gave her a kiss on the cheek in greeting. “Hello,
Maman
. It’s good to see you.”

Quinton laughed when he saw Yvette and Jeffrey cuddled together on the small sofa with Charles and Christopher in their arms. “And don’t you two look like a happy little family with my twin sons on your laps!”

Yvette caught Jeffrey’s gaze at that moment and she held her breath. A dark intensity in his blue eyes held her spell-bound. She blinked rapidly.

“They look adorable!” Lisette agreed, smiling at Yvette and Jeffrey with an amused expression on her face.

Genevieve joined in. “They do! How wonderful! They look like a lovely family.
Oh, ils forment une belle famille.
”

With her cheeks warming inexplicably, Yvette gave a nervous laugh and avoided Jeffrey’s eyes. “As if the infamous Lord Eddington would ever settle down and raise a family!”

“You never know. I might.” Jeffrey winked mischievously at them. “If I found the right woman.”

“That’s right,” Lisette pointed out with her usual optimism. “Jeffrey will make a wonderful husband and father someday. I’m quite positive of that. He just hasn’t met the right woman for him yet.”

“Run while you can, old fellow. They’re plotting your future,” Quinton cautioned in a joking manner.

“If I recall correctly, you started this whole line of conversation, my friend.” Jeffrey laughed as he handed little Charlie to his father.

Later that afternoon, after the children had been returned to the nursery and the adults had enjoyed their tea, Yvette noticed that the sky had cleared up considerably and the sun sparkled through the windows of Lisette’s parlor. She frowned at the sudden change of weather, which had ruined her original plans with Lord Shelley.

“Why the sad face, Yvette?” Jeffrey asked, eyeing her intently.

Before she could respond, her mother answered for her. “She is disappointed because the rain ruined her plans for riding in the park this afternoon. And now the sun has come out.
Elle est déçue parce que la pluie l’a empéchée de voir un certain monsieur
.”

“Oh, who were you to go riding with, Yvette?” Her sister’s face suddenly lit up with interest.

“Oh, no one you know. It really doesn’t matter,” Yvette said hurriedly, eager to change the subject. She was simply not ready to discuss it with them now, and she wished her mother had kept her mouth closed. It was entirely too soon. Yvette was still not sure of Lord Shelley’s intentions. “Would anyone care for more tea?”

Jeffrey eyed her with an amused expression, his blue eyes dancing. Yvette blinked.

“Are you keeping company with someone?” Lisette asked, her tone curious.

“No, I’m not keeping anyone’s company at the moment,” Yvette said through gritted teeth. “I assure you that when I am, I will let you know.”

“Come, Yvette. I can take you riding now if you like,” Jeffrey suggested brightly. “It’s cleared enough and the sunshine might cheer you up a bit.”

“Oh, yes! Thank you, Jeffrey. That would be lovely.” Yvette rose from the sofa in eagerness to leave. Jeffrey. He understood how she needed to escape her mother and sister’s prying. He was such a dear at times!

“Well, that might be just the thing she needs, Jeffrey.
C’est une idée merveilleuse, mon garcon! Emmenez-la se promener en voiture. Vous savez comment lui remonter le moral.
Good luck with her.” Genevieve waved them off with a smile.

Oddly enough, it struck Yvette as quite humorous that she had begun the day thinking she would be riding with Lord Shelley and she was ending up in a carriage with Jeffrey Eddington instead!

5

Secrets

Once settled in his elegant black carriage, Jeffrey looked at Yvette with sympathy. “Where would you like to go, my girl?”

“Anywhere.” She sighed heavily, resting her head against the cushioned leather seat. “Thank you for rescuing me from them.”

“My pleasure.” He gave instructions to the driver and sat back beside Yvette.

The carriage slowly made its way down the puddle-strewn cobblestone lane, toward the park, while the sun, hanging low in the September sky, peeked between gray clouds.

Jeffrey looked at Yvette, her cheeks flushed with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. There was no need to pretend with her. She knew that he knew. “You shall have to tell them all eventually.”

“I realize that and I can’t wait to tell them,” she said, sounding somewhat weary. “I truly wish to tell them. I do. But I need to be certain I have something definite to share with them first.”

“Something definite?”

She hesitated. “Yes . . .”

“You mean a proposal?” he asked, not really surprised.

“From Lord Shelley?”

Yvette’s soft cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink as she admitted, “Well . . . yes. Or at least close to a proposal.”

“Do you think that is a possibility in your immediate future?”

She nodded firmly, her dainty chin resolute. “I have every indication that it is.”

“Then why not tell them now? They are your family. Your mother. Your sister. They love you and only want the best for you. May I ask why you are keeping your interest in Lord Shelley such a big secret?”

Yvette’s robin’s-egg-blue eyes looked up at him, and for the first time, Jeffrey saw something in them he had not expected to see. They fairly glittered with determination, and something in his chest tightened at the sight.

She said, “I’ve had marriage proposals before and turned them down because I simply was not interested. This time is different. It may sound silly to you, but I don’t wish to spoil anything by mentioning him too soon.”

“But are you not completely certain of him?” He watched her carefully.

She grudgingly admitted, “There is one obstacle.” After a moment of silence, Jeffrey prompted her. “And who would that be?”

“Miss Jane Fairmont.”

“Ah, so you do have some competition. . . .” He liked the sound of that, although for the life of him, he couldn’t imagine any man choosing another woman when he could have Yvette Hamilton.

“It seems that way, yes.” Her tone was depressed.

“I’ve met Miss Fairmont before. She’s a very pretty girl. Good family.”

Sounding a bit deflated, Yvette agreed with his compliment. “Yes. I know.”

“Are you in love with him?” Surprising himself with the question, Jeffrey could not stop the words from escaping his mouth.

Yvette turned her gaze to the window. “I’m not sure yet.” Relief washed over him. She wasn’t in love with Lord Shelley! This fact only hardened his resolve to dissuade her from marrying the man. “You don’t love him, yet you wish to be his wife.” He paused before pointedly adding, “His duchess.”

She did not hesitate in her firm reply. “Yes.”

“I see.” But Jeffrey didn’t see. He couldn’t believe that his sweet little Yvette, now a grown woman sitting beside him, could be so deluded.

“Well then,” he said. “It seems your mind is made up. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“It’s too bad you couldn’t marry Jane Fairmont and get her out of the way,” Yvette remarked rather dryly.

Jeffrey laughed in spite of himself. He had to give her credit for determination if nothing else. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Yvette, but the lovely Miss Fairmont is not my type.”

Suddenly Yvette’s expression grew quite mischievous and she regarded him steadily. “And just what is
your
type, Jeffrey?”

He took a deep breath. Now was the moment to begin his romancing of her, his first move. He needed to turn her head a little. “Well, you are.”

Yvette burst into giggles. “What?”

Bristling somewhat at her reaction, Jeffrey stated, “Well, you asked. And you are my type. Or someone like you.”

Yvette rolled her eyes merrily. “Oh, Jeffrey! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard you say!”

He frowned at her. “Why do you say it’s ridiculous?”

“Because, Jeffrey,” she spoke to him as if he were a small child, “if someone like me were your type, you’d be a respectable married man with a large passel of children by now.”

“Not necessarily.”

“You only consort with actresses and dancers. Women like that.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. He was not comfortable with the idea of Yvette knowing about his private affairs. “How on earth would you know whom I ‘consort’ with?”

She laughed again. “Women always know about these things even if we never mention them. Everyone knows. Everyone talks. Have you forgotten how long I’ve known you?”

“No, I hadn’t forgotten, but you were a little girl. I didn’t think you were aware of my private life.”

“I was a child then, but I am not a little girl any longer, Jeffrey.” She gave him an arched look that shook him to his toes and added, “In case you haven’t noticed yet.”

He held his breath for a moment. Yes, he’d certainly noticed. His little Yvette was now a strikingly beautiful woman. A woman who wanted only to be a duchess.

“Besides,” she continued, “your private life is hardly private. Everyone talks about you.”

“Enough about me.” Jeffrey knew he had a reputation. In fact, he had done more to create it over the years than he should have. But for the first time in his life, he wished he had been more discreet with the ladies he’d romanced. The idea of Yvette knowing about this aspect of his life did not sit well with him.

“Tell me, Yvette, just how do you plan to win over the future Duke of Lansdowne?”

She suddenly grew flustered. “I don’t have a plan exactly . . . I just wish to . . . that is . . . I shall endeavor to convince him in my manner of behavior and dress that I am better suited to be his duchess than Jane Fairmont. I hope to make him fall in love with me.”

“Yes, and of course he will.” Jeffrey almost felt sorry for the man.

“It shouldn’t be too difficult to do, I would think.” Yvette gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “Other men have fallen in love with me when I wasn’t even trying. Do you have any advice for me?”

He shook his head. “No, I believe you will do fine on your own. But may I ask you a question?”

She nodded. “Of course.”

“Why do you wish to be a duchess?”

“What woman wouldn’t want to be a duchess?” she asked incredulously.

“I know plenty of women who would not be interested in such a position. However, I’m posing the question to you, Yvette. Why do you want to be his duchess when you don’t even love him?”

“I never said I didn’t love him. I am still getting to know him, for heaven’s sake!” She rolled her eyes in exasperation. “As it is now, I like Lord Shelley very much. He’s quite handsome, well-mannered, distinguished, and gallant. And I shall come to love him in time, I’m certain. And if I were his duchess, I would be a very important and grand lady.”

“You don’t believe you are important and grand enough now?” he questioned.

She waved her hand airily. “You know what I mean. I must say that I’ve grown weary of this conversation, Jeffrey. You used to be far more entertaining than this.”

Reluctantly, he supposed she was right. He had not been at all amusing and teasing with her as he usually was. Now that he had a clearer perspective on the situation, he should refrain from criticizing her and make himself more appealing than the highly regarded Lord Shelley. In order to protect her, Jeffrey had to make her want him more than she wanted to be a duchess.