And as Delilah admired and was amused by the way her darling husband held the baby—as carefully as he would hold a loaded musket—she noticed an ever-so-slightly mutinous look move across Daniel Peck’s face like incoming inclement weather.
Because it was one thing to proudly show off a newly beloved baby brother. It was quite another to feelinvisiblewhen your newly beloved baby brother was in the room. Daniel clearly had not anticipated this.
Delilah hadn’t yet told a soul about the afternoon’s pinching and swearing interlude. Not even her husband. She hadn’t had a chance.
Foreboding encroached. Because she had a sense of Daniel now, and she knew he was mulling theperfectway to direct everyone’s attention back to him. She knew what conclusion he was bound to draw.
As if he could read her mind, Daniel glanced at Delilah and smiled impishly.
“Quickly. Say ‘blancmange,’?” Delilah murmured to her husband. “Do it. Hurry. Loudly. It’s urgent.”
Captain Hardy stared at her in amazement. He’d just handed the baby to Mrs. Pariseau. “What on... why on earth would I...”
But he was helpless against her pleading expression.
“Blancmange,” Captain Hardy dutifully said. His voice raised.
Lucien shot him an astounded, wounded look.
Captain Hardy shrugged.
“Blahhhmajjjj,” Daniel crowed, and laughed merrily. Everyone winced.“Blahhhmajjjj!”
Then he slapped his stomach and puffed up his cheeks. “I’m Mr. Dewwacorte!” He strutted over to where Mr. Delacorte and Dot sat at the chessboard.
Mr. Delacorte dropped his head into his hands.
“I’ll tell you why later,” Delilah promised Tristan on a whisper.
Everyone gave a start at an abrupt rustling sound.
Mr. Marchand was swiftly, clumsily, gathering his papers and inkwell.
Then he stood.
“I’ll just bid everyone good evening, shall I?” he said.
To Ginny’s astonishment, he bowed to the company at large and strode out of the room he’d been in for all of fifteen minutes.
He didn’t look back at her.
One of Dot’s secrets—and she had many little ones—was that every sunny, clear day, she made a point of crossing the foyer for the pleasure of being sprinkled with the little rainbows thrown down by the crystals of their beloved chandelier. This usually happened in the morning, after breakfast, and that time was nigh.
She clutched in her fist a bundle of violets. Yesterday, she’d forgotten to replace the fading flowers on the mantel in the reception room, which she was supposed to do the day before, because she had forgotten to do it the day before that. Now they were drooping over the lip of the vase like swooning maidens.
This morning, Delilah had asked her to do it again, somewhat reproachfully. Dot’s cheeks had gone hot with remorse.
Unlike Mr. Pike, who had been hired after a long, largely fruitless, often undignified search for a footman who could write and spell, thump an intruder on the jaw if necessary, lift heavy things, and more, all while working for a modest salary at a boardinghouse near the unglamorous docks, and was therefore rightfully prized, she had merely come along with Mrs. Hardy, the former Lady Derring, like baggage. She understood she was prized, too, but mainly because Mrs. Hardy and Mrs. Durand were kind and very patient.
So lately she had taken to answering the door—her very favorite thing to do, because it was like opening a gift every time—with “Welcome to the Grand Palace on the Thames, the most exclusive boardinghouse in London!” in an effort to be admired for her bold initiative. The bit about it beingexclusive was the new part. But no one had yet remarked upon it.
Would Mr. Pike ever have thought to add the bit about “the most exclusive boardinghouse”? Of course not! He had no imagination.
But Mr. Pike remained her competition. Because he had gotten a delicious taste of answering the door, decided he liked it, and he wanted to keep doing it.
Dot had at last agreed to allow him to answer it only on Wednesdays that fell on a full moon. He maddeningly persisted in behaving as though she hadn’t been very, very serious about this.
It was grossly unfair that her nemesis should possess shoulders that went on for ells, and make her heart stutter when he looked directly into her eyes. He was also stubbornly kind.
