“I need to go; they are calling me.” She broke the contact.
“Your family is forceful.”
“But the very best of people,” she whispered. “Sometimes it is smothering, especially as Samantha and I are—never mind,” she rushed to add.
Ash knew what she hadn’t said. Because they were the only ones unwed.
“Dorrie—”
“No.” She clapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t apologize or say something you don’t mean. I said I wanted nothing from you, and I meant it. There will be another Raven out there somewhere for me.” She scrambled off his lap. “I think it best we don’t do this again.”
He nodded.
“Will you promise me something, Ash?”
“Anything.”
“Don’t walk away from your brother without saying goodbye again.”
“Not you?”
“Gus is your blood, I am not. I have no expectations of you.”
“I promise, but Dorrie—”
She’d gone before he could finish what he’d been about to say, which was just as well, because he wasn’t sure what had been about to come out of his mouth.
He could promise her nothing until Radcliff had been dealt with. What surprised him was that he was even thinking about a future that had Dorrie in it.
Did he want to live? Before he hadn’t cared, but now? The answer to that question was yes.
Crawling out when he knew she’d be gone, he brushed down his trousers, straightened his necktie, and walked back to where the family were, not the opposite direction as he’d originally intended.
The following hours were a lesson in what a family could be. They played games, gave gifts to Merry, and ate cake. He was talked to, and at. Children grabbed his hand and made him play with them. Dorrie kept her distance from him.
“We are to meet in my study. Come along,” James said.
“Pardon?”
“We are having a meeting. Do you want Baron to attend?”
“I need him to stay on the ship, where I will be.”
“Has today taught you nothing then, cousin?” The duke’s eyes were following his wife and children as they walked by.
“Come along, Ash,” Luke said as he passed. “I believe I have deciphered, with the help of Gus, some of the writing on that box.”
He felt the surge of excitement that maybe he could study it again. Maybe he could read something of what was written on the top and help Gus and Luke.
“It’s in my study,” James said, walking off.
“Hustle it along there, Ash.” Nicholas’s hand nudged him in the back. “The others will be arriving soon.”
“Others?” His feet started moving as Luke waved him to follow. The Marquis of Braithwaite fell in beside him. A cousin of some type, he believed but couldn’t be entirely sure of the connection.
“All the collective might of our families. We cannot all fit into James’s study, so we will relay details to those that can’t as they are getting things organized for the circus.”
“I really don’t think—” Ash started to refuse, as he always did.
