The Heiress Bride - Catherine Coulter [105]
Sinjun groaned. ‘They’ll come,” she said. “They’ll come and try to kill Colin again.”
“Again?” This from both Alex and Sophie together.
Sinjun groaned again, leaned her head back against the cushion, and said, “Yes, again. Alex knows about the first time. She herself coshed Douglas with a walking stick to help me break up their scuffle. There were two other times as well, both here in Scotland. Did you bring the boys?”
“No,” Alex said. “Directress Jane of Brandon House is free to enjoy all three of them whilst we’re gone. That is the title she selected, you know. She insists upon it whenever I introduce her to someone. The twins feel like they’ve arrived in heaven when they get there, what with Grayson and all the Beloved Ones. That’s a total of fourteen children right now. But who knows—Ryder just might bring home another child from Ascot.”
“Lucky Jane!”
“Oh yes,” Sophie said serenely. “She is indeed. Grayson would kill any number of dragons for Jane. As for Alex’s twins, Melissande will doubtless visit them nearly every day, since they look like her. She calls them her little mirrors. It very nearly renders Douglas incoherent with nausea. He will look at the boys, shake his head, gaze heavenward, and wonder aloud what he did to deserve the two most handsome male children in the world, which will undoubtedly ruin their characters and make them insufferable.”
“Sit down, both of you. Now, my head is awhirl. The Virgin Bride came to you, Alex? She told you I was ill?”
Before she could answer, the door opened and Mrs. Seton, bearing a large silver tray, her dark eyes nearly crossed in her excitement, came into the drawing room. To a stranger she would have looked stiff and proper as a duchess, only Sinjun wasn’t fooled for a minute.
“Thank you, Mrs. Seton,” she said formally, maintaining Mrs. Seton’s pose. “These two ladies are here to visit us awhile. They are my sisters-in-law, the countess of Northcliffe and Mrs. Ryder Sherbrooke.”
“Charmed, my ladies,” Mrs. Seton said, and gave them a curtsy that would have done justice to the Queen’s drawing room. She lacked but a feather in her hair.
“I shall prepare Queen Mary’s room and the Autumn Room,” she added with more ceremony than Sinjun’s mother would have deemed appropriate, and proffered another quite impressive curtsy. “The footmen are seeing to your valises. Emma will unpack for you.”
“You are very kind, Mrs. Seton. Thank you.”
“This is the laird’s castle, my lady. Everything is done properly here.”
“Yes, certainly,” Sinjun said, and watched Mrs. Seton take herself out of the room. “Phew! I never knew Mrs. Seton had quite so much . . .”
“I don’t know the word, either, but it was impressive,” Alex said.
“Also we only have one footman, Rory, and he does everything in addition to any footing. However, Emma is an excellent girl and it is she who will take care of you. Now, back to the Virgin Bride.”
Before Alex could say anything, the drawing room door opened again and Colin strode into the room like the master of his castle, looking at once belligerent and wary. He saw only two young ladies seated beside his wife, cups of tea in their elegant, albeit somewhat wrinkled, gloved hands. The one he recognized as Douglas’s wife. Oh Lord, the bounder had to be here somewhere. He craned to see the rest of the room.
“Where are they? Are they armed this time? Pistols or foils? Are they hiding behind the sofa, Joan?”
Sinjun laughed, a weak laugh, but it made him smile.
“Good lord,” Sophie said, and stared at her sister-in-law’s husband. “You look like a bandit!”
Indeed, if a bandit were wearing naught but a white flowing shirt, unlaced at the top to show some of his hairy chest, and tight black knit breeches and black boots, his black hair windblown,