“Aunt Cynthia, when you provide as much cake as you do in your own home, I can hardly believe you can say such a thing,” Hamilton remarked and laughed heartily.
“Rwy'nhofficacen,”Eleri said with a broad grin as she made a great pretense of shyly reaching for another slice, much to Ffion’s delight.
“That was something about cake, was it not?” Hamilton said, his eyebrows knitting together as he searched his brain for the words.
“Yes, Eleri says that she likes cake, darling,” Georgette said and smiled at her husband.
“It is nice to see that some things never change,” Lady Cynthia said. “Although I must admit I rather think that the children prefer Mrs Evans’ cakes to the ones on offer at Winterbourne.”
“Yes, and so do I,” Hamilton said and laughed again.
“Hamilton!” Georgette said and playfully squatted his arm.
“No, do not chastise him, my dear. This is my dear darling Hamilton of childhood. He was a cheeky sort of a boy, and it would seem that nothing has changed.” Lady Cynthia smiled indulgently at her nephew.
“Yes, I should certainly agree that he is, indeed, cheeky.”
“Georgette, may we be excused?” Ffion said, already beginning to rise before even being given permission.
“Of course you may. Have you had enough to eat?” Georgette said gently.
“Diolch i chi ie,” she replied and tore off at speed up to the top of the garden, with Eleri, still chewing a piece of cake, hot on her heels.
“They seem to have grown very suddenly, do they not?” Lady Cynthia said, her eyes twinkling with emotion as she watched the girls make a rather hearty attempt at climbing one of the apple trees.
“They have indeed, Aunt,” Hamilton answered, following her gaze. “It seems every time we come here to Beddgelert, they flourish a little more. They have grown quite tall for little girls of six, have they not?”
“Indeed they have grown tall. And their hair is just a little darker now, just as Josephine’s turned at that age. I daresay when they are fully grown they shall be quite golden.”
“Oh, I am sure of it,” Hamilton said and reached out to lay a hand on his aunt’s arm.
“And they are so very much looking forward to a little brother or sister,” Lady Cynthia went on. “In truth, they have spoken of nothing else these last weeks. They chatted constantly this morning at breakfast, the pair of them, deciding on a list of names.”
“I think they are almost as excited as I am myself, Cynthia,” Georgette said, beaming brightly.
“And it is not long now, my dear.” Cynthia began to chuckle. “In fact, I should say that if you do not head for home in the next few days, I am quite sure that the two of you shall have another Welsh child in the family.”
“I think that would be rather fitting, Aunt,” Hamilton said, smiling warmly at her.
In the eighteen months since they had been married, Georgette had been happier than she had been in her entire life. It seemed to her that her life had changed entirely, despite the fact that she still made her way to the schoolroom every day to teach Eleri and Ffion, just as she had when she was their governess.
At first, Hamilton had objected just a little. After all, was the Duchess of Draycott really going to continue to teach? Ought they not to employ another governess altogether?
Of course, in the end, Georgette won the tiny battle. And it had been tiny, not to mention terribly good-natured. It struck her that her new husband was entirely pleased that she had decided to continue on with their education, not least because she was likely to be the only governess in all of England who was prepared to learn a most complicated language purely and simply to keep it alive in the hearts and minds of her little charges. And Hamilton had even begun to pick up a little of the language himself, which had been almost everything she had ever wanted at Draycott Hall.
Uncle and nieces had been thrown together at last and, within a matter of days, it seemed as if there had never been an awkward moment between them in their lives. Eleri and Ffion had simply loved him immediately, excepting his advances towards tentative friendship at face value and welcoming him with their tiny, open arms.
“In truth, I think it would be rather fitting also. Not least because I really am too large to travel,” Georgette said, and everyone around the table laughed heartily. “I mean, I know I would fit easily into the carriage, but I simply feel too cumbersome to make the journey.” Instinctively, she laid a hand upon her belly.
“Well, as far as I am concerned, the weather is fine and the scenery beautiful. I should be more than happy for my child to be born here in Beddgelert. What do you say, Aunt Cynthia? Ought we to stay?” Hamilton said and smiled.