Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Grant was in the drawing room reading a book when Amelia finally made it downstairs. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting," she said.
"I've only been down here for ten minutes." He set the book down and stood up. "Besides, it's the morning after your wedding night. You're entitled to be a little late."
She hoped he didn't notice the blush she surely had to have on her face. Her brother was married. He knew what happened between a husband and wife. But knowing he knew somehow made her all the more embarrassed around him. She breathed a sigh of relief when the butler came into the room with tea.
"I hope you don't mind that I asked for green tea," her brother said.
Glad for the change in topic, she replied, "Why would I mind? I love green tea."
"Yes, but I'm not sure if Reuben does."
She sat next to her brother on the settee and poured the tea as the butler left. "I'm sure Reuben won't mind. He's not the type to complain."
"I noticed that when we were in London. He seems to be happy just to be around people."
"I think it's because he spent so much time out here by himself." She handed him a cup of tea. "I bet he got lonely. I know I would if I was stuck out here without a companion."
"He has you now, so he doesn't need to worry about that." He took a sip of his tea and smiled at her. "Gentlemen need a good lady in their lives. They're incomplete until the right wife comes along."
She studied her brother, surprised he should say rightwife instead of just wife. She had noticed the change in him since he married Carol. He laughed more. His steps seemed lighter. He participated in social activities more. Little things that used to bother him no longer did, and that included Lord Quinton with all of his odd quirks.
Though she hadn't asked him about his first marriage, she had noticed the way it had dimmed that youthful enthusiasm he had grown up with. She had assumed it was the responsibilities of being an earl that had been responsible for it. But considering how Carol had affected him, she suspected his first wife had made him miserable.
She sipped her tea. Was it wrong to ask him about his past? Yes, she was his sister, but it probably wasn't her place to pry into his personal life.
He glanced her way. "You want to know about Fiona?"
Embarrassed, her gaze returned to her cup. Sometimes it was spooky how well he knew her. He had probably noticed her curiosity in the past but hadn't pointed it out.
"It's all right," he told her, his soothing tone setting her mind at ease. "It's not painful to talk about now that I have Carol. I don't mind telling you what that marriage was like." His gaze went to the doorway before he put the cup down and leaned toward her. "It wasn't anything like what I have with Carol. Fiona lacked any real human emotion. I know how strange that sounds, but there's no other way for me to explain it."
"It's not strange. I noticed it, too. It's just that I thought she was bored around me. I figured she found other people more interesting."
He shook his head. "She was like that even when you weren't in the room. She didn't seem to care about anything or anyone. She didn't even care when Lucinda was born."
She winced. She couldn't imagine a mother not caring about her own child. "Oh, Grant, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. I got over that a long time ago. Lucinda doesn't remember her, and that's for the best. I don't intend to tell Lucinda what Fiona was like. I'll let Lucinda think Fiona was just as sweet and loving as Carol is. As far as I'm concerned, Carol is her real mother."
"Given what you told me, I think that's for the best." She reached out and squeezed his arm. "I'm glad you have Carol."
He smiled. "I'm glad, too." She let go of his arm, and he straightened up. "Even if you and Reuben aren't returning to London, I don't see any reason why you two can't come out to my estate for visits. And Carol and I will be more than happy to come here. That is, after she has the baby."
"I think a visit to our family estate will be fine, but I'll ask Reuben to make sure. I don't want to promise anything until I talk with him about it."
"Take your time. Carol isn't due to give birth for another five months."
"I'll write to you every month. I'm not sure how interesting you'll find the missives, but I'll write to you and Carol every month. You'll write me, too, won't you?"
"How else will you find out if Carol has a girl or a boy? Or when will you know we'll come visit? Or how will you and Reuben get the invitation to come to the family estate?"
She chuckled before he could continue. "All right, I'm assured you won't forget all about me when you leave."
"I almost feel sorry for the poor messenger who'll be forced to go back and forth to London all the time, but maybe I shouldn't be. He'll be gainfully employed, and he'll know the route well."
"If he ever tires of the task, we can find someone else to deliver the messages."
Reuben came into the drawing room. Grant stood up and went over to him while Amelia put her cup down.
"I can't thank you enough for bringing Amelia out here," Reuben told him.
"It was my pleasure to unite two people in love." With a wink, Grant added in a lower voice, "She wouldn't have let me hear the end of it if I didn't bring her to you."
Amelia came up behind him and pretended to be upset. "I heard that."
Her brother laughed and hugged her. "Well, you were very upset when you received Reuben's missive."
"I'm sorry I didn't ask you to marry me and to come out here before I left London," Reuben told her. "You had every right to be upset with me." He took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I'm fortunate that you're the forgiving type."
"Watching you two so much in love makes me miss Carol more than I was missing her before," Grant said. "It'll be good to return to London."
"You'll eat before you go, won't you?" Reuben asked. "I don't want you to leave on an empty stomach."
"I'll be happy to eat something, but I hope you don't mind if I don't stay after breakfast is over," Grant began. "I am anxious to return to my wife and daughter."
"We won't keep you any longer than the meal," Amelia promised. As much as she enjoyed having her brother there, she wanted to have Reuben all to herself for a while. Out here in the country, they would get to be in a world of their own, and that was something she was looking forward to.
***
"People rarely come to this side of the wing anymore," Reuben began as he escorted Amelia down the long hallway after her brother had departed for London. "In fact, it was left alone for the longest time. When I grew up, I instructed the maids to come here and clean it. Since then, a couple will come here once a month to get rid of the dust and cobwebs."
Amelia noted the life-size bronze statues of gentlemen and ladies lining the hallway. The thick drapes were parted open so that sunlight made them shine. "Why doesn't anyone come to this side of the manor?"
"When I was younger, the estate was in financial trouble, so everyone stayed in one area to help limit how many servants we had. Because of that, this wing was left here, just sitting in dust. Corin secured the estate after some careful investments, and I was finally able to bring it back to life—in a matter of speaking."
"It looks lovely." The wallpaper and drapes looked older than the rest of the manor. If she guessed right, he wished to keep it looking this way since he hadn't had them replaced. After she met Reuben at the dinner party, her brother had told her that Reuben's family had plenty of money.
"My great-grandfather and his brother made these statues of my ancestors," Reuben said.
She studied the one closest to her then glanced at the others. "The statues are very well done."
"My great-grandfather and his brother were artistically gifted."
"Were they?"
He nodded. "They enjoyed all kinds of art. They even created paintings."
"Does the creative spirit run in the family?"
"It runs more in some of us than others."
Noting the wry grin on his face, she asked, "Do you create bronze statues?"
"No, but I have dabbled in painting and drawing like those before me did."
Noting the excitement in his face, she pressed, "Are you going to show me your work, or will you make me search for it?"
His eyebrows rose in interest. "I should make you search for it. We could make a game of it. When you find something I created, I can give you a kiss. Does a game like that interest you?"
Her lips curled up. "Is there something of yours in this wing of the manor?"
"There just so happens to be a few things in this wing that I created."
She glanced at the statues. "I don't suppose you did any of the statues?"
He shook his head. "I contemplated trying my hand at making one, but no one was willing to pose for me. You'll have to look elsewhere."
Her body tingled with excitement. This game just might be a lot of fun. "All right. Let's play your game."
She took note of the open doors. It made the most sense to start with the room nearest them, so she took his hand and led him into that room. The sunlight streaming through the windows lit up the sitting room which had some books lining the shelves and a desk near the chairs. She hadn't seen this style of furniture in her entire life.
"What marvelous antiques," she commented as she touched the wood on one of the cushioned chairs. "I bet these are worth a fortune now."
"Probably."
She turned her attention to the rest of the room, searching for something that didn't look as old as the furniture or books. After a moment, her gaze settled on a sculpture of a gentleman's head. "Is this yours?"
"No, that is of my great-grandfather when he came of age," Reuben said. "My great-grandfather made it."
She scanned the room and saw that a couple of other sculptures were in the room. "Have you sculpted anything?"
He shot her an amused smile. "You're looking for a big hint with that question. If I say no, you won't bother guessing I made any of the sculptures in here."
So he had caught on to her trick. "You can't blame a lady for trying."
He chuckled. "No, I can't, which is why I answered the question."
"You didn't give me an answer."
"I didn't come out and say it, but the answer was there."
She thought for a moment then realized he had, indeed, answered her. "So there's no point in asking about any of the sculptures?"
"I'm not saying anything about any of the other artistic objects in this wing of the manor. You'll have to earn your kisses, Amelia."
"I don't mind earning them." She went over to him and kissed his cheek. "I'll be on my best behavior from now on." Turning back to the room, she asked, "Have you ever tried sculpting something?"
"Once. It was a gift for Corin. I made it a year ago."
"What was the sculpture of?"
"A fox. He had just achieved an award for fox hunting, so I thought I'd make something to celebrate his accomplishment."
"That's a lovely gesture. You really love your brother, don't you?"
"I do. He's not only my brother, but he's the gentleman I respect most. He saved the family from financial ruin. He provided for me and Mother even when things were rough. He would come out here whenever we needed something. He taught me how to attract the largest fish in the pond, and he taught me how to ride a horse. He's the smartest person I know. He excelled in his studies. He is well liked in London. People gathered around him any time we went out somewhere. They wanted his advice on many things. He has the admiration of many gentlemen, even those who are of the highest influence in the Ton."
She blinked in surprise. She knew he had a great affection for his brother, but she didn't realize he considered Corin to be a hero. In some ways, Corin seemed to be larger than life in Reuben's eyes.
Reuben offered her an apologetic shrug. "I didn't mean to go on and on about him."
"It's all right. I don't mind. I think it's good you have a wonderful relationship with your brother. I have a similar relationship with mine. We should all be so lucky to be friends with the people we're related to."
He relaxed. That was curious. She didn't realize that he had been uncomfortable by showing her how much he admired his brother. Was there a part of him that thought it was wrong to hold his brother up to such high esteem? From what he'd just told her, it sounded like Corin deserved the praise. She didn't know him all that well, herself. She'd met him at a ball, and she'd seen him again while he and Reuben were taking a stroll through London. But other than that, she'd had no interaction with him. He'd struck her as a likable gentleman.
Reuben placed his hand on the small of her back. "I'll give you a hint. What I made is on the wall."
Her gaze went to the walls, and she saw that there were three paintings in the room. "You're a painter?"
He grinned. "It's a pastime I enjoy."
She went over to the paintings and inspected them. "These are all splendid. Are they all yours?"
"I can only take credit for one of them. If you guess the right one, I'll give you a kiss."
She studied the three paintings. One was of a dog looking up at a duck that was flying in the air. Another was of a gazebo on a winter's day. The last was of the lake that was on the property. She smiled. "It's not much of a guess since I know you, and I know how much that lake means to you. It's the lake."
"You are correct." He drew her into his arms and gave her a wonderfully long kiss.
She melted into him. This might just be the most enjoyable game she'd ever played. When the kiss ended, she whispered, "I can't wait to find the other things you made in this section of the manor."
He laughed and squeezed her waist. "Well, I have to make it fun."
"It is fun." She inspected the painting. "You really are good. I feel like I'm looking out the window. You put so much detail in here."
"I figure if you're going to create something, you should make it look as realistic as possible."
"You do a fine job of that. I bet your tutor was impressed."
"Actually, he wasn't. He considered painting to be a waste of time. While he was here, I could only paint if I snuck off to do it. His focus was on history, science, and math. He thought that would make me successful later in life."
"Oh, that's silly. Some gentlemen do very well in other subjects. How we would have music to dance to if it weren't for those who wrote it? How would we have books to read if people didn't write them? How would we have things to decorate our homes with if people didn't create them?"
"I agree with you, but it was his policy. As long as he was around, I had to stick with the subjects he deemed important."
"Well, that's awful. I'm glad you didn't let it stop you from painting anyway. People shouldn't get in the way of letting others pursue things they enjoy, especially when they're so good at it."
"I'm happy to hear you like the painting so much."
"I do." She paused. "I don't suppose we can take this to my bedchamber, can we?"
He seemed pleased by the question. "Do you really want it there?"
"I'll think of you every time I look at it. It won't be all that different from the cameo I gave you earlier."
His smile grew wider as he took the painting off the wall. "The painting is now yours." He handed it to her then bowed.
She giggled. "Reuben, you can be so silly. But I will cherish this forever."
He took the painting and kissed her. "I'll carry this for you. Want to check on the other rooms?"
"I do. I want to see what other things you created over the years. I might find something else I want to take to my bedchamber."
"As long as I'm one of the things you take back, you can have whatever you want."
Amused, she said, "I wouldn't dare leave you here. Who else is going to carry the things I want?"
"Oh, so you want me with you as long as I'm useful. In that case, I shall find a way to be useful."
She slipped her arm around his and kissed him. "Then I will keep you around."
He winked at her then led her out of the room.