Kit placed Mary’s hand on his arm. She shivered as a spark ran up his arm. “Are you cold?”
“A little.”
He wrapped his arm around her, drawing her to his side. “I am told I’m a warm fellow.”
The jest appeared lost on her. “You are. I should have brought my shawl.” She moved away. “We should go in. I do not want Cook to be upset.”
The soup was good, as was the rest of the meal, yet with Doust and Lady Eunice making sheep eyes at each other and in general behaving like April and May, and Mary avoiding meeting Kit’s eyes, it was the longest meal of his life. For the first time, he was relieved when she stood, signaling an end to dinner. By the time he entered the drawing room, Mary had gone.
Perhaps it was a good thing his friends were due in a day or two. Somehow he’d managed to get on her bad side, and he didn’t even know how he’d done it.
Hell. This courting business was a deuced sight harder than he’d thought it would be.
Around eleven in the morning the next day, one of the younger footmen skidded to a stop on the polished oak floor in front of Kit. “Sir, there’s a mess of coaches coming up the drive.”
Reinforcements. Finally. He was fully prepared to be the butt of his friends’ jokes if they could just tell him how to go on with Mary. “Go find her ladyship and tell her she is wanted in the hall.”
The lad bowed. “Right away, sir.”
Several minutes later, Mary came from the back of the house. Kit was at the door when she joined him. “What is it? Jemmy was out of breath when he got to me.”
Moving to her side, Kit placed his hand on the small of her back. For a moment she leaned into it, then stopped. If only he could ask her what was wrong, but he doubted she would tell him. “It appears our guests have arrived.”
Mary’s face lit up like the fireworks at Vauxhall. “I can’t wait. It has been so long since I’ve been able to spend any time with them. All I’ve had is letters.”
Kit hadn’t before considered how lonely her life must have been during the past few years. If she gave him the opportunity, he would ensure she was never isolated again. “Simons, open the door.” He placed her hand on his arm. “Shall we, my lady?”
“Yes, let’s.” Her smile grew wide, and he ground his teeth, wishing her happiness was directed at him.
They strolled through the doorway just as a team of gleaming, perfectly matched blacks came stamping to a halt. Three gentlemen on horseback rode up to the wide, shallow granite steps. Two had small children strapped to them. He grinned. That was one way to do it. When the third carriage stopped, the door opened and two women piled out, quickly making their way to the horses.
Simons was about to open the lead coach’s door when Marcus called out, “Here, take him and give him to his nurse. I’ll get my lady.”
Kit fought the urge to chuckle as Arthur was handed to the butler.
Mary giggled, covering her mouth as she did. “I should not have laughed.”
“I don’t know.” Kit bit off his laugh. He doubted the butler would enjoy being the object of amusement. “The sight of your butler holding Arthur out as if he doesn’t know what to do with the lad is quite entertaining.”
Fortunately, the child’s nurse was right there to take him.
“It is. Oh no, now he has the other one.”
“That’s Ben. Anna and Rutherford’s boy.”
By the time Ben was in Simons’s hands, Marcus was handing Phoebe down from the carriage.
Mary rushed forward. “Phoebe.”
Soon Mary was crushed in her friend’s embrace, then handed off to Caro and Anna. As the ladies hugged and kissed, the gentlemen came to greet Kit.
He clasped Marcus’s hand. “How was the trip here?”
“About as expected with two young boys. How goes the courtship?”
Kit grimaced. “For a day or two I thought I was doing well, then something happened yesterday, and she’s been distant ever since.”
“Women are the very devil to figure out.” Huntley clapped Kit on the back. “But we’re here to help.”
