Rowan Ashcroft?
Could that tall man be her childhood friend Rowan, Aunty Violet’s brother?
Although her family visited Uncle Ford and Aunty Violet rather regularly, Jewel hadn’t seen Rowan in what felt like forever.Certainly more than a decade, and that had suited her just fine.Quite recently, in a casual conversation, Henry had mentioned that he and Rowan were friends—which she’d found a little unsettling, because she’d done her best to put Rowan out of her mind.
Diana’s fingers ceased plaiting.A hubbub broke out as everyone rose.Ford’s children squealed, running to hug their youngest uncle.
“What a welcome!”Rowan told them, gathering the three youngsters into his arms.“I’m so happy to see you all, too.”
“Who isthat?” Elspeth whispered to Jewel.
“Their uncle.”Jewel pulled her fingers through her hair to unravel it.“Aunty Violet’s little brother.”
“Little?”Diana scoffed.“He’s so tall!And so handsome!”
“You can have him,” Jewel muttered as Rowan finally disentangled himself and glanced around.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t drop into the floor or otherwise disappear.Also unfortunately, he noticed her nearly immediately.
“Good evening, Jewel,” he said.He looked to her left.“And Lord and Lady Greystone,” he added, walking toward her parents.“You two never seem to age.”
As he reached them, he bowed and kissed her mother’s hand, smooth as silk.
Beside Jewel, Elspeth all but swooned.
“Lord Tremayne.”Mama all but glowed.“It’s a pleasure to see you after all these years.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Rowan returned, a twinkle in his emerald green eyes.
He’d changed.He’d grown up.His voice was deeper than Jewel remembered, his shoulders wider.Unlike her family, he wasn’t dressed up for the holiday festivities, but his blue-black hair skimmed the collar of a perfectly cut midnight blue suit that was appropriate for traveling.
Her mother was still beaming at him, clearly captivated.
Well, he could captivate Mama and Elspeth and Diana, but he wasn’t going to captivate Jewel.He hadn’t captivated her since she was ten.
“What are you doing here?”she asked bluntly.
“Yes, what are you doing here?”Aunty Violet echoed with a puzzled frown.
“Ford invited me for Christmas Eve supper.”
“He did?”She turned to her husband.“You did?”
Uncle Ford looked wary.“Your mother thought you’d enjoy the surprise.”
“Ha!”she said with a huff.“I suspect she feared I’d see through her matchmaking machinations.”Wondering what she had meant bymatchmaking machinations, Jewel watched Aunty Violet put a smile on her face.“It’s not that I don’t want you here, Rowan.But I’d have appreciated some notice.And you’d have been late if we’d started on time.”
“I’m sorry,” Ford and Rowan said simultaneously.
Despite herself, Aunty Violet laughed.“Well, there’s no sense in sitting here hungry all night.I’ll go tell Hilda to set another place, then we’ll begin whether Jason has returned or not.”
As Violet departed, Rowan moved closer.“How are you, Jewel?”he asked, reaching for her hand.
In unison, her cousins dropped back on to the couch, gazing up at him with dreamy expressions.When Jewel tried to draw her hand away, he held on tighter and raised it, bending to press his lips to the back.Warm lips.She heard the girls’ sharply indrawn breaths, and her skin seemed to tighten, like it had when she was a child.
Like it hadn’t since.How annoying.
She was really better off avoiding him.
