The Christmas Countess. Adrienne Basso

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      Yet as much as she was enjoying their company, Rebecca declined Lady Marion’s invitation to join her and the larger group of women who were anxious to engage in holiday activity planning. Lady Charlotte also declined to join the group in the green salon and took her leave. Rebecca commented that she was feeling slightly fatigued from the trip and would probably indulge in a nap.

      It was, of course, a lie. Knowing that Lily was so close would make it impossible to sleep, no matter how exhausted Rebecca felt. But she could hardly barge into the nursery at this time of day. During lunch Lady Charlotte had mentioned it was filled to near bursting with children, since all the guests were bringing their entire families. What possible, legitimate reason could Rebecca give for wanting to be among all that chaos?

      She was nearing the staircase when she heard her name called. Rebecca turned to see the earl hailing her. As he drew near, she was briefly distracted by his handsome, chiseled features, his wide shoulders and firmly muscled physique. She was confused too, because her reaction to him was almost physical. Her heart thumped in an uneven rhythm, the breath rushed from her lungs, the foyer suddenly seemed too stuffy and warm.

      Nerves? Fear? Or something else that was too dangerous, too distressing to acknowledge.

      The sophisticated elegance she so naturally associated with him was once again in evidence this afternoon, which was odd given his casual, country attire. With no small measure of regret, she concluded he was one of those rare individuals blessed with the confidence, good looks and poise that put women at a disadvantage.

      “I apologize for not greeting you earlier, Miss Tremaine. Estate business called me away.”

      “Your mother kindly explained.”

      “Have you eaten?”

      “Yes, with Lady Marion, and your sister Charlotte. Everything was lovely.”

      “Good.” He glanced at the staircase, then back at her. “And now?”

      Rebecca felt a pang of guilt. He was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and thus refused to accuse her outright of trying to find Lily, but he must be wondering where she was heading at this time of the day. “I thought I might rest in my chamber. The journey from London was tiring.”

      “Pity. I was hoping to persuade you to join me in the nursery.”

      Her hopes soared. Rebecca gazed up at the earl, testing his sincerity. His expression was unreadable, yet in truth his motives did not matter. As she had previously told him, it was his actions that interested her.

      “Of course I would like to visit the nursery. I assume Lily will be there?”

      “She should be. If she hasn’t run off from Mrs. James.”

      Rebecca’s eyes widened in concern. “Does she do that often? Run away from her governess? It can be dangerous, you know.”

      The earl smiled. “She enjoys more freedom here in the country than when we are in town, but whenever she “hides” she does so within the house. She is always safe.”

      Rebecca nodded in relief. The thought of Lily in any sort of peril frightened her more than she could say.

      Silently, they climbed to the top floor of the manor, the earl leading the way. As they neared their destination, Rebecca could hear the shrieks of laughter on the other side of the closed nursery door. The instant the earl opened it, silence fell. A multitude of small heads jerked up, anxious to see if it was another young friend coming to join in their playtime.

      Discovering it was only two adults, most of the youngsters returned to their activities. Several were congregated in the center of the room around an impressive castle they were constructing out of painted wooden bricks. Others were sitting together at tables, a few of the younger children were contentedly nestled on the laps of their nurses.

      Rebecca counted nine children before the earsplitting cry of “Papa!” cut through the air.

      Lily hurled herself at the earl, literally jumping into his arms. He caught her easily and swung her high.

      “She enjoys being dramatic,” he explained as he carefully set the little girl back on her feet.

      Well, she certainly does not get that from me, Rebecca thought.

      “You are the lady with the brooch,” Lily said. “Did you find it at the park?”

      “Alas, no, but I do believe I left it somewhere else,” Rebecca answered, feeling so pleased that Lily had remembered her. “Thank you for taking the time to help me search.”

      Lily squared her shoulders. “I wanted so badly to find it before my friend, Jane. She looked again the next day, you know, but Mrs. James wouldn’t take me to the park because we had to come to Windmere.”

      Hmm, dramatic and competitive, Rebecca thought, unsure about the origins of those qualities. She wondered what other things she would discover about the child, but then her attention was momentarily diverted from Lily by a loud commotion in the center of the nursery.

      The earl was playing with a boy she judged to be seven or eight years old. The child was yelling and laughing with delight as Lord Hampton dangled him upside down. Beside them, two others were jumping with excitement, anxiously waiting their turn. Seeing all the fuss, several of the other boys abandoned the castle building and crept closer.

      The sizeable group crowded in and the earl set himself on his knees. Making a menacing growl deep in the back of his throat, he spread his arms wide and swept up four of them. There were squeals of delight and excitement as they wrestled on the thick rug with great merriment, while the various nurses and governesses regarded the earl with an amused expression.

      Rebecca was fairly amazed at the sight, highly doubting she would have been so calm if someone had riled her charges to this extent. Still, she was grateful for the distraction of noise and chaos, for it gave her time to gather herself.

      She glanced over at Lily and a rush of longing filled her. Her heart was racing as she stared into a face that seemed so new and yet so familiar. This was her daughter. Her baby. There was joy, but there was sorrow.

      Rebecca’s anticipation of this moment mingled strongly with a deep feeling of apprehension. Though more than anything she longed to see Lily, to spend time with her, the simple act of starting a conversation felt daunting. Fortunately the little girl did not have the same problem.

      “Papa likes to play rough,” Lily explained. “’Tis something that boys do.” She shook her head as if puzzled by the entire concept.

      “I remember my brother Daniel being much the same way,” Rebecca offered.

      “You have a brother?” Lily asked. “Is he a little boy?”

      “No. He is older.”

      “Oh.” Lily shrugged with disappointment. “No matter. There are far too many boys here already.”

      Rebecca glanced over at the earl, who by now had every male in the nursery under his spell. They were climbing on, over and under him, clinging to his back with arms clasped around his neck, tugging on his hair, laughing. It struck her how comfortable he appeared, how much he was obviously enjoying himself. Clearly, СКАЧАТЬ