“Peter!” Charles whined, his light brows drawing together. “I wanted to say my name!”
Owen laughed. “Peter, Charles, it is a pleasure to meet you both.”
They stared at Owen with quiet awe on their faces. Of course they were going to be fascinated by him. He was one of the only men they had ever spoken to. But I didn’t fancy the idea of this man becoming their exemplar.
“And since we are friends now, you may call me Owen.” He gave them each a warm smile. Distracted as I was, my thoughts were not clear when Owen turned to me and said, “And you may call me Owen too. After all, it is what you called me before.”
I shook my head. “We were children then, I couldn’t possibly—” I stopped myself, realizing my mistake too late.
Owen grinned in victory. “I knew it was you.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, blocking out his grin. I wanted to cover my ears too, because he was laughing.
“I am sincerely sorry about the tree,” he said.
My eyes flew open. “I cannot believe you forced me to do that. I was only eleven years old. I could have broken an arm or a leg or?—”
“But you didn’t,” he said through a laugh. “Remind me . . . what was it we were doing alone in that tree?” He threw me a wink.
“Youwere throwing acorns at a woman passing below us.”
“Ah, yes, that was it.” He smiled at me teasingly, a sight that I sensed I would see more than once during our visit.
“You’re atrocious,” I said with a half-hearted glare.
“I’m atrocious too!” Charles exclaimed.
Peter pointed at himself with a serious look. “I’m more atrocious than Charles.”
“You are not!” Charles glared at him.
Owen laughed again and widened his eyes. “Well, if you two are atrocious, then it must be a very fine thing to be. Well done.”
These three would get along quite well. Too well. I doubted that Owen could help improve their behavior. His own behavior was still in need of improvement. I hadn’t even noticed Mrs.Kellaway enter the room again until I heard her voice. “How is Charles?” she asked Owen.
A young maid with dark hair stood beside her. I straightened myself on the settee and tried to appear more content than I felt.
“He seems to be feeling much better,” Owen said. “Being out of the carriage was a cure in itself.”
Charles smiled and nodded in affirmation.
“I am glad to hear it.” Mrs. Kellaway glanced at me. “May I show your brothers to their room?”
I gave a hesitant nod. I didn’t like to entrust them to any care besides my own, but Mrs. Kellaway’s kind countenance put me at ease. She took Charles by the arm and pulled him up from his place on the settee. She waved a hand for Peter to join them. When she turned to me again, she gestured at the young woman beside her. “Lizzie will show you to yours.”
The maid nodded and walked out the door to the entry hall to pick up my trunk. “Follow me,” Lizzie said with a smile, heading toward the staircase.
About halfway to the top, I heard another set of footfalls behind me.
“Miss Durbin?”
I turned my head to see Owen standing at the base of the staircase. My feet froze as he made his way up the steps toward me. Lizzie continued up the stairs, but stopped to wait for me at the top.
“Yes, doctor?”
He frowned. “We already had this discussion. I would prefer that you call me Owen.” He grinned and leaned casually against the banister, as if amused about something.
I stood in silence for a few seconds before awkwardness overtook me. “What are you looking at?”
