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Fraser leaned close to Attie. “See?” he whispered. “A formidable family, the Harts. We’re fortunate to be loved by them.”
“I don’t understand!” Sebastian cried.
“Don’t you see, Seb?” Campbell said. “The male haggis can only go round the mountain one way, and the female can only go round the other way. Which means they can meet each other face to face.”
Sebastian frowned, then a broad smile illuminated his face. “Oh—I see!”
“And here he is!” Delilah cried as the footmen appeared carrying a dish filled with a brown mealy-looking substance from which wisps of steam rose.
Sebastian wrinkled his nose. “Yuk!”
“Aren’t you going to try some?” Attie asked. Her son shook his head.
“How about we try it together?” Rowena suggested. “I’ll have some if you do.”
“And you’ll get the better of your Uncle Dexter if you do,” Delilah said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “He refused to try any, and we teased him for days afterward. I swear that’s why he’s not here with us this year—he’s afraid I’ll serve him haggis again.”
“That’s not the reason, my love!” Fraser laughed. “Meggie’s too close to her confinement to travel, and he couldn’t bear to be parted from her.”
“Good,” Sebastian said. “I don’t like Uncle Dexter. He’s scary.”
“Sebastian!” Attie cried. “Uncle Dexter is very fond of you. He’s a kind man, though sometimes a little…” She glanced across the table to the three Hart siblings—her husband, flanked by his two sisters. “…a little stern at times.”
Delilah burst into laughter. “You needn’t adopt such diplomacy among family, Atalanta,” she said. “Dex can be a beast at times. And he often looks very scary, doesn’t he, Sebastian? But it can be fun having a big scary beast for an uncle.”
“Why should he want a scary beast for an uncle when he has one for a father?” Devon asked.
The room fell silent.
“Devon…” Attie said, but her husband fixed his gaze on his plate.
“Is Uncle Dexter likeyou, Papa?” Sebastian cried. “Then I’ll try to like him. Is he as brave as you?”
Devon lifted his gaze. Across the table, Attie saw Thea place a hand over his and whisper in his ear. Then he nodded and smiled.
“Perhaps he is,” he said.
It was a watery smile, but it was a start, and for the first time since they’d arrived, Attie felt a sense of hope.
