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The point being that Rachel was too distanced from her family and not settling down fast enough for her mother’s l
iking. “If she doesn’t calm down, I won’t visit for a year after this is over.”
Her father clutched his chest as though in pain. “Don’t even joke about it. The woman would hunt you to the ends of the earth if you did that, and she’d drag me along with her. And then we’d all suffer. Isn’t one heart attack enough for me? Do you really want to give me another?”
“Whatever,” Rachel grumbled, “but I’m definitely making Harvard pay.”
“That I can live with,” he said.
The interior of the house wasn’t what Harvard had expected. He’d obviously seen one too many English historical dramas because he’d thought the place would be wall-to-wall burgundy flocked paper and ornate moldings. He’d imagined darkly painted portraits of previous generations and antique furniture with the kind of spindly legs that a man his size would worry about breaking.
Instead, the walls were cream and the floors a polished wood, strewn with tasteful throw rugs. There were a few pieces of contemporary art, most of which he recognized as being the work of well-known British artists. The furniture was sleek, solid and modern. The kind that would entice a person to sit awhile and relax. In fact, it was exactly the type of house Harvard would have liked for himself.
“The stuffed animal heads, suits of armor and bad Renaissance paintings are all in the main house,” Francesca said with a twinkle in her eye.
“I was that obvious?” Usually he was good at hiding what he thought. His life had depended on the skill on more than one occasion.
“No, it’s the reaction most people have if they haven’t been inside Talbot House first. It was a good bet you were thinking the same. When Roger saw Talbot House, he told me it was magnificent, but he had no desire to live in it. As soon as we were married, he had plans to get us out of there. And he was right. It was a terrible place to live, but a wonderful place to share. If buildings had feelings, I’ve always thought the house must be happier now that it’s being fully used. And I do love it when we host a wedding there. It brightens the place up.”
Harvard liked her reasoning. He also liked the woman. It was clear Rachel took after her mother in looks. They shared the same height and lithe figures, the same creamy skin and dark hair—although, given her age, he suspected Francesca’s color had more to do with regular visits to a top-class hair salon than any genetic predisposition. Yeah, there were a lot of similarities. But it was the differences that intrigued Harvard most.
Where Francesca had a mischievous glint in her eye, Rachel’s eyes were mostly filled with irritation. Where Rachel was distant, Francesca was friendly and welcoming. Where Rachel preferred her own company, Francesca was known for her social events. Having met Rachel’s older brother and their dad, Harvard was beginning to wonder where exactly Rachel got her personality from. It was just another piece in the puzzle that was Rachel Ford-Talbot. And he loved it.
“Here we are,” Francesca said when they stopped in front of the double doors at the end of the hallway. “Ready?”
“Absolutely.” He returned her conspiratorial smile.
“In case anyone is interested, I’m not ready,” Rachel snapped.
“No, darling.” Her mother released her hold on Harvard. “No one’s interested.” With that, she threw open the doors and stepped inside. “Here they are,” she called above the chatter of a roomful of people. “The guests of honor. Rachel and her fiancé, Mr. Michael Carter, from America.”
The large entertaining room was decorated in complementary pastel shades, broken up with faded floral prints. Artfully arranged couches and tables provided plenty of opportunity for guests to make themselves comfortable. And there were a lot of guests in the room. It was filled with family members he recognized from the research Benson Security had done on everyone connected to TayFor. They cheered, applauded, and whistled at Francesca’s announcement. Harvard wrapped an arm around Rachel’s waist and pulled her to his side. She stood stiff as a board and scowled at everybody.
He leaned into her, as though nuzzling her neck, and whispered, “You’re supposed to be happy you’re with me. You look furious.”
“I am,” she said through gritted teeth. “This is not a small family dinner.”
“No, it isn’t. And you need to stop freaking out and roll with it.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek, inhaling her hothouse scent before smiling at her family.
“I. Do. Not. Freak. Out.” She forced the words out.
“Excellent.” He smiled at her. “Then we’re good to go.”
Rachel scowled at him, took a deep breath, and addressed the room. “Please, don’t get up. I know you’re all deliriously happy for me, but there’s no need to interrupt your evening to congratulate us straight away. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to chat with all of you over the next few hours.” The woman was lying through her lush red lips.
There was laughter and one murmur of, “Typical Rachel, taking charge as usual.”
“Right,” she said to Harvard, “that should stop us drowning in well-wishers for the time being, but it won’t last long.” She let out a heavy sigh. “We’re going to have to mingle. You should know, I’m keeping tally, and you will be held accountable for every single little thing that irritates me during this nightmare.”
“Do I get to keep a tally of all the things that irritate me, so I can even the score once this is done?”
She barked a laugh. “You can try.”
“Don’t tell me you two are having relationship problems already?” Rachel’s older brother, Jonathan, sidled up to them. The look of pure delight on his face screamed that he was more than enjoying her predicament, and like her mother, he planned to milk it for all it was worth.
“Go away, Jonathan,” she told him. “I can only deal with one idiot at a time.” She pointed at Harvard. “I already have my quota for the day.”
Of course, he didn’t go away; instead, he grinned at Harvard. “Insults are how Rachel shows her love. Welcome to the family.” He held out a hand, pretending it was the first time they’d met and that he wasn’t fully aware of their fake romance and the investigation. “If you could pop out a couple of kids as soon as possible, that would keep the heat off me for a few more years.”
