All the while, I studiously ignored the sound of the television and the lingering memory of Jack’s triumphant laughter.
As soon as I fell into a deep sleep, my fevered subconscious handed up a strange dream. The owl during my surveillance mishap had foretold a vision of the departed. Somehow my brain decided that the departed in question should be Jack.
The scene unfolded gently. A fluttery flower of sensation with every detail precise and distinct.
Jack sat in a library or study of sorts.
He was fully corporeal and solid, dressed in breeches, slippers, a loose white shirt and an oriental silk banyan. Reading glasses perched upon his nose and a book open in his hands. He was the epitome of dashing aristocratic manhood. He looked to be a few years younger than the Jack I knew, but it was hard to tell.
The worst part? Hewassexy.
Like text your girlfriends, squeal in excitement, spend long hours fantasizing about H-O-T. Dark auburn hair carelessly styled with just the right amount of flair. Chiseled cheekbones, a strong jawline and faint laugh lines that promised confidence and mischief in equal measure.
Sun streamed in from the open window behind him, a summer breeze rustling the heavy curtains to either side. The room was lined with bookshelves and littered with maps, stacked books and loose papers.
A scholar’s refuge.
Sounds drifted in. Birds quarreling outside the window, their small shapes darting back and forth. The excited barking of a dog. The shrieks and laughter of children.
The doorsnicked open. Jack raised his head at the sound. The noise of children giggling and feet running instantly increased. Pandemonium lived outside the door.
A woman glided into the room. She cradled a baby of about six months of age in the crook of her arm with one hand, the other hand holding up the skirt of her high-waisted muslin dress.
“I have torn the hem of my gown and must see Betsy to fix it.” She lifted her skirt higher. A section of the bottom of her dress hung loose, a ragged tear.
Jack lowered his book and tilted his head, surveying the woman over his glasses. “Though I appreciate the openness of your announcement, Catharine, I fail to perceive how a ripped hem affects myself.”
Two sparrows alighted on the window sill behind Jack, adding their opinions to his statement, chirping and quarreling.
The woman laughed. Catharine, I supposed. Hers was that laugh all woman perfect—one part humor, one part frustration and three parts ‘don’t be an idiot.’
Catharine crossed the room and, without warning, deposited the baby in Jack’s surprised arms.
“Lottie would love to spend some time with her Uncle Jack.” Catharine kissed the child’s head and walked back out the door.
“I have an entire army of servants at your disposal, Catharine. Not to mention our mother, three other sisters, a brother and a sea of children,” Jack called after her. “I most certainly do not need to be the one to hold your child.”
But as Jack spoke, he wrapped a hand around Lottie’s middle and pulled her back against his chest, the possessive motion entirely negating the frustrated tone of his words.
Laughing, Catharine poked her head back into the room. “It does the soul good to cuddle a child from time to time, brother dear. Ignore your grumpy uncle, Lottie-love. He adores you.”
The shrieks and screams drew nearer. A piping little voice from outside called, “Ready or not, here I come!” Two small children whipped around Catharine, darting into the room.
“Don’t tell Suzy we’re in here, Uncle Jack,” a red-headed boy whispered as both children dove under a cluttered desk.
Jack sighed, shooting a scathing look at Catharine.
“Save your lordly stare for those who need it, Jack,” she laughed again. “We all know you are fluffy meringue underneath it. You love a house full of family and life.”
“You are such a disappointment to me,” Jack intoned. He did not, however, disagree with her.
Catharine chuckled and shut the door.
Shaking his head, Jack leaned forward, surveying the children under the desk.
“Pull your jacket in tighter, Thomas,” he instructed. “Suzy will see you from the door otherwise.”
Grinning, the boy did as he was told, both children giggling like maniacs.
