His grandmother did not have the appearance of a lady of five and seventy, but one much younger. Though iron-gray dotted her vibrant black hair, her face was barely lined with creases, and the elegance of her dress placed her at least ten years younger. She did not seem ill, though she clasped a cane tightly in her hand.
“We have heard much about you, Miss Harrington,” she began imperiously. “It is good to finally meet you. Have a seat and let us—”
“Nanna,” he chided, bending down to kiss her cheek. “Miss Harrington is travel weary and dusty. Allow her to freshen up and rest a bit before the interrogation begins. We do not want her to cry off now, do we?”
A shocked laugh was pulled from Felicity, and she quickly sobered as all eyes swung to her.
“I would not cry off, my lady,” she murmured.
After a few more moments idly chattering with his family, which she could see was held together by love and respect, Felicity was taken from the room by the housekeeper and led upstairs to the most charming and airy guest room she had ever rested in. A maid was assigned to her, and as the young girl who had a ready smile went about unpacking Felicity’s luggage, she removed her boots.
She was feeling a bit tired, and it had nothing to do with the nerves still fluttering in her belly. Felicity was not an actress, but she thought she did rather well earlier. Phineas assured her that he would do the heavy lifting, and she followed his lead. Enclosed in the large carriage pulled by a team of four, they had spoken about each other’s likes and dislikes.
“I enjoy archery, riding, whisky, and well-prepared dishes.”
She had run her eyes over his lean figure, and his gaze had gleamed when he caught her.
“I enjoy reading, a bit of fencing, and even needlework. I also want to travel to places such as Paris and Vienna. Even Scotland.”
They had only exchanged truths, and she had enjoyed their back and forth. The only part she had not fancied was the background of Jane, but she had faithfully memorized the tidbits he had already revealed to his family, hoping she would not be required to affirm them. She did not like the idea of lying to his family, even if it were to ease his grandmother’s last days.
Felicity thought again that the dowager countess had not appeared like a lady close to death. She was intimately acquainted with illness and how it ravaged the person’s life toward the end. Her father had died of a wasting fever, and despite that awful time being over six years ago, a lump of sorrow rose in her heart.
I miss you, papa, and I promise I am doing this to take care of mama.
Free of her boots, bonnet, and stockings, she climbed atop the lush bed and settled among the pillows. She groaned in pleasure at the comfortable softness and allowed her lashes to flutter close in a deep sleep.
“You are looking remarkably well, Nanna,”Phineas said, taking a sip of his tea and running his gaze over his grandmother. He plucked one of the small pieces of cake from the tea trolley and popped it into his mouth. He had not lied to Felicity when he told her he enjoyed food. His sisters were always bemoaning the unfairness of Phineas eating several courses daily without verging toward corpulence.
“Your grandmother has relieved our hearts by rallying these last few days,” his mother replied. “It has done her spirit well that you went for your fiancée. How is her family doing? Can they spare her for a few days?”
“They can spare her for as long as nanna needs, but of course, we must be reasonable.”
His mother and grandmother exchanged a delighted glance that had him arching a brow. The ladies were conspiring. He did not like the feeling of alarm that shivered through his heart.
“I did not detect much chemistry between you and Miss Harrington,” his grandmother said thoughtfully. “A most pleasant girl, but she seems a mite skittish around you.”
He paused in popping the last piece of a crumpet into his mouth. “You ascertain that from a five-minute meeting?”
She waved away his observation. “Are you not stealing enough kisses?”
He choked. “Nanna, must we discuss kisses? Annabelle is here.”
His youngest sister grinned and took a demure sip of her tea. Of course, their grandmother paid him no heed.
“Yes,” she said pertly, a furrow between her brow. “Your Jane is not what I expected.”
“In what way?”
“I never thought you would have fallen for a…” She paused as she tried to find the right word. “Such amouseygirl.”
“Mousey?” he demanded, truly astonished.
“Yes, her brown hair and plain brown eyes—”
“What brown hair? It is a rich, deep brown with highlights like sunset, and her eyes are a lovely amber with lush flashes of gold. They are the finest pair of eyes I have ever had the privilege to stare into.”
His grandmother blinked, and he tugged at his cravat that suddenly felt tighter. Where had that come from? Even his mother stared at him with a measure of astonishment.