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“Excellent! Make sure you enjoy yourselves tonight.” He glances at me. “Make sure you take care of them for me, Sweetie.”
“No worries, Dad. I’ll look after them all.”
He pulls me into a one-arm hug, kisses my head, and walks away to greet a group of elderly men.
“Captain Burton, it’s a surprise to see you here!” A female voice speaks out from behind us.
Turning around, I see an elderly woman in a gorgeous black gown.
“Mrs. Norman,” Seth says, turning toward her. “It’s wonderful to see you. How have you been?”
“I’ve been fine but tell me about your grandfather,” she says as a concerned expression comes over her. “How has he been doing?”
“He’s...” Seth hesitates.
“He’s still raging mad, isn’t he?” the woman asks with a shrewd look on her face.
Gentle fingers grip my elbow and pull me backward.
“Walk away slowly,” Simon’s voice breathes in my ear.
Turning toward him and his brother, I allow them to pull me away from Seth and Mrs. Norman.
“Why did we have to leave?” I whisper.
“We just rescued you from a very boring conversation that involves our grandparents and their loony friends.”
I blink up at him in surprise.
“Don’t look like that,” Oliver says, chuckling. “We’ve been keeping you away from the manor, so you have no idea how crazy our grandpa can get.”
“He and his pals are from a different generation,” Simon says in a gentler tone. “They’ve never shied away from going into battle. Their bodies have withered away but their souls are still on fire.”
“Mrs. Norman was under our grandad’s command,” Oliver explains. “Her mate and our grandpa led armies together. She doesn’t get to go out much, so she’s going to get Seth to tell her every little detail about Grandpa and their other friends.”
“Yeah, we’ll let him deal with her while we enjoy ourselves a little,” Simon says with a mischievous grin. “So, Princess. Does this party have any dancing and singing involved?”
A tiny sliver of guilt wraps around my gut as I think of leaving Seth behind. Turning around, I glance at him.
He’s absorbed in a deep conversation with Mrs. Norman. His expression is grim and respectful, so I decide to let him continue to speak to her.
“The dancing must be happening in the other room. Come on!”
Knowing my way around the house, I guide them through the crowd of gathered guests and take them to the adjacent room.
“It’s raging in here, isn’t it?” Oliver says as we enter the room.
I laugh, staring at the sparse crowd that’s dancing to a piece of slow, soulful piano music.
“Absolutely rocking,” says Simon, laughing loudly. “If they’re not careful, they’re gonna break a leg or something.”
“Or a hip,” says Oliver, leaning against his brother and sniggering.
“It’s not so bad,” I say as the slow song continues to play on the speakers.
“If you say so, Princess,” says Simon, suddenly catching hold of my hand. Pulling me against him, he deftly positions me so that we’re dancing to the slow music.
I look around for Oliver but don’t see him anywhere.
