Before climbing into the coach, Colin pulled Anthony in for a light hug and whispered, “You did great, old boy. Thank you for hosting us. It seems that the Ridlingtons quite fancy you for a son-in-law.”
Anthony snorted, “They are only setting themselves up for disappointment.”
Anthony watched the coach drive away before turning around and climbing the steps. He wanted to commend all of the servants for their hard work. He found Mrs. Oakley in the drawing room overseeing the maids as they tidied up glasses, put away books, and fluffed the cushions.
Anthony snuck up behind Mrs. Oakley and suddenly brought his hands down on her shoulders, “Boo!” he remarked quite closely to her ear. Once her initial alarm had passed, she promptly turned around and confidently pinched his arm.
“Ouch!” he cried. But she apparently wasn’t finished yet and so reached out once more to deal yet another deadly pinch. Anthony found it difficult to defend himself whilst laughing, repeatedly yelling, “Stop, I say!” He was using both of his hands to try to block her attacks. “I’m not a child anymore, Mrs. Oakley. You can’t pinch me!”
She retorted, “Then you shouldn’t be behaving in such a childish manner!”
At this point, he had grabbed hold of both of Mrs. Oakley’s arms and was trying to keep her pinching hands as far away from him as possible. Even after all these years, she was quite strong.
Eventually, they both lowered their arms. But Anthony was still on guard in case she was making a play. She put one hand on her hips and the other on her heart.
Anthony could tell that she was trying to act cross, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.
“You! You were no more than eight years old the last time you played such a juvenile trick. I had assumed that you had long since abandoned such silliness.”
Anthony laughed and bent forward to kiss her forehead, “Never, Mrs. Oakley! Never! But I am hurt that you pinched me so severely just now, I was only trying to express my gratitude for your assistance tonight!”
“Gratitude! Your Grace, you are far too old for me to remind you, that isnotthe socially acceptable manner in which gratitude is expressed.”
He thanked the other maids and asked for Mr. Tulk and the rest of the kitchen staff. Once they arrived, he presented them with the baskets of fruit that he had had Colin and Kenneth stored at Colin’s estate so that they would remain a surprise. He also presented them with a bottle of fine Madeira wine to share between themselves.
“This was my first time hosting a formal dinner party, and I thank you for assisting with it. Mr. Tulk, I am especially impressed with you, for since the day you started with us, every dish you craft has been heavenly. And all of our guests tonight unreservedly agreed.”
“I thank you, Your Grace. I take my duties very seriously.”
Anthony smiled. “Yes, you have made that quite apparent.”
Once Anthony was satisfied that he had thanked most—if not all—of the household staff, he climbed the stairs to his room.
His and Cecilia’s bedrooms were adjacent to each other but situated towards the opposite end of the hallway from Meredith’s room. Anthony was surprised to see that there was some light spilling out from underneath Meredith’s door.
Intrigued, Anthony checked that no one was around and then inched his way towards her room. Was he hearing things or were there actually voices coming from the other side of the door?
He was right outside the door now and there was no doubt about it, whoever was inside, they were participating in a lively conversation. Anthony was torn. On one hand, he was itching to find out who would be in Meredith’s room at this hour.
But on the other hand, he was worried that if it was a servant, they might get the impression that he made a habit out of venturing into this side of the hallway. So he settled for pressing his ear against the door and concentrating.
He was so astonished by what he heard that without hesitation, he gave three quick raps on the door and called out, “Cecilia? What are you doing out of bed?”
The door swung open to reveal Cecilia with the sleeves of her nightgown folded up, her face powdered heavily, and her arms covered by gloves that were far too big for her.
“Good evening, Brother. We were just having a dinner party of our own.”
Anthony peered into the room. Archimedes, Herbert—Aha! So this is where he had disappeared to—and Daisy were napping on a colorful pile of shawls on the bed. For whatever reason, there were also cushions wearing bonnets and a stack of books on the floor. Before Anthony could ask for further explanation, his gaze landed on Meredith who was now standing up to greet him.
Anthony was well aware that he must have looked like an utter buffoon, what with his jaw dropped and all that, but he simply didn’t have the strength to pick it up off the floor.
She wore no gloves and no necklace, nor any adornments for her hair—which she was wearing, as usual, in a low chignon—nor in fact, any shoes. Just the dark blue gown he had bought her, along with the brooch.
But even so, she was unquestionably the most beautiful woman he had set eyes on all evening, possibly ever.
He stood in the doorway, breathless. His reaction had apparently caused her some embarrassment for she looked away without saying anything.
Cecilia—bless her little heart—was sweetly oblivious to the nervousness of either adult and happily chirped, “Doesn’t Miss Meyer look wonderful, Brother? She said that her friend gave it to her.”
