“Allow me to worry about my own reputation and heart, Seri,” Grace said from the opposite end of the hall.
Wolfe joined the sisters in the hallway, Gastric at his heels. “Your sister is only concerned about your wellbeing.”
Serendipity nodded. “Your heart concerns me more than your reputation. Whether you wish to admit it or not, when you love, dearest sister, you love hard. How many times have I heldyou while you sobbed with the heartbreak of losing one of your beloved pets?”
Again, Wolfe wasn’t quite certain whether to be insulted. He hoped Grace loved him more than she loved Gastric. The dog currently leaned against her skirts, staring up at her with the purest adoration, and when she reached down and petted him, her expression was much the same.
“I am a woman grown,” Grace said without looking up from her sweet pet. “My heart is mine to give and to guard.”
“I will guard it, my lady,” Wolfe said softly as if naught but the two of them stood there. “I swear it.”
She looked up at him and smiled. “I know you will. Just as I will guard yours.”
Hurried footsteps clattered ever louder, approaching from deeper in the house. Nellie came to a bouncing halt as she rounded the corner. With a hand caught to her throat, she eased forward a few steps. “My lady? Is something amiss? I heard you calling and came as soon as I untangled the bedsheets that girl had in such disarray. Is there a reason everyone waits in the hallway?”
“Perhaps we should return to the parlor.” Wolfe stepped aside so the ladies could enter first. After all were within, including Gastric, he slid the doors closed. As he turned, he noticed Grace’s maid had gone pale. “You are not in trouble,” he told her. “I wished to thank you for warning your mistress about the possible dangers to my brother and sister.”
The ruffles on her white cap trembling, Nellie bobbed a nervous curtsy. “You are quite welcome, Your Grace.”
“I am also compelled to ask how you came to know about those dangers.”
The maid cast a worried look at Grace.
“We need to know, Nellie,” Grace said. “For the safety of the children.”
With her gaze lowered, the maid whispered, “Jasper spoke of it at the table.”
“Jasper?” Wolfe said to Grace and Serendipity. “Is he not the one your butler mentioned earlier? The one sent to the village on errands?”
“Yes,” Grace said, then turned to her maid. “Thank you, Nellie. You may go now, and thank you again for helping us keep the children safe.”
“They are dears,” Nellie said with yet another curtsy, then scurried from the room.
Wolfe stared after her in amazement. “She is the first servant to ever describe the twins asdearsand sound as if she truly meant it.”
“Many of our servants have been with us since we were as young and high-spirited as Connor and Sissy,” Grace said. “They know children need patience and guidance rather than treatment as if they are an annoyance.”
“Apparently, I need those in my household to train with yours.” Wolfe went to the bellpull and gave it a yank. “Shall we speak with Jasper next?”
“Absolutely,” Grace and Serendipity said in unison.
Chapter Twelve
While waiting forJasper to arrive, all the sisters had returned to the parlor, except for Lady Merry. Wolfe noted how that particular lady had been overjoyed about helping Quill and Rorie’s nurses as well as organizing a special tea for Connor and Sissy in the nursery. When Connor had groaned and voiced his boredom, she hadn’t batted an eye. Instead, she conquered his disagreeableness with the temptation of the Duke of Broadmere’s retired wooden swords and toy armor. The lady hadn’t once taken affront with the boy. Instead, she had completely understood Connor’s perspective on a proper tea. Wolfe smiled. Connor would want to marry Lady Merry next.
With six of the sisters commanding the conversation in the parlor, Wolfe was beginning to understand their brother’s need for more males in the family. The poor young duke was sorely outnumbered. Broadmere and Middlebie, as well as the newly arrived husbands to Lady Blessing and Lady Fortuity, were currently out inspecting the grounds for the lawn party, as ordered to by Lady Serendipity. Wolfe suspected she was the true head of the family’s empire even though Broadmere possessed the title.
All eyes shifted to Wolfe as Jasper entered and fidgeted his way to a final standstill in front of the elaborate white marble hearth that lent a regal air to the robin’s-egg-blue walls of the parlor.
“The things you repeated about the possible dangers to my brother and sister,” Wolfe said to the man, deciding to cut to the meat of it even though it might seem abrupt, “how did you come to know them?”
Young Jasper stared at him while running the brim of his cap through his fingers. “Might I be speaking free, then, Your Grace?”
“Absolutely. I want to know everything, and I appreciate your assistance.”
Jasper worked the edge of his hat faster through his fingers, almost spinning it.
“We trust you, Jasper,” Grace said, “and know you would never tell us anything false.”
