‘Very well,’ said Christopher. ‘I shall endeavour to be myself. No doubt that shall be as off-putting anyway. Has your mother brought up booking the church again?’
‘Not yet.’ Which was surprising now that she thought about it.
The crowd thickened, cutting them off from sight of Lady Blackmore and Robert. Neither of them made a move to catch up with them; instead, they came to a stop in front of one of the paintings.
‘It is rather good,’ murmured Christopher, staring up at the canvas.
‘Yes, it makes you feel as if the boys are about to run out of the frame and carry on their game around us.’
Christopher smiled softly but continued to gaze up at the picture. After a while, he pointed to the boy on the left. ‘He reminds me of my brother.’
‘Which one?’
‘Sebastian.’ That one word was full of emotion. Christopher was always smiling, so it was easy to imagine that he had not a care in the world. Now she was getting to know him, she realised there were far more layers to him than one would first think. She was slightly ashamed that she had ever thought him frivolous. That happy-go-lucky nature was a side to him that he showed to the world, but it was not all there was to him.
‘He looks full of energy,’ she said.
‘That was Sebastian exactly; he was always on the go. I do not think I ever saw him sitting down for longer than ten minutes.’ At the memory, Christopher’s eyes crinkled at the corners. ‘He was eight years my senior, but he would spend a lot of time with me, especially after our parents died.’
For someone relatively young, Christopher had experienced his fair share of loss, first his parents and then his brother. ‘He was lively like you then.’
‘Any sense of fun I have is from him; he taught me everything I know, just by being himself. If it were not for him, I am sure I would be an entirely different man.’
‘Oh?’
‘I told you that growing up at Glanmore House was not an enjoyable experience and about our aunt on our mother’s side, Miss Dunn. She should not have been given the care of five young grieving boys. Or even the care of bed linen, if we are going to be honest about it. She did not have a soft side. She liked to separate the five of us. I suppose she thought we would be easier to manage if we were kept apart, and so I was raised not really knowing my brothers all that well. I know her special brand of cruelty has impacted my brothers in different ways, but I was young enough not to face the brunt of it. Now I think Sebastian may have shielded me from some of it too.’
‘You did mention her when we went to Gunter’s, but you never told me exactly what she did.’
‘She had a wicked temper, and I was always getting into scrapes, as I am sure you can imagine.’ His grin was fleeting and did not quite reach his eyes. ‘In my memory of one of our encounters I can picture her fingers, white with tension, wrapped around my scrawny arm as she dragged me down a corridor. I cannot be sure where it was, but I suppose it must have been Glanmore House. I remember that my shoulder hurt and that even though my eyes stung, I would not cry in front of her. Next thing I can recall is Sebastian’s face materialising in the gloom of my bedroom, his eyes sparkling with mischief. He had smuggled cake from the kitchen, and we played games for hours, marbles at first, but then he helped me build a fort and made me the prince of the castle and himself the dragon.’ He glanced across at her, a slight tinge of pink crossing his cheekbones. ‘Sorry, I am rambling.’
‘I am enjoying hearing about your childhood.’ That was not entirely true. Her heart was aching at what Christopher was implying. The idea that someone who should have cared deeply about him had physically hurt him made her want to tear down worlds. If she ever met this Miss Dunn, she would have a thing or two to say. But she did like the way Christopher talked about his brother, the love he obviously still felt for him, even though he was long gone. And the picture he painted of himself as a small boy in a pretend fort was adorably cute.
‘Simply put, Sebastian was a light in the dark for me. I miss him greatly.’
She squeezed his arm in sympathy; there was nothing scrawny about it now. Beneath her fingers it was all muscle, but she sensed he wasn’t in the mood for compliments. ‘These are still quite thin. Whendo you think your arms are going to get big?’ she asked, keeping her tone serious.
His bark of laughter turned heads, but she did not care. Surprising laughter out of this man was a joy.
He flexed his muscles under her hand and a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. ‘I will have you know that I am incredibly strong now.’
She forced her eyes to remain wide, hoping she was retaining a look of innocence. ‘Are you sure?’ She moved her fingers along the fabric. ‘I cannot feel anything.’
His smile was wide, the hint of sadness on his features fading away until he looked happy once more. ‘If it were not for this jacket, you would be able to see my manly physique.’
‘I see.’ She studied the tops of his arms, her gaze roaming over his wide chest. ‘I shall have to take your word for it. I suppose your older brothers look strong and one day, you will no doubt grow to be as big as them.’
His shoulders were shaking. ‘You minx,’ he murmured.
‘Why, Lord Christopher, that was quite rude of you. I was merely giving you something to work towards.’
His eyes were dancing with amusement. ‘You are too kind, Miss Jacobs. I shall endeavour to live in hope that one day I can achieve the splendour of my much older brothers.’
‘Oh, I would not set your sights so high. You do not want to be disappointed.’ She glanced over his shoulder and saw that Lady Blackmore and Robert were quite a way ahead. ‘Shall we continue? We do not want to fall too far behind.’
He shook his head slowly, before moving on to the next painting, all the while keeping her hand tucked in his arm. ‘Very well, MissJacobs. I believe you won that round, but do not think I will be so complacent next time.’
A thrill swept through her, making it feel as if bubbles were fizzing through her. It almost felt like she were gliding through the gallery and the sensation had everything to do with the man next to her and nothing to do with the one she’d always thought she’d wanted. She was in big trouble.
