Warwick simply walked at the wall of sisters, parting them with a hand. “Let’s go, Jaccob, before my siblings continue thinking, which has never worked out well for anyone.”
He knew whatever that was, it was not done with. His sisters were nothing if not tenacious when they felt it necessary.
Behind him a debate erupted. Warwick heard Samantha’s name hissed, which stopped him in his tracks. Turning, he looked at his siblings, and they were all smiling. His stomach clenched. Surely they were not linking him with Samantha? After all, they had been like brother and sister for years.
Forcing his earplugs deeper, he kept walking, sure he’d gotten that wrong.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing, Dev. Just them annoying me as they always do.”
Dev’s green eyes studied him and then went to his siblings.
“Right then. Go find a place so Jaccob can see.”
“With pleasure,” Warwick muttered.
Several steps led onto a floor area divided into two parts. The audience was to stand on the outer rim, which formed a circle around a raised platform that the actors would perform on.
“Is he all right with you?” Harry called.
Warwick raised a hand to indicate he was happy. Children might have been birthed by a set of parents in this family, but they belonged to everyone in it.
“Ready for the delights of Mr. Roland’s circus, Jaccob?”
The little boy nodded, tightening his grip on Warwick’s neck.
Warwick remembered the feeling of wonder when he’d first visited here. He was now older and jaded and saw the performance with all its flaws. But he knew that like he had, his nieces and nephews would love it.
Samantha stood with Daisy, who held her hand. Warwick didn’t question as to why he moved to her right. Wolf simply shuffled a few steps to accommodate him.
“Hello, nephew.” Wolf kissed Jaccob’s soft cheek.
Children were lined up in front of them. In front of him was Merry, and with her, of course, was Kat. These two together spelled trouble.
“I thought we were splitting them up?” Warwick heard Dev say to James.
The duke shrugged.
Warwick bent to speak with them. “You two have to behave or you’ll be separated.”
“We’re always good,” Kat said.
“Are you really? Well then, it must have been someone else who took a stick out of the fire that had a blackened end and drew all over the floors in your parents’ house, Merry.”
“Alistair did that,” Merry said with an innocent wide-eyed look.
“No, he didn’t, you little baggage.” He was not fooled. No one was by these two. They got into more mischief than any of the other children in the family.
Samantha snorted. He looked at her with a raised brow. She clamped her lips together.
“So, unless you behave, there will be no treat after. We will simply be heading home. Do we understand each other, ladies?”
They nodded solemnly. He was not fooled. As he rose, they were whispering about something.
“I have no hope they will actually listen, but I needed to try.”
“You did very well,” Samantha said.
