George took a moment to ponder, then nodded.
“We should invite the bad dog,” he announced. “Maybe he would feel a little less grumpy if he got to play with us. He could become a good dog!”
“Wait,Damienis the bad dog?” Jeremy asked, then he threw his head back and laughed, an action that George immediately mimicked, and even Caroline giggled.
Though she was hesitant to spend more time with Damien, she knew it was a good thing that George wanted him to go along. They needed to bond, and despite what she felt, she was not going to get in the way of that.
Chapter 22
“Greetings and salutations, brother dearest!” Jeremy boomed as the door to Damien’s study flew open.
Damien looked up from his paperwork with a glare already fixed to his face, but he quickly shifted into a neutral expression when he saw Caroline and George coming in right behind his little brother.
“Good day,” Damien replied warily, sitting back in his chair.
Though Damien had felt his heart drop when Caroline had made her wants clear the other day, despite the moment they had shared, he could not help but feel the usual fondness for her as his eyes drew naturally to her person. She was beautiful, as always, in that buttercream gown he particularly liked, and today he noted how she had forgone her usual bun and wore her hair halfway down, her long, chocolate brown curls cascading down her shoulders and back.
She is more breathtaking every day.
He watched a blush steal over her cheeks, and her chocolate brown eyes quickly left his to stare at the floor. Realizing thathe was staring, he shifted his gaze to George and gave the boy a small smile.
“What is all this then?” he asked.
“We are going on a picnic,” George announced.
“That sounds lovely,” Damien mused.
“We were hoping you would come with us, Damien dearest,” George went on. “Jeremy is going to teach me how to float afterward.”
Damien raised his brows in surprise, flicking his gaze to his brother. Caroline tried to hide her chuckle at the boy’s imitation of Jeremy.
“Are you in any condition to be in the water with the boy?” he asked, taking in his brother’s exhausted state.
Like most men of theton,Damien enjoyed a drink or two in the evening. However, Jeremy seemed to be constantly in a state of inebriation to some degree or another, and he was starting to grow worried, even as he told himself he was just overjoyed at reuniting with old friends.
“I have never been better,” Jeremy replied, but as he took a step, he stumbled and barely caught himself on a nearby end table.
“I can see that,” Damien muttered, raising a brow.
Jeremy cleared his throat as he righted himself and straightened his wrinkled jacket.
“Though perhaps taking pleasure in another activity might be appropriate,” Jeremy acquiesced.
“I concur,” Damien mused, watching with curiosity as the boy wandered over to the drink cart and picked up an empty glass. With great seriousness, George reached for the nearest decanter, pretended to fill the glass, and then raised the glass to his lips. He swirled it once, just as Jeremy always did, closed his eyes, and took a long, satisfied sip of nothing.
Damien’s brow arched as he looked to Caroline, who was pressing her lips together very firmly.
“Jeremy has been teaching him the finer points of brandy appreciation,” she explained.
“I can see that,” Damien said.
“In my defense,” Jeremy began, “I did not actually let him drink any.”
“High praise,” Damien replied drily.
George, satisfied with his performance, set the glass down and, in doing so, caught the decanter’s neck with his elbow. It teetered for a moment, then toppled, taking the glass with it in a spectacular crash.
“I-I am s-sorry!” George exclaimed, his little face pale as he stepped away from the broken bottle and glass.
