As for herself, did he really think anyone other than fortune hunters were going to flock around an aging spinster? No, she had lost her opportunity for love and marriage. “Connor, do not worry about me. I’ll take your children, although I cannot promise it will be every day, since I am not going to take them out in the pouring rain. Nor am I going to stay over at Lynton Grange when my own home is only twenty minutes away.”
“Eden, why are you being so stubborn about this?”
Because she was old and on the shelf. Did he not see what she was?
“There is only one thing that will change my opinion,” she declared. “Well, probably two things.”
He arched an eyebrow. “And what might those be?”
“First, my house burning down. But as you can see, Chestnut Hill is still standing proudly.” She pointed into the distance and the rooftop of her stately home that was now in view.
He smiled. “And what is the second thing?”
“Both of my parents arriving here to plague me with their idiotic tantrums. But they are in London, as far as I know. I hope they stay there and leave me in peace while they continue on their quest to make each other miserable.”
But as they turned up the drive to her charming manor house—this home where she found comfort and solace—she noticedtwo carriages in the courtyard. “Oh, no,” she said in a broken whisper, and clutched Connor’s arm. “How could they? No, it cannot be.”
The front door was open.
She and Connor would have had to be deaf as posts not to hear her parents screaming at each other. Obviously, they had chosen to get out of London at the same time. Well, it was not a surprise, because the unpleasant odors and overbearing heat in that city chased everyone away. And now they were here and already fighting over who was to remain with her.
Her stomach tightened painfully. She did not want either parent staying with her. To have both was completely intolerable.
She heard the sound of glass shattering, soon followed by her father’s bellowing.
Connor covered her hand with his. “Eden…”
More glass shattered.
“Dear heaven,” he muttered. “Care to reconsider my offer?”
Eden swallowed hard, trying not to cry. “Will you wait for me while I pack a few of my gowns?”
“Yes,” he said with aching tenderness before hopping down and then coming around to assist her off the rig.
His gaze on her was intense and fiery as he kept hold of her for a moment longer than necessary. “I’ll always be here for you, Eden. Whatever you need. Whatever I can do for you.”
She cast him a wan smile.
Did she dare believe his words?
Chapter Three
Connor’s children cheeredwhen they awoke the following morning to learn Eden was to stay over for the entire week. “Oh, Papa! How did you ever convince her?” Priscilla was a frothy bubble of cheer as she scampered onto his lap to give him a hug.
He ought to have corrected her behavior, for a proper young lady should be taking her seat at the breakfast table instead of leaping onto her father’s lap and kissing him all over his face.
But it was just the five of them for now, so what did it matter?
In truth, he liked that breakfast was always a bit chaotic, and adored the informality of having his children with him. Unfortunately, the upcoming week would turn his routine upside down. The children would have to take their breakfast in the upstairs classroom in order to keep them out of the way of London’stonelite. He was not enamored of this change in routine, but neither could he have his little heathens disrupting everyone’s meals.
He wrapped his arms around his daughter and grinned over her head at Eden, who was smiling back at him as she sipped her tea. His mother had not come down yet, since Sir Nero’s lecture and the supper celebration afterward had gone well into the evening. For this reason, he and Eden were the only adults present at the breakfast table.
He rather liked looking over at Eden’s smiling countenance. Her hair looked amazing in the morning sunlight, a rich red thatresembled dark silk as the sun’s rays struck it. She had on her spectacles, but there was no hiding the beauty of her hazel eyes that he swore had a sparkle to them.
Her gown was another of those unfashionable outfits designed for durability—and perhaps for camouflage when she was out in the wild, since it was a deep forest green that would blend perfectly with the surrounding shrubs and woodlands. Yesterday’s gown had been a drab shade of gray that blended with the nearby coastal cliffs.
Priscilla scooted off his lap and then ran over to Eden and clambered onto her lap. Eden accepted her as though it was the most natural thing to do.
