“One of us is away at the moment; it does not sit well.”
“Which one?”
“Samantha.”
Another quieter member of the family. She was usually smiling, from memory of the few times they had talked. And happy.
Before he could ask where Samantha had gone, Warwick spoke again.
“Oh Lord, what is that fool about?” Warwick said, drawing all eyes to the approaching carriage rolling down the path beside where the families sat eating ices. Elaborate, with gold wheels, the carriage was open and seemingly full of people they both knew.
Warwick snorted as Lord Plunge stood and waved at them, flapping a white handkerchief as if in surrender.
“Do you think he really is the fool he portrays himself to be, Warwick?”
“I’m not sure how anyone could be that good an actor.”
“True.”
Lord Plunge wore apricot today, his jacket a deep shade, the lapels with lavender stitching. His waistcoat was a combination of both colors. His hair was styled in the latest fashion, and he always wore powder on his cheeks. He had more rings on his fingers than any woman Forrest had ever met. Beside him sat Walter and the Duchess of Yardly.
“What the hell is my dog doing with him?” Gabe asked, rising from his seat. “And for that matter, the duchess. The woman can’t stand Plunge.”
“Walter does look regal,” Freya said. “No one looking at him would believe he was raised on the seedier streets of London.”
“Plunge, why do you have my dog and the Duchess of Awkward in your carriage?” Gabe demanded when it drew to a halt a few feet from them. The eldest Deville opened the door to let the dog down.
“My lord.” Plunge bowed deeply to Gabe, then pitched forward.
Gabe leapt up the step, bracing a hand on his chest and steadying the man.
“My hero,” Plunge gasped.
“He is that and more to all of us, my lord,” Michael said solemnly, eyes twinkling.
“We, his family, can only hope to one day be his equal,” Zach added.
“We can only hope to be that honorable,” Nathan said.
“Shut up,” Gabe hissed, getting out of the carriage. “Now answer my question, Plunge. Why do you have the duchess and my dog?”
“I can speak for myself, you know,” the duchess snapped.
Forrest had lived an uneventful life, barring the fact his wife had lost her mind after giving birth to Ella. Here, he was constantly surrounded by people and situations. He found he rather liked it.
His life until the day Ruby Knight had walked into it had been exactly where he wanted it to be. Happy. Ella was safe, and now always would be with her family at her back.
However, lately he woke aroused thinking about Ruby. Some days he stood outside the nursery listening to her speak just to hear her voice. He’d told her the kiss had been forgotten. That was a total and utter lie. The woman had found her way into his head and not left.
He’d never felt such a fierce need for a woman like he did for his daughter’s tutor. Seeing her eat that ice, dragging it off the spoon with her lips, had him hard in seconds. He’d had to walk away or disgrace himself.
“Forrest, I have never seen you frown so much. Care to share your worries with your favorite cousin?”
“I don’t see Nathan anywhere,” Forrest said to Michael, then made a show of looking about him.
“I do believe that hurt, cousin, but as you know I bounce back from disappointment easily. Now, about that frown. Would you like me to hazard a guess as to what, nay who has put it there?”
“I constantly frown around you lot, as I am never quite sure what is coming next.”
