“Because Malcolm said David had the business sense God gave a cat, and Penny’s priority should be her family.” Malcolm had not been one to mince his words, nor had he been particularly progressive. “Peter refused to work for the company at all.”
“Yikes, but also drama.” She gave themaa long drawling emphasis. “What was Malcolm like? Roger said he was an ass.”
“He would probably have considered himself traditional, but bigot works.” None of Nico’s loyalty to Roger had transferred to Malcolm. “When Roger hired me, Malcolm disliked me because of my name.”
“Nico Hever? Was he a big Catherine of Aragon fan?”
“What?”
“Anne Boleyn’s childhood home was Hever Castle.”
Nico got a kick from how her brain worked, jumping from topic to topic and leaving him breathless and off-balance. Being with Valerie was like being on a tightrope while opening a door to a secret room filled with surprise treasure. “He thought I was Italian and thus had to be connected to the Mob.”
“You’re joking.”
“Roger had to explain that my mother simply had fond memories of her Florentine honeymoon, before reminding him that being Italiandidn’t equate Mob.” He pulled onto Black Creek Drive and resisted gunning it with the relief of finally being able to accelerate.
Valerie hummed along with a song he only vaguely recognized. “Are they close?” she asked. “They seem so in the photos I’ve seen, but now there’s all this stuff going on.”
“It goes up and down between Roger and David, but Roger and Penny are. Penny says they have a special connection as oldest and youngest, which irritates David.”
“Roger said none of them seemed particularly surprised with how Malcolm dealt with the pregnancy.”
“That could mean they expected him to behave that badly or they already knew about it.”
She nodded. “I can see that. Did Malcolm encourage competition among his offspring?”
“Yes, but he also instilled a belief that it was the Badgertons against the world, and I think it got more intense after Harriet died. You know he commissioned their coat of arms?”
“It wasn’t inherited from Lord Badgerton of Badgingtonham-sur-Thames or something?”
“It’s not. Anyone can apply for one through the chief herald of Canada.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Would I kid about heraldry?”
She contemplated this as a motorcycle shot by between the lanes. “I suppose not.”
“If you’re approved, they work with you to choose your emblems. The Badgertons have a loaf of bread, a sheaf of wheat, the sun, and a jug of water.”
“Are there badgers? I can’t remember. There must be.”
“Two badgers rampant.”
Valerie threw her head back and laughed. Then she turned to lookat him, and for the first time in his life, he was grateful to be stalled in traffic so he could watch her instead of the family of bikes mounted on the Kia in front.
“What would you have on your coat of arms?” she asked.
“I have no idea. You?”
“A pile of books,” she said promptly. “I love reading. A dragon, but a Chinese one, not one slain by St. George. Some kind of flower.”
“A rose?” Her scent filled the car.
“That does seem properly heraldic, but daisies are my favorite. With a hand reaching out… I’d add that too.”
“A hand?”
