A fresh wave of laughter swelled in the billiards room.
Crack-Crack-Crack-Crack.
How happy all the McQuoid men were.
It wasn’t fair. They shouldn’t be. At least, not the ones who had beat him so badly and forced her to leave him behind.
August had beensupposedto follow.
Meghan thought she had been clear, or as clear as she could be with her angry brothers and cousin spoiling for blood. She would get them off the ship. There would be no duel. Then, August would come for her.
She had asked him for a jest. That was their clue.
“Not this time…maybe later.”
Maybe later? He had said, “Maybe later.” Well, what else did maybe later mean, if not that?
Perhaps he was still searching for the right joke.
They always had the worst timing…
He had said that too.
Meghan’s heart ached. It always ached. She sniffed several times. With the room’s attention otherwise engaged—for now—Meghan discreetly wiped at her nose.
A kerchief appeared over her shoulder. The monogrammed initials dangled before her eyes, twisting back and forth. She went cross-eyed, and…
The fabric settled.
“JT”
Accept Captain Jeremy Tremaine’s kerchief from Linnie?
Beg to decline.
In her head, she imagined waving Oleander over for his next fireplace act.
In the moment, Meghan had no other choice but to take the token from Linnie.
When her sister joined her, Meghan forced a smile. Her fake smile became a real smile.
“Let me see you,” Meghan cooed, already taking Baby Orabelia from Linnie. “You are so cute. Yes, you are. And you know it.”
The beautiful babe with curls as black as her da’s hair made nonsensical baby sounds, with some vaguely word-sounding ones thrown in.
It was hard to be a complete curmudgeon when Baby Orabelia was about.
Wee bairns. That was something that carried no memories…
Meghan’s smile froze; she stared unblinkingly at the babe she held under the arms, Orabelia’s tiny toes almost touching Meghan’s lap.
Which Meghan’s niece seemed to take for the grandest game in the world, for she beat her little hands together in a version of a clap.
Babies.
August would be such a wonderful da, but it would not be her babe, as she had already had her courses.
Her face crumpled.
