by Vella, Wendy
“Mr. Huntington.” She nodded.
“He’s Uncle Rory, Kate,” Isabella chimed in. “He’s nice.”
“Yes, thank you, Isabella.” Rory patted her on the head. “I’ve got this now.”
“Money in there.” Kate pointed to a small wooden box.
“Ahh,” Rory went through the motions of patting his pockets, knowing full well they were empty.
“I have this.” James’s hand came into Rory’s line of vision, and the coins made a clunking sound as they hit the bottom of the box. “Kiss the woman.”
“Kate….” His words fell away as he looked at her. God, she was sweet. Before he could say another word, she’d leaned in and pecked his cheek. It was brief, her lips chilled, but he felt it as if she’d branded him.
“I must go now; Alice is waiting to take my place.”
He nodded.
There was no warmth in her eyes or question to his health; she simply walked away.
“Come now, girls, Rory needs to rest.” James took Isabella’s hand. “I hope they behaved for you, brother?”
He knew the use of the word brother was deliberate, an acknowledgement, a statement of intent almost.
“They were lovely.” Rory couldn’t lie. “Now please excuse me,” he added before walking away himself. Although he took the opposite direction. He needed some time alone, time to think about the changes going on inside him, so he headed into the castle. He’d be lying to himself if he didn’t acknowledge how good it had felt to be with Rose and Emily and to meet his niece and Meredith.
“My head is spinning,” he muttered, walking through the impressive entrance. He tried to pull the cloak of disinterest around him like he’d always been able to do, but it didn’t seem to fit anymore.
Maddie should meet these people. Deserved to meet them.
He admired the sweeping arches on the ceiling and stopped to study the paintings and tapestries. He had no direction, just a need for solitude, no matter how brief, as he grappled with everything. He ambled into rooms and studied cabinets filled with antiques. Things that he now knew belonged to his ancestors. Fires roared in huge hearths framed by yet more Christmas greenery. For all it was big and drafty, Rory knew it was still a home.
How can I be part of this? It seemed almost impossible to take in.
He walked up a set of steps.
“Hello.”
Two young ladies greeted him as he reached the second floor, both with dark hair and familiar green eyes.
“We are Dorset and Somerset Sinclair, and you are Rory.”
“I am.” He bowed.
“Samantha is very happy to have you in her life, as now she is catching up to us.”
“Catching up?”
“We have a great many brothers.”
“Ah.”
“We are to watch the plum pudding contest. Will you come with us?”
“I will join you shortly.”
“Don’t be long or you’ll miss out on sampling.” They walked away and skipped down the stairs.
His arm was starting to ache. He needed to sit before Essie found him and growled. The trouble was, he was starting to enjoy that also. The fussing. Lord knew he’d never experienced it before.
His feet carried him through the open doors at the end of the hall, and he found a huge room. The fire was lit, and in the middle stood a table draped in a white cloth. The number of chairs placed around it suggested this was where the family would have their meal tonight? A tall tree stood at the far end of the room; its rich scent filled all corners. He’d heard of Christmas trees, but never seen one. As yet it had no decoration.
Moving to the windows, he saw the cliff and wild seas below.
Even now he could be dead, floating out there, and no one would have known or cared. Maddie perhaps, but no one else. Now Rory had people who cared. That thought caused yet more warmth to bloom inside his chest.
A sneeze to his right had him turning. He found a pair of brown leather ankle boots under the branches.
Curious as to which of the children they belonged to, he moved closer. He may as well meet every member of his family while he was here. His family? Dropping to his knees, he bent, bracing his arm, and looked under the branches.
He met Kate’s gaze. Felt that small shock of awareness.
“Is there a reason you’re hiding under there?”
She didn’t speak, just scurried back a bit further.
“I’ve seen you, Kate, so you may as well come out.”
“I’m quite happy here, thank you. Please go back to the fair.”
Rory ignored the primly spoken words and sat, then eased himself slowly back under the tree. He was taller, so the branches had to be parted to accommodate him.
“What are you doing? Get out of here at once; you will hurt your shoulder if you persist.”
“It’s my shoulder, I know when it is hurting.”
“There is no need to be testy.”
“I wasn’t being testy, I was being honest.”
She wore a long emerald coat buttoned up to the neck and thick red scarf. Her cheeks were pink from her time in the kissing booth. She looked like a ripe apple ready to be bitten into, and he wanted to take a bite desperately. Her eyes, however, were cold and unwelcoming, and he knew he deserved that look.
“Is there a reason you are under here with me, Rory? When last we met, you didn’t want my company.” Her voice held none of the warmth of before.
“Not true. When last we met, James paid for you to kiss me. I thought I may get another, this time for free.”
Chapter Thirteen
“I cannot believe you of all people said that.”
Kate shuffled sideways to put some space between her and the large, disturbing male who was settling beside her. She’d seen him with Meredith in his arms and Isabella draped around his legs and wondered how that had come about, as when they’d last spoken he’d told her he wanted nothing to do with this new family of his.
Not that she cared. He’d said nasty things to her, and she wanted nothing to do with him.
“Why me of all people?” He had to hunch, as he was a great deal taller than her and his head was touching the branches above.
“You don’t like to get close to people.”
“Am I so easy to read then?”
“Yes.
He wore a thick black overcoat, unbuttoned. Beneath, she saw a jacket open and gray waistcoat. His shirt and necktie were white and showed off the rich color of his skin. He wore white breeches and black boots and looked far too handsome. Those tawny eyes were focused on her.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you, Kate. I hope you’ll forgive me. Seeing my brother and then learning about the rest of my new family was a shock, and I reacted badly.”
She couldn’t seem to look away but knew she must. This man had made it clear he was not the one for her.
“I accept. Now I must go.”
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the fair. I cannot sit alone under here with you. It is not right.”
“Why were you sitting under here in the first place? A Christmas tree, if my guess is accurate.”
“Yes. One of the locals told James about it. Apparently he saw one in Germany as they are not common in England… in fact I have never seen one until now. The family will decorate it tonight and have gifts.” She was babbling but couldn’t seem to stop. “We are to string popcorn and hang candied fruit, among other things. Plus, there will be gifts given.”
“It sounds like you will have a lovely evening.”
The words were spoken slow and steady and had Kate looking at him once more.
“But you will be part of it, as everyone is to stay in the castle tonight… for the next few nights actually, until after the wedding.”
“I will return to Oak’s Knoll.”
“Why?”
He sighed. “So many questions.”
“You joined me under here—I did not ask you to.”
> “You are a mouthy woman.”
“Who states her mind.”
“And that.”
“Did you enjoy meeting your sisters, Rory?”
He sighed again. “I didn’t want to.”
“But you did? Because they are of your blood and have suffered in their own way as you have,” Kate said.
“I know some of their suffering, can you give me more details?” Those golden eyes were deadly serious.
“That is their story to tell.”
“But you are a woman and therefore like to gossip, surely?”
“That’s insulting.”
“I know, but I was only teasing you.” He touched her chin softly. “I liked them very much, Kate, as I know Maddie would also.”
She felt his pain and indecision. Felt the turmoil that was going on inside him. Kate had no idea what it would be like to suddenly find siblings you never knew you had and an estranged brother.
“And I see you have met your nieces and nephews also?”
His smile was small but genuine.
“Children have no understanding of things that have been. They are just what we see and deserve to be treated as such.”
“Yes.”
“They knew who I was, so it stands to reason they were curious about me.”
“Is that why you ended up carrying Meredith around, who is not a niece, with Isabella pressed to your legs?”
He said nothing in answer to that, clearly uncomfortable.
“Yes, well. I must go, it would not do for someone to see us here.”
“But we are family.” He grabbed her arm as she started to move.
“We are not. There is no blood tie between us.”
He turned her chin so their eyes meet. They caught and held, and she felt it again, that wonderful little kick to her stomach.
“Forgive me for hurting you, Kate.”
She nodded.
“I wanted to punch that man, Lord Spotty, for annoying you, and I don’t feel things like jealousy, Kate.”
“I wanted to punch him too,” she whispered, leaning toward him. “Rory, I don’t understand this.”
“This?” He ran a finger down her cheek.
“Yes, that.”
Kate was mesmerized by the heat now in his golden eyes. She wanted to lean into him, anything to ease the tension climbing inside her. Tension that if she was honest had been inside her since that day on the beach when she found him.
He gave her a little tug, and she lost her balance and ended up pressed to his chest.
“Your shoulder—”
“Is fine.”
His hand cupped her cheek and then he was kissing her again, but this one was different. Soft, and achingly sweet. It made her want to weep; instead she lifted her hand and cupped the back of his neck, holding him close.
She didn’t know how long they sat there under that tree kissing. Where one stopped, another started. It was exquisite, blissful, and a million other words. His hand moved to her neck, gliding over the skin as it traveled lower, his fingers easing beneath her scarf to trace the line of her gown.
“So beautiful.” He kissed her neck. “So very sweet. We have to stop now, Kate.”
“I know.” She rested her cheek against his. “The plum pudding contest is about to start.”
He laughed, a low rumble beneath her cheek.
Lifting her head, she looked at him. Studied the heat in his eyes and tension in his jaw. He wanted her as she wanted him?
“I don’t know what any of this means… and there is much to discuss between us.” He pressed his finger to her lips to stop the words she wanted to speak. “I cannot make promises to you, and for that I should not have done what we just did, but God alone could not have stopped me. You unsettle me, Kate Sinclair, and that has not happened before.”
Kate touched the seam of his lips, a light stroke of a finger. She’d known, of course, that this was not a man who would commit to her. Known that his life had been so very different from hers, and then there was his sister, and of course all the family he now had.
He’s made no promises to you, and as you only just met, you should not expect it.
Of course, the problem now was that she loved him. Strange how she knew that unequivocally. No holds barred love, with all of her. She’d known he was special the day she rescued him, but when she’d seen him standing in that line at the kissing booth, holding Meredith, Isabella pressed to his leg, she realized the true depth of what she felt for this man.
He’d not wanted this, family and everything that came with it, but he’d not turned away from the little girls when they approached him, she’d seen that too. Rory Huntington was a good man; he just didn’t know it.
“You look sad suddenly.”
“Not at all. I was just thinking.”
His smile was gentle. “Care to share your thoughts?”
“I was hoping that Josiah Hemple won the plum pudding competition.”
He knew she lied but did not challenge her.
“I must go.” Kate wiggled out from under the tree, and he followed.
“Why did you feel the need to sit under there, Kate?” He took her arm as they moved to the open door.
“Peace is not easy to find with my family. I found it here until you joined me.”
“I’m sorry I disturbed your peace then.”
She wasn’t but kept that thought to herself.
He followed silently as she walked back downstairs and outside to join their families. Her thoughts were on what they’d shared, and his… well, he alone knew what occupied them.
Leaving the castle, they made for where everyone stood or sat in front of the small stage. James was up there with Cam.
“Why is Cam up there? I thought Eden was going to help him?” Kate said as she reached Alice, who was standing with Nicholas. He had his arm around her waist, and she leaned into him.
Kate had never wanted to lean on a man until now. She also knew that Rory had a very nice chest for just that purpose.
“Cam said he’d help as James could surely not get through all the cakes and Eden is watching her waistline,” Alice said. “Out of the goodness of his heart.”
“Which we all know is a whopping lie,” Nicholas added. “That man would do anything for food.”
“He’d sell a sibling or two should it gain him a chocolate eclair,” Alice added.
“Sit, Rory, you are pale, which suggests your shoulder is aching,” Emily said from the seat in front of Kate. She patted the one beside her.
“Kate should sit.”
“No, you should sit before you fall,” Essie said from her place further down the row. “I told you to have a care and don’t overdo things. Where is your sling?”
Rory hastily pulled it from his pocket and put it on.
Max appeared and nudged his brother into the seat. “Sit, for the love of God, before she gets up and tends you.”
Rory sat beside Emily, who held Beth on her lap. The little girl studied her new uncle. He smiled; she smiled back. She touched his arm, so he patted her hand.
“You’re big like Uncle Max. And look like a lion.”
“I don’t bite like one.”
How did he believe this was not the life for him? He was a good man like his brothers. A good man with a big heart.
“I like him.”
“Who?” Kate dragged her eyes from Rory to look at Nicholas, who had said the words into her ear so they would not be overheard.
“Rory. He’s like Max—well, perhaps the Max he once was. I’d say he’s got the same strength and loyalty, even though he would have everyone believe differently.”
Kate nodded. Thankfully the plum pudding judging was about to begin.
“If I can have your attention please!”
Mr. Clackers was self-proclaimed mayor of the town of Crunston Cliff. This Kate knew because he’d told her when he came to see Essie yesterday to have his throat looked at. It was he who spoke. Standing on the
platform, he wore a hat pulled low and a scarf wrapped several times around his throat.
Essie had told him to keep it warm as it was swollen and infected.
“Now, for the moment we’ve all been waiting for.”
“It’s not something I’ve been waiting for,” Dev said as he moved to her side. “Watching James gad about with that silly hat on and Cam eating. I mean, I watch Cam eating all the time, after all.”
“Good point,” Kate said. “Is Mr. Clackers really his name?”
“It is, and when his throat is not sore, he can yell from one end of the village to the other, and everyone will hear.”
His voice certainly did carry.
“The plum pudding contest will begin!” Mr. Clackers croaked.
“He’s like a ferret, with that nose,” Kate said, watching Cam lift a bowl and sniff the contents.
The raven on James’s head bobbed as he bent to taste a mouthful of pudding. Cam righted it, looking smug. The duke then elbowed him hard in the ribs as he turned.
“Pray forgive me, Cambridge, I had not realized how close you were.”
“Nice one.” Dev applauded. “He threw ice water at me before when we were bobbing for apples for my part in the headwear. James is coming along nicely; one day he’ll be able to compete with the Sinclair siblings in all aspects of life.”
“I doubt anyone can quite compete with you,” Kate added. “You’re ferocious at besting each other.”
“It’s the first thing we learned,” Dev declared. “Hello, Simon, is all good with you?”
The boy had wedged himself in front of Dev. He was the duke and duchess’s youngest child.
“Uncle Dev, girls are annoying.” The boy sighed. Dev patted his shoulder.
“I understand completely, nephew, say no more.”
“I feel I should protest.”
“You’re all right, Kate.”
“Thank you, Simon,” she said solemnly.
Kate wondered what it would be like to grow up with so many adults at your back that you only had to turn left or right and someone would support you. Quite wonderful, she thought, looking at Rory. She knew he’d had no one.
“The winner is this one,” James said, holding up a plate. “Please come up here and accept your prize.”
