Trevor promised to do so, then helped Devlin carry his trunk and satchel down to the dock where a hired hackney stood waiting. Half an hour later, Devlin knocked on the front door of Camberly House and was promptly admitted by Caleb’s butler, Murdoch.
“Welcome, Lord Devlin, or should I say Captain?” Murdoch inquired with a hint of humor in his eyes. Slightly hunched and with thinning white hair, he looked like he might be nearing retirement.
“Whichever you prefer,” Devlin told him with a smile.
“Lord Devlin it is then. It’s good to have you home.”
Devlin thanked him, removed his hat, and angled his head at the sound of footsteps hurrying along the upstairs hallway. A warm and wonderful feeling filled his chest and then he saw them: three tiny versions of Caleb and Mary, otherwise known as the five-year-old twins, Amanda and Richard, and four-year-old William.
“Uncle Dev, Uncle Dev,” they shouted as they stampeded down the stairs in an untamed manner that would have been frowned upon in most aristocratic homes.
They were followed by Mary, who appeared at the top of the landing with two-year-old Susan in her arms. “I can see Richard was right when he told me he heard your voice.”
The door to the study opened and Caleb strode into the hallway with a, “What the devil is—” he spotted Devlin and instantly grinned “—by God it’s good to see you again!”
Devlin grinned right back while his brother’s children attacked him with hugs. He might not care to live in England permanently, but damn if it wasn’t good to be home, surrounded by this kind of affection.
“You too,” he said. “I wasn’t sure if you would be here or at Montvale.”
Uninterested in leading the expected lives of a duke and duchess, Caleb and Mary had built a cottage for themselves on the grounds of their largest entailed estate. They’d turned the manor itself into an orphanage so they could continue the work Mary had once helped start together with her friends Emily, now married to Devlin’s other brother, Griffin, and Lady Cassandra Moor, Viscount Aldridge’s sister. At Clearview House in Cornwall, the three women had housed, fed, and educated five children to start with, including Cassandra’s illegitimate daughter, Penelope.
“I had some bothersome duke business to attend to,” Caleb said, “so I was forced to come to Town for a while.”
“I’m glad,” Devlin told him while mussing the tops of his nieces’ and nephews’ heads. “Saves me an extra day’s travel, and since I’ve still some work to attend to at the docks, it really is more convenient this way.”
“It also gave us a chance to see your favorite museum, Papa,” Amanda piped up.
“The one with the miniatures?” Devlin asked. All the children nodded with great enthusiasm. “I like that one too.”
A pair of footmen who’d been sent out into the street by Murdoch while the family had been talking returned with Devlin’s trunk and satchel. When they started toward the stairs, Devlin stopped them so he could retrieve the gifts he’d purchased for the children.
“Let’s see now…” he murmured, making a show of searching through all his belongings. “This is for you,” he told Richard and handed him a silk-clad box containing a beautifully carved chess set made from onyx and bone. Amanda received a pair of exquisite tortoise shell combs, William a pair of silk pajamas Devlin had found in Hong Kong, and Susan a porcelain doll dressed like a princess.
The children beamed and hugged him while muttering thanks, but when Richard sat down on the floor and began setting up his chess set, Caleb intervened. “Please take your gifts upstairs. While we might not be the most civilized household, toys do not belong in the foyer.”
Without argument, Amanda, Richard, and William grabbed their things and disappeared back the way they had come. Most likely to the nursery. The footmen carried Devlin’s things to the guestroom he always used while in Town and Mary made her excuses. “It was lovely seeing you again,” she said, “but it is almost time for Susan’s nap.” As if on cue, the little sprite opened her mouth in a massive yawn. Her mother chuckled. “I will join you once she’s asleep.”
“Am I mistaken,” Devlin said as he followed his brother into the parlor, “or is there another Crawford on the way?”
Caleb glanced at him over his shoulder, then moved to the sideboard and poured them each a measure of brandy. He handed one glass to Devlin. “You’re not mistaken,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes and a lopsided smile.
“Well congratulations, then. I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.” Caleb crossed to an armchair and sat while Devlin made himself comfortable on the sofa. His brother took a sip of his drink and regarded Devlin for a quiet moment before saying, “It’s not the worst, you know, having a wife and children to love. You might consider trying it.”
Devlin sighed. There was never any chance of avoiding this subject when he and his brothers met. Having found their happily ever afters, they wanted Devlin to do the same. “We’ve been over this before, Caleb. I’m not the marrying type.”
“Because you refuse to buy a house, settle down, and stop sailing?” When Devlin nodded, Caleb shrugged. “You don’t have to do any of that if you don’t want to. If you find the right woman, I dare say she’d happily go wherever you choose.”
“Life aboard ship is hard and can even be dangerous at times.”
“True, I suppose. But people can also succumb to all kinds of terrible fates without venturing far from their homes.” Devlin shuddered. He’d caused such a thing to happen once and although it had been thirteen years, he still couldn’t forgive himself for the accident that had cost a young man his life. “Worrying over what may or may not happen,” Caleb continued, clearly oblivious to the effect of his words, “can stop a man from living.”
“Trust me,” Devlin muttered, “if I were to live any more than I already do, I’d probably perish from exhaustion.” He deliberately smirked, affecting a carefreeness he didn’t quite feel at the moment. “I get to see the worldandI’ve bedded women on more than one continent, though I’ll be the first to admit that they’ve all required payment.But,” he raised one finger to stop his brother from interrupting, “it’s still been fun and sates whatever needs I may have. Beyond that, I have a loyal crew, most of them fast friends for whom I would risk my own life. The desire for anything more simply isn’t there.”
“I see your point, I suppose,” Caleb said. “Although—”
The door swung open, but rather than Mary entering the room, Devlin’s mother, the dowager duchess, did so. “I’ve told Murdoch to have some sandwiches brought up. Dear heavens, Devlin, you look like you haven’t eaten in years.”
