Good, they were back to discussing the drawing and not her inappropriate grabbing of his arm. She could still feel the cloth of his jacket against her palm, but that would fade. It meant nothing. ‘I meant it when I said you have a real gift, Freddie.’
She stopped herself before she went on any further. She wanted to tell him how beautiful she thought the space, how she could picture herself curled up on the bench he’d drawn in the secluded part of the garden, but she held herself back, the years of their mutual animosity standing between them. She longed to move closer toward the drawing again, to study it in more detail and to discover more of its hidden treasures, but she did not know if she would be welcome to do so. The tight line of his shoulders suggested that she was not.
‘Perhaps I should take my leave,’ she suggested when it became apparent he was not going to address her comments about his work.
He nodded briskly. ‘Of course. We have taken up far too much of your time already.’ He gestured to the book still tucked under her arm. ‘You may borrow that.’
‘I know I…’
‘Glanmore will not notice one missing. He has hundreds of books, as you can see. You can probably even keep it.’
‘Oh no, I shall return it as soon as I have finished.’
‘Very well. Shall we?’ He gestured to the door.
‘Oh yes.’ She sounded like a complete ninny, but she didn’t seem to be able to sound like her normal self. Touching Freddie’s arm had robbed her of her ability to function like her usual self.
It was only as they were nearing the front door and she caught sight of Anna waiting for her that she remembered how to speak properly.
‘I really enjoyed my time with Lotte. She is a lovely little girl. We keep some things at our house to entertain my nieces, should she wish to visit.’ She laughed at herself. ‘Not that she would understand what that means, of course…’ Perhaps she hadn’t entirely stopped being a ninny after all.
‘I am sure that she would love to. Thank you for the kind offer.’
She and Freddie were being pleasant to one another once more; this whole meeting had been very disconcerting. Hopefully, next time, he would go back to teasing her and she could go back to scowling at him and she wouldn’t feel so out of sorts.
It was only much later, as she was preparing for yet another evening at a ball, that she realised she’d addressed him as Freddie, as if they were friends and not mortal enemies.
Chapter Eleven
Freddiecould hear voices behind the door to the Blue Lounge. He’d been about to enter but from the deep rumble, he could ascertain that at least two of his brothers were in the room, and he could really do without seeing them this morning. He’d barely slept for the second night in a row and he was exhausted beyond all measure.
The clearing of a throat behind him had him whirling around to find Tobias watching him.
‘Damn, you move quietly.’
Tobias raised an eyebrow and quirked his head towards the door.
‘I was just going in, obviously.’
Tobias raised his other eyebrow. It really was amazing what his older brother could communicate with such simple gestures.
‘I think Edward and Christopher are in there,’ Freddie said.
A slight twitch of Tobias’ lips was the only indication the man had heard him and might possibly agree that this was reason enough not to enter.
A giggle reached them and Freddie stopped prevaricating. If his niece was enjoying herself then he wanted to see it. He pulled the door open and strode into the room, Tobias following behind him. Charlotte was laughing at Christopher, who was wearing a doll on his head. Edward was grinning and it struck Freddie that they looked likea family, the type the four brothers could have enjoyed growing up if it hadn’t been for Miss Dunn.
Then he noticed that Charlotte was wearing a coat. ‘Is she going somewhere?’ he asked the room at large.
‘Ook,’ said Charlotte by way of an answer, her tiny fingers pointing at Christopher’s head.
Charlotte speaking was still so new that he momentarily forgot his question, squatting down on his haunches next to his niece to regard his brother, who was keeping very still so that the doll remained perched on his head. While all of the Dashworth brothers, bar Tobias, were considered a little wild, it was only Christopher who truly lived up to this reputation. Right now, however, he couldn’t look further from it, especially with the naked adoration he felt for his niece shining out of his eyes. For the first time, it occurred to Freddie that he could actually become friends with his brothers, that maybe the years of damage inflicted by their aunt could be undone and he could have the family life he had always craved. All it had taken was for one of them to die.
Freddie swallowed past a lump in his throat. ‘What is dolly doing up there?’ he asked Charlotte.
But Charlotte only laughed, clapping her hands together. Christopher waggled his head and the doll fell off, causing another shriek of delight. Christopher was almost bursting with pride as he pretended the doll was walking up his arm to take her seat once more.
‘Is Charlotte going out?’ Freddie asked again, this time addressing his comment to Edward, who was watching the scene with a bemused tolerance.
