Chapter Seven
Francis Hildenbrand Storme—Captain Brand Storme to those that mattered—brushed the lingering snow from his hair. Regardless of the top hat and greatcoat he’d worn, the short walk from the coach to the front door of Hadleigh Hall had seen him in the elements enough to collect the fluffy precipitation.
The aged butler peered between them. “Shall I announce your arrival to Lord Hadleigh?”
“I would appreciate that. Thank you, Jeffries.” He’d thought the man ancient in childhood, but that had obviously been an erroneous assumption. Once the butler cleared the entry hall, Brand looked at his wife. “Welcome to the country seat of the Earl of Hadleigh,” he said to his wife, Elizabeth. “It’s the place where my brothers and cousins and I spent summers and the Christmastide holidays.”
“And no doubt found too much mischief as well as ran the staff ragged.” Amusement twinkled in her eyes, and damn if she didn’t look every bit a thoroughly satisfied and much-loved woman.
His heart squeezed. Would that she always be such. Then he peered closer. Oh, shit! Was that red mark on her chest due to his attentions? The bodice of her gown didn’t quite cover it. “This is so.” Gently, he pulled at the edge of a thin cream-colored wool shawl so that it covered the evidence of his enthusiasm.
“It’s quite large.” Even though she’d re-pinned her glorious sun-streaked brown hair before they disembarked from the coach, her turquoise gown was hopelessly wrinkled—one of the frocks he’d bought her this past autumn during their unorthodox courtship. Even if his family suspected non-chaste activity, perhaps they’d fall upon manners and merely think her clothing travel crushed.
Yet, there was his loosened cravat and the buttons on his waistcoat that had been done up in haste so that he’d mismatched them to the wrong holes. “Yes, well, I suppose it needs to be.” He shoved a hand through his hair in the vain hope he could quickly tame the displaced strands, for he and Lizzy had been quite inappropriate prior to arriving at Hadleigh Hall. “Shall we find the family, or should we go directly upstairs to rest after traveling?” Quickly, he put his waistcoat to rights, but if she wished to retire, the bloody piece of clothing would land on the floor in a heap… as would hers.
“Hush, Brand. Later we can indulge, for the nights will belong exclusively to us.” Even after being a newlywed for the past couple of months, a pretty blush still stained her cheeks. “From the sounds of enthusiasm and fun, I’ll wager your family is rapidly coming toward us.” She slipped her hand through the crooked arm he offered, and they made their way toward the grand staircase.
“That’s odd, in and of itself. The last I checked, Drew and Finn weren’t given to hilarity, especially together. Arguments, sure, but not laughter.” Had they arrived too late and had missed the juiciest parts of the house party already?
A handful of people spilled down the stairs. Vaguely he recognized their wives, for the last visit he’d had with them all had been fleeting, and at the time he’d been consumed with Lizzy and their nuptial ceremony. The company came to a skittering halt upon seeing him. His oldest brother Drew separated from the knot. Two footmen followed, one bearing a Bath chair and the other carrying Finn.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” his older brother groused as he roved his gaze up and down Brand’s person. On that last visit, Drew hadn’t spent much time with them due to his Parliamentary schedule, but he had attended the rather hasty wedding ceremony. “Where the hell have you been, Brand?”
“Everywhere.” He winked at Lizzy, and when she tightened her fingers on his arm, a wealth of gratitude welled within him. “It seems as if we barely left the sloop in London. The snow made travel difficult. Nearly had to pull off at a posting inn, but our driver wished to see the journey through.”
Drew’s eyebrows soared. “You can’t blame it on the snow, Brother, for had you’d returned from your wedding trip sooner, you would have beat the storm.”
When Brand’s body went taut as he prepared to needle his pompous arse of a sibling, his wife whispered into his ear, “Behave.” When she pulled slightly away, he caught the slight telling blush on her cheeks. “To be fair, Lord Hadleigh, the weather is horrid. I don’t think it would have mattered when we left London, for people at the inns said it had rained before the snow.”
“But we’re here now, and isn’t that all that matters?” Annoyance played his spine, for enduring Drew had always tried his patience, but it blew over in a twinkling. During the onerous trip through the snow, he’d been afforded time to thoroughly pleasure his wife in the coach—which had led to their current slightly disheveled states, and he’d do so again before the night was through. After all, they’d barely returned from their wedding trip, and the only reason they’d come back was to attend Andrew’s Christmas house party. Besides, he adored Lizzy to distraction and couldn’t wait to show her again and again how much he loved her.
“I see.” Drew swept his stormy gray gaze first over Brand’s person and then along Elizabeth’s frame. A hint of excitement lingered on his brother’s face, but for what he had no idea. “I’m glad you’re both finally here. It’s not been the same without you, Brand.” He turned and offered a hand to his wife, bringing the pregnant woman forward. “You remember my countess?”
“Of course.” Brand took possession of her hand and brought it to his lips in a flourish that made her eyes sparkle behind the lenses of her spectacles. “Hullo, Lady Hadleigh. It’s nice to see you again.” He stepped back after releasing her hand. “Elizabeth has been quite excited for this holiday. She’s looking forward to spending time with the family.”
“Welcome to Hadleigh Hall,” the countess said in a cheerful tone. She drew Elizabeth’s arm through hers. “Let me introduce you to some of our guests. We have quite a full house tonight.”
Once the ladies joined the knot of people looking curiously on, Finn rolled his Bath chair over and stopped at Drew’s side.
“It’s nice to see you again, Brand.” His middle brother leaned forward with a hand extended. When they shook, a goofy grin snaked over Finn’s face. “It’s been an age when we’ve all been together like this. I wonder if we still have the sleds from years ago.”
Drew chuckled. In that instant he went from the arrogant arse Brand had become forever accustomed to, and changed into a man relaxed and content with his lot. The transformation was so acute that Brand stared. “I imagine they’re in one of the outbuildings. I’ll inquire from Jeffries if he knows.”
“I remember sledding and packing the snow at certain points on the hills so that when we hit them, we’d fly.” The men shared a laugh. “Do you think the ponds are frozen over by now?”
“Doubtful.” Drew shook his head. “It was only raining a few days ago, but if the weather holds, they might be in a week.”
Brand fingered the leather patch covering his missing left eye. “I might not see you boys coming on my left, but I can make a bully run down those hills still.”
“Agreed. Even I can do it if someone helps me to settle.” Finn’s eyes twinkled. “The party wishes to gather Christmastide greenery tomorrow. How difficult would it be to have someone unearth the sleigh? We could let the ladies festoon it with fir boughs and ribbons, perhaps find some harness bells. I’m certain they’ll go for the romance of it all.”
“Good idea, and it’s something Sarah can partake of since I refuse to endanger her or the babe with other rigorous activities.” Drew’s gaze wandered to his wife, and any fool could see how besotted he was of her.
That was something that hadn’t occurred to Brand. “I suppose I’ll have to break the news to Lizzy about limiting her physical exertions to benign tasks as well,” he said in a low voice almost to himself. Worry formed knots in his belly. There was so much uncertainty in having an expectant wife.
“What?” Drew snapped his attention back to him. “Never say…”
Brand nodded. He couldn’t keep the cheeky grin from forming. “Before beginning our journey to Derbyshire, we called upon Doctor Marsden’s clinic for an examination but were informed he was on holiday and not expected back until after Twelfth Night.”