“No. I invited our aunts to meet these young ladies. You will be interested in their history as well, Fitz.”
Mary and her sisters were now the object of several interested stares. Mary forced herself to remain still under their scrutiny, as if she were unbothered by the situation. She was glad that Royce was still standing by her side.
“The Misses Bascombe are our aunt Flora’s daughters—your nieces, ladies, and our cousins, Fitz.”
For a moment the room was completely silent. Then Fitz let out a crack of laughter. “Cousins, is it? No, really, I think you are far too lovely to be related to this old fellow and me. But if we are cousins, then I must claim the right to welcome you to the family.”
He bent and kissed each of the girls lightly on the cheek, engendering a series of blushes and giggles. Stepping back, he went on, “I cannot simply call each of you Cousin. You must give me your names. I will start by telling you that I am your cousin Fitz.”
With more smiles, the sisters went through their given names.
“Flowers,” Fitz remarked. “Most appropriate.”
Aunt Euphronia snorted. “I must say, it does sound like the sort of silly thing Flora would do.”
Aunt Cynthia smiled at them. “Rose rather looks like Flora. Such a pretty girl.”
Aunt Phyllida studied them, frowning. “I really could not say for sure.”
“No, I would not want to decide too hastily,” Aunt Euphronia agreed.
“Dear aunts, I fear you misunderstand.” The earl glanced over at the older women. “I did not ask you here to judge my cousins’ legitimacy. Their papers seem to be in perfectly good order. They are Flora Talbot’s and Miles Bascombe’s legitimate children. I merely thought that you would welcome the opportunity to meet your nieces.”
Aunt Euphronia favored the earl with a frosty look, but Aunt Cynthia nodded. “Of course.” She turned to the girls. “I always wondered what happened to Flora. I wished that she had written me and let me know where she was. Father forbade us to correspond with her, but I would have, anyway, if only I had known where she had gone.” She took a step forward. “Is she here as well?”
“No, ma’am,” Mary told the woman. “I am afraid my mother died several months ago.”
Aunt Cynthia’s face softened with sadness. “I am so sorry. Flora was a bit unconventional, of course, but I thought that Father was too harsh with her.”
Again Aunt Euphronia snorted. “She was wild as a March hare, and we all know it. Father had every right to cast her off.”
“No doubt.” The earl cast his aunt a quick, tight smile. “However, that is neither here nor there. I believe it is time for us to dine. Aunt Euphronia, if you will allow me to escort you?”
Everyone sorted themselves out, the men offering the women their arms to escort them the few feet down the hall, in some sort of order that the earl and his British relatives all seemed to understand, though Mary could not see how the matter was decided. Lord Kent did not escort his wife, she noted, and the order did not seem to follow along lines of age, but she was rather glad that Sir Royce offered his arm to her.
She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and they followed in Lady Phyllida’s wake, her sisters trailing along behind them.
Royce glanced down at Mary, his eyes glinting. “Had your fill of the aristocracy already?”
“Everything seems a bit … formal.”
“Mmm. Stewkesbury is … a traditional sort of man. He does not even have to consider what the rules for an occasion are; he simply knows.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Then he knows what to do when a gaggle of cousins is dropped on him unexpectedly.”
Her companion let out a laugh. “No. There, I think it is safe to say, he is a mere novice. As completely ignorant as I. It’s rather refreshing to see, actually.”
“And you’re enjoying that.”
He chuckled. “A bit.”
“Why? Do you dislike him?”
Royce glanced at her, startled. “My, you are one for bluntness, aren’t you?”
Mary shrugged. “Are you one for answering bluntly?”
“I am not averse to it. However, you have asked a question that is—well, a trifle complicated to answer. And, as we are already here, I fear there is no time.”
They had walked down the hall as they spoke and entered the next room. A long table surrounded by heavy chairs stood in the center of the large room, dominated by a huge vase of dried flowers. Two smaller epergnes of fruit were placed halfway between it and both ends of the table. A sideboard along the wall at one end of the room was flanked by servants.