I shook my head. “Daisy doesn’t want to move, and I happen to know that sheespeciallydoesn’t want to move into KP. She’s made that clear more than once.”
Nicky snorted. “What my little sister wants and what she should do are usually two very different things. In the end, it doesn’t matter. She’s been given years of freedom, and now it’s time for her to take a little more responsibility in life.”
“Huh.” Patting my face dry, I reached for my moisturizer. “Well, let’s put that whole issue aside—because in the end, what we think doesn’t matter. It’s all up to Daisy. What made your grandfather think we might be interested in some estate? If we’re getting kicked out of our cottage, why wouldn’t we just find another place in London?”
I hadn’t explored much of the UK in the eighteen months or so that I’d lived here. Every now and then, Nicky and I had an engagement that required us to take the train a little further afield than Greater London, and we’d attended a couple of parties in the country, but that was the extent of my experience with the English countryside.
On the other hand, we had spent two weeks at Balmoral this past summer after our honeymoon, and I’d fallen in love with the rugged Scottish land. The Queen, aware of my love for all things historical and botanical, had taken me on several tromps through the estate, pointing out spots of significance and tolerating my raptures over thistles and vegetation. Still, I was happy to enjoy that part of the world during the Royal Family’s seasonal sojourns there. I didn’t have any desire to buy a house and move to Scotland ... or anywhere else that wasn’t London.
“First of all, we’re not getting kicked out of the cottage. I always understood that this was a temporary home until I married and started my own family.”
“Mmmmm.” I was noncommittal, although I had to admit that Nicky had alluded to this fact several times in the past. I’d just chosen to ignore it.
“Second, we’ll still keep a place here in London. It’d be impossible not to have a base here.”
“Here? As in Kensington Palace?” The residence I’d once seen as almost a prison had morphed into a sanctuary, one I wasn’t yet prepared to abandon.
“Possibly. There are other options, but it’s likely that an apartment will come available here, and we’ll take it.” Nicky patted my shoulder as he moved behind me to stand next to the sink.
“If we’re going to move to an apartment here, why can’t we keep the cottage?” I heard the stubborn note in my own voice. Nicky and I both knew that I hated change. Once I was comfortable in a place or a situation, moving to something new made me anxious and itchy.
“Because the cottage isn’t big enough for us. Or it won’t be, once we have children.” Nicky tossed out that phrase in an off-handed manner that made my heart skip a beat—in a good way. While I’d never really fantasized about kids, it was undeniable that the thought of having Nicky’s babies made me go soft and gooey on the inside. It also made other parts of my body heat up.
“All right,” I sighed. “But even so, do we really need a second home outside the city? I’m not sure I can keep up with two houses and the oodles of children that we’re apparently going to have. That sounds like a full-time job in and of itself.”
“We’ll have help, Ky, both at the apartment and wherever else we might end up with a home. And who said anything about oodles of children? I wasn’t aware that we’d committed to a number.” Nicky picked up the toothpaste and slid me a sideways glance.
“We didn’t, but Nicky, for heaven’s sake, look at you.” I pointed to his reflection in the mirror, my gaze roaming over the ropes of muscle on his arms, the way his thin tee hugged the contours of his chest and substantial bulge that was barely disguised by his boxers. “There’s no way I’m going to be able to stop at just a couple of babies when this is the package we’re working with.”
The hint of a flush spread over his cheeks. “I think there’s a compliment buried in there somewhere. So thank you for that.” He ran water over his toothbrush.
“I think maybe that’s part of what’s freaking me out about the idea of a second home,” I mused, resting my ass against the edge of the vanity and folding my arms over my chest.
Nicky, in the midst of brushing his teeth, answered me with a quirked, questioning eyebrow.
“The help part,” I elaborated. “Right now, we have Mrs. Winston coming in twice a week, and that’s lovely. The bathrooms are cleaned, the sheets are changed, iffy leftovers are tossed from the fridge ... all that is wonderful. But she’s not here living with us all the time. We’re almost always out when she’s working. It’s like magic fairies come in and clean our house while we’re working.”
“Not sure Mrs. Winston would appreciate being compared to a magic fairy,” Nicky said wryly, rinsing off his toothbrush. “But I see your point. And yes, I understand that it will take some adjustment, but we can make this into whatever works for us. We can have as much or as little help as we decide we need.”
“I don’t want people in our business all the time. I like how cozy and intimate we are here.” Moving behind Nicky, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his sturdy back. “I want to be able to sit on your lap and make out with you without worrying that someone’s going to interrupt us.”
“Then we’ll make sure the only people able to interrupt our make-out sessions are our, uh, oodles of children.” He reached for a towel to dry his face and then turned in my arms to pull me closer. “And aren’t you even the least bit curious about the place Grandpa mentioned to me?”
“Sure.” I rested my cheek over his heart, letting my eyes drift shut. “Tell me all about it.”
“Your enthusiasm is overwhelming.” Nicky brushed a kiss over the top of my head. “The reason Grandpa thought of us specifically is that his cousin is very passionate about speculative farming techniques. He actually founded a center for researching new practices, and he has a couple of acres devoted to new sorts of crops.”
I wriggled in Nicky’s hold. “Really? Are you serious? I’d have my own dirt to play in?”
“To your heart’s content. As long as you promise not to leave me on my own with our oodles of children for hours on end.” Nicky grinned. “Take them with you. They can learn to make mud pies.”
“I can’t make any promises.” I stood on my toes to press a kiss to his mouth. “When can we go see this estate? And is it something that we could really consider doing? I mean, can we afford it?”
“In reverse order of your questions, yes and yes, and as far as when ... I need to check our schedules, but I think next weekend, we might be able to slip away for a quick visit, after I’ve gotten back from that conference in Scotland. What do you think? Maybe drive up there on Saturday morning and then spend the night with Cousin Anders—he’s the current estate owner. Then we could come back home Sunday or Monday, depending on what’s on your calendar.”
“A weekend trip!” I almost squealed. As much as I’d dreaded the thought of living anywhere but London, now the idea of this country home was growing on me. The thought of having land on which to play and plant was entirely too tempting. “I can clear my calendar for that.”
“Wonderful.” Nicky kissed the tip of my nose. “I’ll see what I can do to make it happen. If Grandpa calls his cousin and lets him know we’re interested, I think the old geezer will be more than happy to host us for a night or two.”
