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Baldwin leaned to the side as a footman placed a bowl of soup in front of him. “I am not sure if you are aware, but Emmeline grew up in the same village as we did.”
“I was not,” Madalene replied.
“Yes, Jane and Emmeline would get into all types of mischief in the woodlands that divided our lands,” Baldwin shared with a smile.
Harriet bobbed her head in agreement. “Jane’s dresses would be terribly filthy every time they went exploring in the woods.”
Jane’s eyes twinkled with merriment as she said, “It is true, but Emmeline and I were quite proficient at climbing the rocks by the stream that we found.”
“You are lucky you didn’t break anything,” Baldwin remarked.
“Perhaps, but we had the grandest adventures,” Jane declared. “Didn’t we, Emmeline?”
Emmeline smiled as she reached for her glass. “That we did.”
Jane shifted in her chair. “Madalene and I became dear friends at boarding school,” she revealed.
“I was quite envious when you left for boarding school,” Emmeline admitted, “but my mother preferred that I be educated at home.”
“That is because you were the only child,” Jane pointed out. “My mother was counting the days until I departed for boarding school.”
“That is not true,” Harriet declared as she lowered her spoon. “I love having my children near me.”
Jane laughed. “I may have exaggerated, but you must have felt some relief at my leaving for boarding school.”
“I knew you would excel in your studies, but I missed you dreadfully,” Harriet said.
Emmeline found herself growing nostalgic as she listened to Harriet and Jane banter back and forth. How she wished her mother were still alive.
Baldwin’s voice broke through her musings. “We are being rather rude to our guest,” he commented, wiping the sides of his mouth with his napkin.
“She isn’t a guest,” Jane corrected with a smile. “She is family now.”
Harriet smiled approvingly. “Well said, Jane,” she agreed, “but we should stop arguing and discuss something that interests Emmeline.”
With a smile on her lips, Emmeline remarked, “I must admit I thoroughly enjoy listening to everyone speak.”
“You do?” Jane asked.
Emmeline nodded. “Dinner with my aunt and uncle was always a quiet affair, and I dreaded eating with them.”
Baldwin held his glass up as he said, “I can assure you that you won’t lack for conversation here.”
“How wonderful.”
He chuckled. “Give it time,” he joked. “You might change your mind.”
“I don’t think I will,” Emmeline replied.
As Emmeline took a sip of her soup, she realized that the only thing that would have made this night better was if Oliver had joined them for dinner. Which was a ridiculous thought. He was free to do as he pleased.
“I can’t believeyou married the chit,” Booth declared as he reached for his glass on the table in front of them.
Oliver gave him an exasperated look. “I believe we have been over this; multiple times, in fact,” he replied. “Yes, I married Emmeline.”
Booth took a sip of his drink, then said, “We may have, but I still find it rather farfetched.”
“And why is that?”
