The Hellion and The Heartbreaker (29 page)

“And you
look lovely, as always,” he replied tenderly.

“I am a
mother, Colin.”  Her voice was filled with wonderment and joy, and a touch
of disbelief.  She looked toward the sleeping baby at her side. 
“Have you seen him?”

“Last
night,” he said, his gaze shifting toward the baby.

“Isn’t he
the most beautiful thing ever, Colin?”  Scarlett turned and caught the
unguarded expression on her brother’s face.

Her smile
evaporated.  “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,
Scarlett, everything is fine.”  He gave her a reassuring smile.  “He
is
a handsome little bugger.”  His
voice was upbeat.  “What are you going to name him?”

“Colin?” 
Something was troubling him and she wouldn’t be put off. 

“It’s
nothing, Scarlett, really.  I’m tired, that’s all.  I just need to
get some rest.”  He started to rise from his chair but Scarlett’s voice
stopped him.

“Tell me
Colin!”  Despite her weakened condition her voice was strong, her tone
adamant.

He sat
back in the chair, resting his elbows on his knees, and leaned his chin onto
his clasped hands.  He met Scarlett’s pointed stare and sighed. 
“Your son deserves to have a father, Scarlett.  Not some fictitious name
on a piece of paper, but a real father.  It’s not fair to him and it’s not
fair to you.”

Her eyes
widened slightly and then grew teary as she looked down upon her son.  “I
know.”

“Damn it,
I’m sorry, Scarlett,” he said, his voice filled with self-reproach.  “I
shouldn’t have said that.  I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“No. 
You’re right, Colin.  It’s not fair.”  Her hand moved to rest lightly
against her son’s soft cheek and she spoke with fierce determination. 
“But I
will
make it up to him somehow.  I swear I will.” 

“You are
going to be a wonderful mother, Scarlett.  Of that, I haven’t the
slightest doubt.”

“And my
son is going to have four of the most amazing uncles a boy could ever wish
for,” she said, turning back to Colin.

“You’re
darned right he is.”  Bending down, he kissed her cheek, and then
delicately brushed his fingertips across his nephew’s brow.  “Get some
rest, Minx.”  Rising to his feet, he couldn’t resist teasing.  “If
your son is anything like you, you’re going to need your strength.”

Smiling, Scarlett
watched him go, confident that her son would have every bit of the love and
happiness he deserved.

When Colin
reached the door, he stopped, turning back.  “I almost forgot,” he
said.  “What are you going to name him?”

Scarlett
looked at her son, her expression filled with love.  “I’m going to call
him Oliver.  Oliver William.”
 
After
a great deal of thought, she’d chosen the name in reference to Alec’s mother,
Olivia, though she doubted that anyone would ever make the connection.
 
At least she certainly hoped not.

“I like
it,” Colin said with a nod, and then quietly left the room.

Shortly
after Colin’s departure, Tess returned to tend to the baby and tried to
convince Scarlett to rest before her strapping young son demanded another
feeding.  As Tess leaned over her to adjust her pillows, she looked up at
the woman who had been like a mother to her since she was five years old. 
She saw the same dear face, the same brown hair, now tinged with grey, coiled
at the nape of her neck and the same plump bosom she had cried upon time and
again after skinning her knee or bumping her head, and suddenly burst into
tears.

“Oh my
baby,” Tess crooned, pulling Scarlett into her arms. 

Once
again, Tess held her while she cried.  But this time her tears weren’t
those of a little girl with a skinned knee to be quickly assuaged with a loving
hug and a chocolate-covered bonbon.  This time they were the tears of a
young woman overwhelmed by a tidal wave of conflicting emotions.  She was
blissfully happy to have given birth to such a beautiful, healthy baby boy, but
she was also devastated that Alec wasn’t there to share in the birth of their
son.  Her dreams of marrying Alec, of loving him forever, of having his
children and of them living happily ever after hadn’t come to pass, and she
knew that they never would. 
Oh Alec
, she thought,
this isn’t
how it was supposed to be.  I loved you so much.  I love you still.

Tess held
her, rocking her gently in her arms and whispering soothing words into her ear
until her sobs gradually turned to slow ragged breaths.  Settling Scarlett
back against the pillows, she wiped the last of the tears from her cheeks and
then sat by her side, softly stroking her hair long until she finally drifted
off to sleep.

“Mama, Mama,
Uncle Gavin said we are going to London!” 

Scarlett
looked down upon her son who would be three next month and into his cherubic
face, now beaming with excitement.  Obviously, her brother had spilled the
beans about their upcoming trip to the city.  It was no wonder Oliver was
excited, her brothers were forever telling him about London and all of the
wonderful things to do and see there.

“Are we
going to visit Uncle Conner?  Will we see baby Rose?” he asked.

Scarlett
reached down and scooped her son up into her arms, settling him on her hip as
he lovingly slung his arms around her neck.  “Would you like that
darling?”

“Oh yes,
Mama,” he said, nodding his head enthusiastically.  “Are we going,
really?”

“Yes, my
sweet, we really are,” Scarlett assured him with a bright smile, despite the
trepidation that lurked within her.  She knew she couldn’t put it off any
longer.  Her niece was nearly three weeks old, and like Oliver, she was
anxious to meet the newest member of their family.  Besides, it was
well-past time for her to face her fears and return to London.

Conner, the
first of her brothers to marry, had wed the lovely Julia Ashcroft eighteen
months ago in a simple ceremony at the country home of Julia’s parents. 
They could have had a lavish London wedding, but Julia, like Conner, preferred
the quiet and serenity of the country, and had therefore chosen to keep it a
simple family affair.  Scarlett had long suspected that
she
might
have been a factor in the couple’s decision as well, though they had never let
on.

Despite the
continued assurances of her brothers, as well as Julia that she would be
eagerly welcomed back into the good graces of the
ton
if she chose to return, Scarlett had her doubts.  However,
though she was content with her life and didn’t miss the social whirl of London
in the least, she knew she couldn’t remain secluded forever.  She owed it
to her son to at least try to overcome her past mistakes and repair whatever
was left of her damaged reputation.  Oliver deserved nothing less. 
For him, she would do anything.  And so, for the past weeks she had been
preparing herself for the trip that was now upon them.

Though
Conner and Julia’s country home was only a few miles from Grey Oaks, Julia had
wanted to be in London for the birth of their first child, as the Season was in
full swing.  Though she couldn’t partake in many of the festivities
herself, and didn’t really care to in any event, the majority of her family and
friends were presently in the city, and Julia, nervous about the birth, had wanted
to be surrounded by her loved ones.  Thus, she and Conner were currently
staying at Julia’s parents London residence.  Considering her own
experience, and the difficulties she’d had delivering Oliver, Scarlett could
hardly blame her.  However, fortunately for Julia, and her anxious
husband, the birth of baby Rose Marie McPhearson had gone off without a hitch.

Giving her
precious son a loving squeeze, Scarlett noted that he was dressed, as usual,
for riding.  The tops of his miniature Wellingtons were dusty, and
Scarlett could tell by the look and smell of her young son, that he had just
come from the stables.  “Did Uncle Gavin take you riding this morning?”

“Uh huh, I
rode Jack.” 

The pony
had been a gift for Oliver’s second birthday, and he had promptly named the
gentle grey Jack, after the adventurous boy in his favorite bedtime story, Jack
and the Beanstalk.  His vocabulary had been fairly limited at the time, so
Jack it was, and Jack it had remained, despite the Shetland pony’s female
anatomy.  If Oliver were anything like the rest of the family, including
her, he would be demanding to ride a spirited stallion before long.  But
fortunately, for the time being, he was more than content with Jack, for which
she and her brothers were exceedingly grateful.

Over the
past year, Oliver seemed to have gotten more daring and more adventuresome with
each passing day.  He was a rough and tumble lad, and Scarlett was
grateful that she had three of her four brothers around, most of the time
anyhow, to help her keep up with the little scamp.  He was a bundle of
boundless energy, and it seemed the only time he didn’t keep her and his doting
uncles on their toes, was during his afternoon nap.  Despite her son’s
near constant state of activity, she had balked at the idea of hiring a
governess.  She loved spending time with Oliver and didn’t feel it was
necessary to hire someone else to look after him when she was more than capable
of keeping up with him herself.  Besides, Tess had willingly stepped into
the role of Oliver’s secondary caregiver, and with her help, along with that of
her brothers, her young son was well-attended.

“Jack was
hungry, so I gave her an apple.”

“I’ll bet
I know someone else who’s hungry.  Shall we go and see what cook is fixing
for luncheon,” Scarlett suggested, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

“Maybe
plum pudding,” Oliver said, his vibrant green eyes,
Alec’s eyes
,
lighting up at the thought of his favorite dessert. 

“Mmm, that
sounds yummy,” Scarlett agreed.  “Let’s go and see.”

When they
reached the kitchen, Scarlett set Oliver down, after which he immediately
bounded over to Cook’s side, tugging on her apron strings as she stood at the
large wooden table in the center of the room.  “Have you made plum pudding
today?” he asked, his expression hopeful.

“Isn’t
that your favorite?”  Cook asked, bending down to brush her thumb across
the tip of Oliver’s nose, leaving a smudge of flour in its wake.

Nodding
his head enthusiastically in response, he grinned up at the plump, cheerful
woman who’d been in charge of the McPhearson kitchen for as long as Scarlett
could remember.

“Then of
course I made plum pudding.”

“Yippee,”
Oliver cheered, clapping his hands in excitement and bringing fond smiles to Mrs.
Crawley and the rest of the kitchen staff.

“But
first, you have to eat your vegetables,” Cook said, her smile suddenly replaced
with the no nonsense look Scarlett remembered from her own childhood.

Oliver’s
expression took on a slightly less enthusiastic cast, but he nodded in
agreement.

“Good. 
Luncheon is almost ready so you run along and wash up, and then we’ll see about
filling that hungry belly of yours.”

“Let’s go,
Mama,” Oliver said, grabbing her hand, already pulling her toward the
door.  There was nothing like the thought of Cook’s delicious plum pudding
to entice a young boy to wash his hands and face.

Later that
day, after Oliver had been tucked into bed for his midday nap, Scarlett, Rory
and Gavin sat quietly in the small gazebo that was nestled into a quiet corner
of the rear garden.  Colin had traveled to London the week before, so it
was currently just the three of them at home.  The afternoon sun was warm,
and they were all presently sipping tall glasses of Mrs. Crawley’s chilled raspberry
tea, a family favorite.

“Are you
nervous about London?”  Gavin asked, drawing Scarlett from her thoughts.

“A
little,” she admitted.  “Well, perhaps slightly more than a little.”

“It’s going
to be all right, Scarlett, truly,” Gavin assured her, his expression confident.

“Of course
it will,” Rory affirmed, nodding his head in agreement.

She smiled
and did her best to appear confident.  She could only hope that her
brothers were right.  Of course, the one thing her brothers couldn’t
predict was her reaction to seeing Alec again.  It was that, more than
anything that had her stomach in knots.  Despite the passing of time, her
feelings for Alec still remained.  She had loved him with every fiber of
her being, and if she were being honest with herself, she would have to admit
that she still did.  Though she tried not to think about him it was nearly
impossible, for every time she looked upon her son’s face she was reminded of
the man who had captured her heart, and then rent it in two.

Since
arriving in London two days prior, Scarlett had only ventured out of the house
once, the day before, to meet her young niece.  She had eagerly taken the
infant into her arms, awed by her perfect, delicate features and utterly
delighted with her thick thatch of hair, nearly identical in color to her
own.  Oliver too, had been captivated with his new cousin, lightly
grasping her tiny fingers and laughing when she had curled them tightly around his
own.