her in his arms and swung her up, held her close to his chest. ‘Hello, my little sweetheart,’ he said against her glossy light brown hair. ‘You should be wearing a coat, you know, my pet. You’ll catch a chill in this cold weather.’
‘But the sun is shining, Papa,’ she answered, staring into his eyes.
‘It’s still February, Anne.’
‘The flowers are coming out,’ she countered, pointing to the snowdrops and purple and yellow crocuses peeping up out of the dark earth of the borders set around the lawn. ‘Spring flowers Mama says.’
‘They are indeed. However, we must go inside, where it’s warmer. And you and I, well, we shall see each other later.’
‘Mama says Ned is coming. Will he bring Richard with him?’
‘I don’t think so, sweetheart, not this morning. We are having a business meeting.’
‘Today is Saturday, Papa,’ she said, sounding reproachful.
He grinned at her. ‘I know,’ he answered, and suddenly recognized the disappointment in her eyes. Her face had changed, become sad, he thought.
‘You like your cousin, don’t you?’
She nodded.
By this time Neville had reached the door, and putting her down he ushered her into the house, stepped inside after her. Before they had even moved across the central gallery he heard his wife’s footsteps on the polished wood floor. He always recognized them: only she in the household walked with such determination. Slap, slap, slap, her feet went, coming down hard on the wood, and a moment later she was entering the gallery. ‘Ah, there you are my little one,’ Anne Watkins exclaimed when she spotted her namesake. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you.’
‘She came out in search of me,’ Neville remarked, walking across the gallery to his wife, putting his hand on her shoulder affectionately. ‘She was really looking for young Dick, though, I do believe.’ He smiled at her, his eyes full of love. ‘You know how attached she is to him, Nan, she’s his shadow whenever he’s staying at Thorpe Manor with us.’
Anne Watkins, known as Nan all of her life, nodded and reached out, took hold of her daughter’s hand. ‘She’s been attached to him since she took her first steps, and stumbled into his arms…arms that were certainly on the ready to catch her.’
Neville was silent for a moment, looking intently at his wife, his face suddenly growing thoughtful, his eyes narrowing. ‘A good thing it is Richard she has adopted, taken into her heart and not the other one. I never quite know about him…the middle one, that is.’
‘What do you mean?’ Nan asked. She looked slightly puzzled, as if she were unsure of his question, its meaning.
‘The breeding is there, but not the stamina.’
‘You sound as if you’re talking about horseflesh.’
Neville threw back his head and laughed uproariously, highly amused by his wife’s comment. But then she frequently amused him with her remarks, brought laughter to his eyes. Shaking his head, he said at last, ‘Touché, my dear.’
Nan glanced at him sideways, smiling, flirting with him, and then, looking down at her youngest daughter, she murmured, ‘Come along, Anne, it’s back to the nursery for you. Miss Deidre is waiting to give you and Isabel a painting lesson.’
‘I am here,’ a small voice said, and another pretty child came dancing into the gallery, her fair hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering in through the many leaded windows. She moved towards her father, pirouetting, showing off her skills as a budding dancer. ‘Good morning, Papa,’ she said as she finally came to a standstill.
Bending down, Neville kissed her cheek, hugged her to him, then, holding her away, he gave her a warm smile and told her, ‘Aren’t you the graceful one, Isabel. I am very impressed with your talent.’
She smiled and bobbed her head prettily, and asked, ‘Is Georgie coming with Ned, Papa? Mama told me Ned would be here for lunch today.’
‘That’s true, darling, Ned is coming to have lunch with me. However, it is actually about business. And no, Georgie isn’t going to be here, and neither is Dick. You’ll have to see your little gentlemen friends another day.’
‘Oh.’ She pouted a little and shook her curls. ‘I thought we could play together…’ She let her voice trail off as she caught the warning look in her mother’s eye, saw the stern expression settling on Nan’s face.
Nan said, ‘I will talk to Aunt Cecily later, and perhaps we can arrange something. Perhaps—’
‘Cecily’s still in Yorkshire,’ Neville interrupted, shaking his head, pursing his lips. ‘She decided to stay at Ravenscar for a little longer before coming up to London.’ He gave a light shrug. ‘I do believe she’s trying to settle herself down, come to grips with…things.’
‘As is your mother also. I do understand, Neville, it’s only to be expected.’
‘Go along, my sweethearts,’ Neville told his girls. ‘Go up to the nursery for your painting lesson. I need to spend a few moments with your mother.’
‘Yes, Papa,’ they said dutifully and in unison, and ran out together, heading for the grand staircase at the end of the gallery.
Taking hold of her arm, Neville led his wife into the nearby library and closed the door behind them. Turning her to face him, he said in a low voice, his eyes full of concern, ‘I’m afraid Cecily and my mother aren’t doing too well at the moment. They are still in shock, I think. After all, the deaths were so unexpected and so sudden. There has to be a period of adjustment, and of grieving.’
Nan nodded her head vigorously, ‘Of course, of course, Neville. I don’t know why the girls are so focused on the two youngest Deravenels at the moment. I really have no clue at all.’
‘Well, Anne for one has always been like a little puppy trailing after Richard; as for Isabel, she’s seemed to gravitate to George. Although that doesn’t particularly please me. Still, there’s nothing strange, darling, they’ve known those boys all their lives, grown up together, and after the week we just spent in Yorkshire, and being with them so much at Ravenscar, I think they’re missing their little playmates. That’s quite understandable, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, I suppose so.’ Standing on tiptoe she kissed his cheek, and led him out of the library. ‘I must go and spend a few minutes with them, my dear, show my interest in their painting lesson.’
‘I know, I know.’ He watched her walking off down the long gallery, thinking how beautiful she was in her rather refined and delicate way. She was the only woman he had ever loved; there had been others, but they had been merely sexual liaisons. His sweet Nan was the love of his life. They were extremely happy together, he and she, and the only thing that caused him the odd moment of regret at times was the lack of an heir. He longed for a son; Nan had had several miscarriages, and she had not yet conceived again. At least not so far. The sudden terrible yearning for a boy child surfaced for a split second, and then he pushed it away. He was a lucky man…he counted his blessings. And Nan and he were still young enough to have many more children…
