“Great men do great things,” William said quietly. “Richard de Valois won battles. The ninth baron built this house. My father created the nature reserve. What have I done?”
“Inspired an entire village to make casseroles? Convinced half the cast ofThe Love Manorto donate their talents and invest their money?”
“That’s not me,” William said. “That’s the house.”
“Bollocks. Do you know how much I’d kill to have the people in my life believe in me the way everyone believes in you? You’re probably more qualified to wear that ring than half the men who’ve ever worn it.”
“Steady on, those are still my ancestors.”
I reached for the clasp of his necklace. “Just put it on.”
William’s hands wrapped firmly around mine. “No. Not until I’ve earned it.”
His eyes were steely, determined. There was a grit in him I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t agree with his logic, but I had to admire it. The stupid sexy stubborn himbo.
Chapter 42
William
It was a Friday afternoon and Petey and I were in the folly, waiting for Sunny and Ludo to arrive. Guests would be an essential distraction from shagging, which I had taken to with the zeal of a convert. We’d had so much sex since Saturday night, we’d had to drive into the village twice to buy bedroom supplies, and Petey had been unable to bend over with confidence since about Tuesday. I was hovering at the porthole window, waiting to see a taxi coming down the drive. Petey was busy at his laptop, working on new show ideas to pitch to Indira. What he didn’t know was, I had a surprise for him—and keeping it had almost sent me stark raving bonkers. Not a little bit bonkers. I mean the-fifth-baron-plucking-his-own-fingernail-out-to-use-as-a-quill level of bonkers. There were more guests in that taxi than Petey was anticipating.
“What about a show based on making cosplay costumes?” he said, apparently struck by inspiration. “I’ve just watched a video of a guy who made a fully transformableTransformersoutfit. It’s incredible.”
Inspiration struck me then too. “What would it take to get you to dress up in a slutty little vest and a pair of Daisy Dukes, like Megan Fox in that movie?”
Petey’s eyes narrowed. “I feel like we’ve accidentally unlocked a core memory for teenage William there.”
I let my eyebrows bounce. “I’m not hearing a no.”
The taxi appeared on the horizon. I nearly burst out of my own skin.
“They’re here!”
Petey dashed out to greet them so fast his shadow was still on the stairs while his body was bounding across the carriage court. I raced to catch up to him and was bolting out the front door when I heard Petey shouting, “Gran! Gran!”
His arms were wrapped so tight around the old girl’s frail-looking frame, he might have snapped her.
“What are you doing here?”
Petey’s gran, Peggy, clasped her hands to her grandson’s face.
“Orright, my boy? Thought I’d better check in on you, didn’t I? Make sure you’re eating right. Maybe pocket a bit of posh silver to flog down the Portobello Road.”
Petey laughed. I did, too—rather more nervously. But it brought untold joy to the old ticker to know how happy seeing his gran made Petey. I introduced myself to Sunny—who didn’t even attempt to bow—and made myself useful by helping him get the cases out of the boot. Jonty’s older brother, Ludo, paid the cabby, and we said our hellos and well-mets as the taxi drove off. Then the three of us turned as one to look at the family reunion still underway in the carriage court.
Petey had tears streaming down his cheeks.
“Bugger me,” Sunny said. “That’s one of the signs of the apocalypse, isn’t it?”
“I can definitely hear frogs,” Ludo added. “We could be in real trouble here.”
I shook my head. “Where does he get this reputation from? He’s been blubbing every five minutes since he got here.”
Sunny and Ludo stared at me in apparent disbelief.
“Someone’s finally cracked him,” Sunny said.
“I doubt he’s still under warranty,” Ludo added.
