Emrys opened his mouth to protest and gave up, shrugging. What did it matter?
“Careful, you’ll turn fashionable,” said Ravenshaw with a grin.
“I’ll never be a peacock like you,” retorted Emrys. Ravenshaw was not only stunningly handsome with dark hair and blue eyes, but also immaculate in his dress and appearance. His sporting proclivities prevented him from earning the sobriquet of dandy. Instead he was a noted Corinthian. He was also well known for his competitive streak.
“Care to play?” asked the duke, about to deal another round.
Ravenshaw sat down and ordered a bottle of Chambertin. “Ought to send round for Pendrell. We could play Whist with four,” he said.
“You just want to beat us to flinders again!” said Emrys with a grin.
“That’s a good idea. I’ll send a note.” Robert said. “The fellow is bound to be home; he never goes out unless one of us invites him. He’s in serious danger of turning into a hermit.”
Robert scribbled out a note and had it sent round to Deodonatus Kinninmouth’s residence. Half an hour later he joined them. The Earl of Pendrell was a giant of man with a shock of red hair and freckles, and features that were more hawkish than handsome. He made a striking contrast with the Marquess of Ravenshaw who was built on slenderer and more aesthetically pleasing lines. Ravenshaw put one in mind of a black panther or a bird of prey. Beautiful, graceful, and deadly.
“Congratulations!” Pendrell said, giving Emrys a bear hug. It was the first time he had seen Emrys since the wedding.
Several games later it was getting on time for dinner. Seeing that his friends were determined to make a night of it, Emrys debated whether to leave them and head home to Annis. Hemissed her already, he realized. It was the first day they had spent apart since they were married.
But when he suggested he would be heading home, the outcry gave him pause. He couldn’t spend every minute in Annis’s lap, as much as part of him wanted to. And his friends were good company, and he’d been neglecting them. He opted to send Annis a note and stay.
*
When Annis receivedhis note, she tried not to be disappointed. She had plenty to do, after all, between devising lessons for the children, her embroidery, and a book to read, but she couldn’t help feeling a little heartsore. She missed him. But it was unreasonable for her to expect him to dance attendance on her every night, nor could she expect him to eschew his friends for her sake.
She tucked the children in and kissed them good night.
“Where is Papa?” asked Charlie fretfully.
“He is out for the evening, but he will be home later,” Annis said with a reassuring smile.
Charlie pursed her lips and caught Annis’s hand. “Will you sing a song for us?”
“Of course.” She settled on the bed and chose a lullaby with a soothing cadence.
She glanced across the room where Ewen was tucked into his bed, his eyes already closed and his thumb in his mouth. Mrs. Green sat in her armchair, some sewing in her lap.
Lizzie settled herself and closed her eyes, but Charlie gripped her hand tightly and watched her as she sang. She clutched her doll in one arm and blinked as Annis switched to another song. Her eyelids slowly dropped and popped open again, and then again, and her grip on Annis’s hand loosened. By the end ofthe second song her eyes remained closed, but Annis continued singing softly for a few more minutes to make sure. The little girl’s hand lay loosely in hers.
Charlie’s reddish-blonde curls escaped her plait and curled round her face, her skin so soft and translucent with the round-cheeked plumpness of childhood. She was a pretty child and would likely be a beautiful young woman one day.
Annis’s heart felt full for these precious children she got to call her own. Her good fortune was hard to comprehend. She loved their father unequivocally. But she loved each of them, too, not simply because they were his, but because of who they were. Lizzie with her forthright personality and sunny disposition, Ewen with his sweet affection, and Charlie with her sensitivity.
Her compassionate heart bled a little for Charlie. She understood so well the insecurity that plagued the little girl. She of all of them seemed to have taken Caroline’s death the hardest. It had rocked her world and turned it upside down. Her trust was broken. Charlie might resemble her mother most in appearance, but on the inside, she was like her father, sensitive and a bit insecure. She hoped she could fill the void for Charlie, as she hoped she was doing for Emrys. Gosh, she missed him. She was as addicted to his cuddling as he was to doing it. She sat a while, just watching them sleep and wiped a tear of happiness off her cheek.
Finally, she rose and left the room on quiet feet, smiling and nodding to Mrs. Green.
When Emrys still wasn’t home at ten, she retired to bed and fell asleep over her book, jerking awake sometime later when the bed dipped and he murmured, “Just me.”
He slid under the covers and reached for her. The book fell off the bed with a thump, but she ignored it as he pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. “Missed you,” he said, husky voiced.
“Did you enjoy your evening?” she asked.
“Hm, yes, I did. Haven’t seen the fellows for a while. It was nice to catch up.” He kissed her neck, his hands running over her body through her night gown. “Bit bosky,” he confessed. “We had a few.” He found her mouth and kissed her. “What did you do this evening?”
“Planned tomorrow’s lessons and reading,” she said.
“And the children?”
