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“Mother!” Charlotte chided.
“I do commend you, sir,” Ruddy said raising a glass. “You are a very brave gentleman.”
Charlotte huffed at her brother.
“I believe, I am a most lucky gentleman,” Sir John replied gallantly to the earl, and then turned to Charlotte’s mother. “And I confess I become more fascinated by your daughter with every passing moment, my lady.”
Charlotte smiled, but Helen had the last word.
“Have you had a very dull and peaceful sort of existence to date, then, Sir John?” Helen asked in a droll voice, and the family laughed once more.
“Oh, do stop it,” Lady Charlotte demanded, nearly stomping her foot, just as young Elsie had done.
“Peace is an overrated condition,” Sir John confided joining in the fray. “With the proper companion, I welcome adventure.“
“Well, there is a mercy, I suppose,” the dowager said, becoming more sedate. “Charlotte, perhaps you would accompany Helen on the pianoforte tonight. That new song she has been practicing is quite enchanting.”
Charlotte smiled thinking that just this afternoon, her mother had admonished Helen to stop playing that same song over and over again in her attempts to practice.”
“Yes,” Jane added. “We are all longing to hear you sing, Charlotte.”
“Of course,” Charlotte rose promptly and made her way to the pianoforte, where Helen already sat. She cast a twinkling look at Sir John as she passed. She had practiced the song specifically for him, and she hoped he would enjoy it.
The crowd of her relatives settled as Helen played the first notes and Charlotte prepared to sing.
This was her mother’s way, Charlotte knew, of making sure that she appeared at least somewhat civilized in the presence of a serious suitor, but Charlotte did not mind singing. In fact, the whole of the Keening family often sang in a rousing chorus together, especially around Christmastime. Only Helen, who was cursed with perfect pitch, complained when they sounded more like a gaggle of Christmas geese, than proper carolers. She and Helen went through several songs before their relatives were satisfied and dinner was announced.
“But where is Sir John?” wondered Jane, glancing about the emptying parlor.
Charlotte looked around as well, and then had to stifle a delighted exclamation. “There, look,” she gestured to a stuffed chair in the far corner of the room. Sir John was sitting with Sophia’s little girl, fast asleep on his lap. The sight melted Charlotte’s heart. He looked so sweet and helpless as he glanced up and met her eyes.
“What is this, then?” she asked him softly, crossing the room to the pair. Sir John shrugged rather sheepishly.
“I believe she escaped her nurse,” he murmured, looking down fondly at the flushed and chubby little face. “She crept in here and offered to share her biscuit with me if I would let her stay and listen to the music. I could not fault her good taste. You are quite talented, I must say.”
“Oh goodness, I am terribly sorry,” gasped Sophia, rushing back into the parlor. “Elsie is such a monkey for trouble, I am afraid. I shall take her back to her nurse.”
When she reached for her daughter, Sir John rose and said, “No trouble at all. She has been excellent company. Where would you have me take her?”
“If you are sure?” Sophia said somewhat hesitantly, but she led the way.
Charlotte and Jane stood looking after Sir John as he lifted the child in his arms and carried her small sleeping form back to the nursery.
“He is quite gallant,” Charlotte ventured.
“Yes,” Jane said her voice pensive. Randolph joined them and laid a hand on Jane’s arm, squeezing it gently.
In a few moments, Sir John returned, laughing easily with Sophia and her husband. It was a glorious family moment, and Charlotte could suddenly imagine a future spent with Sir John Ashbrooke. She could see him at ease with her family; visiting on holidays and whenever everyone was in Town and one day carrying their own little ones back to the nursery when they escaped their keepers. The thought filled her with warmth. She wondered if he would speak with Ruddy tonight after dinner.
Charlotte looked to her sister-in-law for confirmation, but Jane was sharing a private look with her husband. Charlotte ventured a glance at her brother, but his eyes were only for Jane. Did Sir John look at her like that, Charlotte wondered? She hoped he did. Still, as she watched Sir John here amongst her family, despite the ease at which he seemed to fit, she felt that he still held back some hidden part of himself.
Perhaps he was just shy. It was a quality in short supply in her family and she was not sure how to handle it. She wanted him to trust her. She realized she wanted the relationship that her parents had shared years ago. She wanted what Jane had with Randolph and she knew that an inherent trust was present in that relationship, a trust she had yet to build with John. Perhaps, she thought such a deep relationship only came after marriage, not before it.
Throughout dinner, Charlotte could not quite quell her tumbling thoughts. Everyone else remained in boisterous good spirits and only Jane seemed to notice Charlotte’s unusually quiet mood. When the meal ended and the ladies retired to the drawing room, she was not surprised that Jane cornered her.
“Whatever can be on your mind tonight, Charlotte?” She asked curiously. “You seem rather subdued.”
“Oh, I am not entirely sure,” Charlotte confessed. “I am overwhelmed, I suppose.”
