In fact, he was perfectly nice to everyone.Even Elspeth and Diana, who were both acting like lovesick ninnies.
Since when had he become so nice?In truth, Jewel decided, “perfectly nice” didn’t evenbeginto describe grown-up Rowan.
He wastoonice.
Maybethatwas what irked her.
Henry was nice, but not so nice he charmed everyone in his sphere.Rowan’s abundance of niceness couldn’t be real.It had to be disingenuous.A performance.
She’d all but told him he had hurt her.Only a dunce wouldn’t hear the message implied in“Do you not remember saying something that might have convinced me to keep my distance?”And Rowan was no dunce.That much she remembered.
Was he performing for her benefit?Trying to prove he wouldn’t hurt her again?Trying to make up for hurting her in the past?
If so, she thought as a slice of the plum pudding was set before her, she was a deplorable human being.Because she didn’t want to make up with him.
She wanted to hurt him back.
“Mmmm,”Aunty Cait murmured appreciatively, having already dug into her own pudding, which was drenched in glimmering hard sauce.“Mmm, mmmm.Crivvens, I do believe this tastes better than ever before.”
A little smile curved Mama’s lips.“Thank you,” she said modestly.“Since I’m hopeless in the kitchen and have been tweaking this recipe for years, my Aunt Elizabeth offered to help me figure the measurements.She sent her suggestions all the way from Paris.I think I’ve finally got it right.”
“Was it your mother’s recipe?”Rowan asked her.
“Oh, my, no.”Mama laughed.“My family always kept a cook—I doubt my mother knew how to boil water.I found the plum pudding recipe at Greystone, tucked into an old book in the library.That happened nearly twenty years ago, and I’ve been tweaking it ever since”—she laughed again—“which just goes to prove I inherited my mother’s lack of culinary talent.”
“Well, it’s perfect now,” Aunty Cait said.“Have you written down what you did this year?”
“Oh, yes,” Jewel confirmed.“She took copious notes.”
“Then we won’t want to lose those notes.”Looking thoughtful, Caithren took a small sip of mulled wine.“I think we should start a Chase receipt book.We’ll begin with the plum pudding.Every Christmas we can each bring a new recipe to add to the book.”
“Or an old one,” Aunty Kendra agreed enthusiastically.“But all sweets.I think all the recipes should be for sweets.”
“Of course you do,” Uncle Ford put in with a roll of his eyes.“Your preference for sweets is legendary.”
Before Aunty Kendra could retort, Jewel’s cousin Jamie yelled, “Found something!”He fished a flat, round piece from his mouth.“A silver penny!”
“That means you have a fortune in the offing,” Mama told him with a smile.
His eldest brother fixed him with a superior glare.“You’llneeda fortune,” he stated gleefully, “since you’re a third son.”
Apparently Griffin had been peeved by Jamie insinuating he didn’t know where babies came from.
Raising her cup, Aunty Kendra deftly changed the subject.“I think this delicious mulled wine would be a good addition to our family receipt book.”
“There’s a story about that mulled wine,” Aunty Violet said.“My mother made a batch with my father before he proposed.He changed the recipe, and now she swears it inspires love.”Holding her own cup aloft, she looked to her brother Rowan.And then to Jewel.
Everyone laughed.
Except Jewel.
She sipped from her cup of mulled wine, hiding a frown.How irritating it was that everyone seemed to think she should be romantically interested in Rowan.Henry was much nicer than Rowan.
Unlike Rowan, Henry wasgenuinelynice.
Henry hadn’t broken her heart.
Henry had never hurt her.
