In Good Company (22 page)

Thirty minutes later, after learning why everyone had been smiling their way, Everett shifted on the buggy seat, the heat of the day unrelenting since the buggy’s top had been pushed down. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket, he dabbed at his face. He couldn’t help wonder for what felt like the hundredth time how it had happened that Dudley, along with every other guest who’d been in attendance at the picnic, had come to be invited back to Seaview, and were even now stuffed into buggies and following Caroline’s buggy down the road.

From what little he’d been able to gather, Dudley had taken it upon himself to speak in glowing terms about . . . the peacocks. That bit of glowing nonsense had apparently been what had prompted the idea, much to Caroline’s delight, of everyone traveling to Seaview to see the peacocks.

The only problem with the plan was that no one except Everett seemed to be grasping the notion that this particular outing could go horribly, horribly wrong.

“Isn’t this just so exciting, acting so impulsively and inviting all of our friends to Seaview to meet our delightful peacocks?”

Everett shot a look to Dudley, who was looking rather smug, as if he and he alone was finally going to make Caroline’s dream of owning the most fashionable of pets come true. Returning his attention to Caroline, Everett tilted his head. “I have to admit that I’m finding this more nerve-wracking than exciting. I’ve yet to be convinced the peacocks are all that delightful.”

Caroline waved that comment aside as she looked at Gertrude, who was sitting right next to Dudley on the opposite side of the buggy. “Did I tell you that I saw one of the peacocks peeking out at me from the bushes as I sat on the terrace at Seaview this morning, and . . . well, it was just too adorable for words. It was so beautiful that I immediately came to the conclusion I’d been right to purchase Everett an entire flock for his birthday.” She nodded in clear satisfaction. “You mark my words, after today, everyone will be running out to buy themselves a flock of peacocks because they truly are going to be
the
fashionable pets of the season.”

“I’m afraid you might be a little mistaken regarding your assessment of the peacocks’ character,” Everett said quietly, his words stealing the smile from Caroline’s face.

“Must you argue with everything I say these days?” Caroline asked as her cheeks turned a vivid shade of pink even though her delicate skin was protected by her parasol. “You’re putting a huge damper on the fun we’re trying to have this fine afternoon, as well as embarrassing our two very good friends who made the unfortunate choice of getting into this buggy with us, and . . .” Caroline waved a hand at him as if she couldn’t think of any other words to say as Gertrude and Dudley began taking a pointed interest in the passing scenery.

Opening his mouth to argue that point, Everett immediately snapped it shut again when he glimpsed the unmistakable sheen of tears in Caroline’s eyes and the slight trembling of her lips.

An exceedingly unpleasant notion walloped him squarely over the head.

Caroline was right. He did argue with her frequently these days, even over something as ridiculous as what type of character the peacocks possessed.

It didn’t matter if he agreed with her. Caroline obviously thought it was of grave importance to impress their friends with the birds, and because of that, she deserved better from him.

Taking a second to collect his thoughts, he studied Caroline, who was not looking his way but directing her attention to Dudley, who was now sending her looks of deepest sympathy. Knowing how Dudley felt about Caroline, the sympathetic looks were a tad annoying—but not completely unwarranted.

Caroline was, and had always been, a lady who demanded attention. She was spoiled, self-centered, and rather bossy, when it all came down to it, but she was what every gentleman within society aspired to marry. She was beautiful, accepted in all the right circles, charming when she put her mind to it, and . . . she’d decided that he, out of all the other eligible gentlemen in society, was worthy of her affections.

He reached for her hand. “You’re absolutely right, Caroline. I’ve been arguing with you quite often of late, which has not been well done of me at all. I must beg your pardon here and now, and I hope you’ll somehow be able to forgive me for my boorish behavior.”

“You
have
been a complete boor, Everett. Quite dreadful, in fact.”

The buggy took that moment to turn off of Bellevue Avenue and began moving up his drive, but he didn’t take his gaze from Caroline’s face. “You’ll forgive me?” he asked quietly.

“I suppose I’ll have to since you must know that everyone has . . . expectations regarding us at this point.”

Leaning closer to her, he lowered his voice. “Caroline, if you’re having second . . .”

“Good heavens,” Gertrude yelled, sitting forward on the seat as she interrupted Everett and pointed at something in the distance. “Are those peacocks trying to run that boy down?”

Swinging his attention to where Gertrude was pointing, Everett felt his mouth drop open at the sight that met his eyes. Peacocks were streaming over the lawn, the largest ones in the front, followed by what appeared to be babies, and . . . they were chasing after a small boy—who had to be Thaddeus, but . . . he was wearing pants—and . . . from all appearances, he seemed to be running for his very life.

“Driver, follow those peacocks,” he shouted.

The buggy thrust forward, throwing Everett back against the seat. A glance to the right had his mouth dropping open again. Two members of his staff were chasing after the peacocks, although why the men were carrying a ladder between them as they ran was more than Everett could comprehend.

The second the buggy began to slow, he jumped over the side and immediately headed for the peacocks, which had stopped moving right underneath a large tree, but were now screeching so loudly it actually hurt his ears.

“Uncle Everett,” Elizabeth shouted, waving him forward. “I sure am happy to see you.”

Since he’d been expecting words laced with panic, but had gotten a somewhat pleasant greeting instead, Everett slowed his pace. “It’s good to see you as well, Elizabeth,” he called over
the screeching as he made his way to Elizabeth’s side. “What’s wrong with them?” he asked, nodding to two peacocks that were screeching louder than ever.

“They’re probably looking for Rose,” yelled a voice from above. “But . . . not to worry, I think I see her now.”

Glancing up into the tree, Everett spotted some feet, but then the peacocks abruptly went silent as Rose ran up to everyone, water slopping out of the glass she was clutching and soaking the front of her. She spared Everett not a single glance but sent a glare to Thaddeus, who was stepping out from behind one of the footmen.

Thaddeus
was
wearing short pants, as were Rose and Elizabeth, now that Everett took a closer look at them, and all the pants were made out of the same brown material—material that looked slightly familiar. Before he could determine where he’d seen the material before though, Rose stalked closer to her brother, looking very grumpy indeed.

“Why did you leave without me?”

Thaddeus scrunched up his nose. “Because we’re in the middle of an emergency, and . . . Did you stop in the house to get a glass of water when we ran in there to call for help?”

Rose lifted the glass, gulped down half the contents, wiped a hand over her mouth, and nodded. “I was thirsty.”

“You don’t stop to get water when there’s an emergency going on, and your peacocks were really upset when they couldn’t find you.”

Thaddeus looked up at Everett. “Girls don’t know anything about emergencies.”

“I do too know about emergencies,” Rose argued. “They make a person thirsty, and I bet Miss Millie will like having a nice drink of water once we get her out of that tree.” She held up the glass. “I saved her some of my water.”

Everett felt the corners of his mouth begin to twitch. “Millie’s gotten herself stuck up in this tree?”

“I’m not stuck,” Millie’s voice called down. “I’m simply taking a small break up here to, er, appreciate the lovely scenery.”

Swallowing a laugh, he looked at Elizabeth, who was grinning back at him. “What happened?”

“The string on Thaddeus’s kite broke, and it landed in the tree.”

“Did no one think about simply buying him another kite?”

“He was crying,” Millie called down to him. “Tell me if you’d been here and seen Thaddeus crying that you wouldn’t have hightailed it up this tree.”

“I would have, but I’m not afraid of heights, something I get the distinct feeling you suffer from,” Everett called back before he looked back to Elizabeth. “Why didn’t anyone think to send my father up the tree? I know he’s not afraid of heights.”

“He and your mother went off to fetch Mrs. Hart,” Elizabeth said. “But they’ve been gone for over an hour, which has been making Miss Millie awfully nervous.”

“Why would that make her nervous?”

Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled. “I’m not sure, but Miss Millie keeps mumbling something about plotting, and that everyone seems to have lost their minds.”

“Who lost their mind, dear?”

Elizabeth jumped when Caroline suddenly appeared under the tree, but then the young girl began backing up ever so slowly when Caroline drew in a sharp breath and pointed a finger Elizabeth’s way.

“What are you wearing?”

“They’re wearing pants,” Millie called down to them. “Per your request.”

“I only requested that Thaddeus start wearing pants, not the
girls, as I’m sure you very well know, Miss Longfellow. And . . . I recall ordering some drapes to be put up in the nanny’s room only a month or so ago that were made up in material remarkably similar to what Elizabeth’s wearing,” Caroline called up to her.

“I thought that material looked familiar,” Everett said to no one in particular. “And it’s not as if we should really be surprised the children are wearing clothing made out of drapes, since they’ve been doing just that for months now.”

Caroline drew herself up. “This is not amusing, Everett. I hate to even consider what all of our guests will think about us if they see the girls wearing pants, but if anyone realizes the children are actually wearing former drapes . . . ”

“No one but you and I have even been in the nanny’s room, Caroline, and as for the girls wearing pants, well, they’re just children, and I’m sure many of our guests have faced similar situations with their own girls.”

Caroline turned and directed her attention to where the buggies that had followed them to Seaview had now come to a stop. The occupants of those buggies were slowly climbing out of them, and to Everett’s disappointment, everyone seemed to be whispering rather furiously behind their hands.

Caroline immediately rounded on him. “Do they look like people who have seen situations like this before?”

“Well, no, and since we hardly want to distress our cherished guests, I’m going to suggest you take everyone to the back terrace and have Mrs. O’Connor serve some of that delicious lemonade she makes. I’ll join you just as soon as I get Millie out of the tree.”

“I don’t need you to get me out of the tree.” Millie said.

“Is someone stuck in that tree?” Dudley called.

“It’s just the nanny,” Caroline said before she started walking
Dudley’s way. “But there’s no need for us to linger here. It’ll hardly be amusing to watch her get rescued, so I need everyone to follow me. We’re going to adjoin to the terrace, where there’s a lovely view of the ocean, and Everett’s housekeeper will serve all of us her special lemonade.”

Waiting until the last of the guests disappeared around the corner of Seaview, Everett moved to the ladder his footmen had set up, shaking off his jacket as he did so. Handing it to Thaddeus, who’d immediately scampered over to his side, he eyed the tree.

“If you’re scared, Uncle Everett, I could go save her,” Thaddeus said solemnly. “It’s my fault since she only climbed up there because of my kite.” He hung his head. “I wasn’t watching out for the trees, and it got stuck when a big gust of wind caught it.”

“Thank you, Thaddeus, but I’m not afraid to climb the tree.”

“I’m not afraid either,” Millie yelled.

Completely ignoring that statement since he knew it was less than true, Everett glanced to the two footmen, Davis and Johnson, who were standing on either side of the ladder. “You’ll hold the ladder steady for me?”

Davis, a young man who always had a ready smile and a very pleasant personality, nodded. “We will indeed, sir, but I’d be happy to fetch Miss Millie.” He looked up the tree then back at Everett. “She’s a nice lady, she is, a real friendly sort, and it would be a true honor for me to go and save her.”

A stab of something unpleasant settled in Everett’s stomach as he immediately came to the conclusion that he’d been wrong about Davis, and that the man didn’t possess a pleasant personality at all, but was a pushy and far-too-handsome sort. Reaching out, Everett took hold of the ladder and raised a foot to the first rung. “While I certainly appreciate your offer, Davis, Miss Longfellow is my responsibility, and as such,
I’ll
save her.” Not allowing Davis an opportunity to argue, he began climbing, pausing when he reached the very last rung of the ladder and realized Millie was still sitting quite a ways away from him.

He couldn’t see much of her, given the foliage that surrounded them, but she was perched on a limb that seemed rather thin. She was also holding perfectly still, that stillness causing him no small amount of concern.

Millie was never still, and the very idea she wasn’t so much as moving a muscle proved she was in a very precarious state.

Pulling himself up and off the ladder, he climbed closer to her, stopping when the branch he was standing on began to bend. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be able to climb all the way up to you, Millie, so you’re going to have to scoot down here and meet me.”

“Not likely.”

“You really don’t have another option.”

“I told you, I’m going to sit here for a spell, rediscover my nerve, and then I’ll climb down on my own.”