“This is a lovely room, Lady Rivenhall. The colors are soothing.” Louisa picked up a small figurine from the mantel. “But this is quite ugly.”
“Louisa!” his mother said. “Apologize at once.”
Louisa’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry. I should have kept my opinion to myself.”
Olivia’s lips twitched, and Max guessed she was holding back a laugh. “Thank you for the compliment about the room. Blue is my favorite color.” She smiled at Louisa.
The conversation stalled. “So, Mother, you said you would be visiting through the Christmas holiday?”
“Yes. Won’t it be nice to spend Christmas together as a family? It has been too long. I have decided we will spend the upcoming year in England. This spring will be the perfect opportunity to launch Ginny into society. Your new title affords her an opportunity to find an excellent match. I expect you to do whatever you can to see both your sisters settled properly.”
“Of course, Mother. I’m happy to help in any way,” Max replied. And it had begun. Not that he blamed his mother for her ambitions. Only that he hadn’t even had time to think of himself as the Earl of Rivenhall, let alone think about socializing with the quality.
“And you should think about finding a wife this year, too. You will need to beget an heir.”
Max opened and closed his mouth but had no reply to his mother’s blunt words.
Ginny chuckled. “Now you know how I feel, dear brother.”
“Perhaps, we can all have some tea before you begin handing out directives about your children’s lives, Marguerite. There is plenty of time for all of that,” Grand-mère said.
Right on cue, Mrs. Peabody arrived with the tea cart. She arranged the tea service on a low table and directed the maid to set down the sandwiches and biscuits next to it. The two women left, and Olivia poured steaming cups of tea for everyone. As his sisters piled food onto small plates, Max watched Olivia, mindful that she hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast. She sipped on her tea but did not eat anything.
“This is delicious. I’m starved,” Ginny said around a mouthful of biscuit. Their mother shot her a warning look, and Ginny swallowed her food before continuing. “Thank you. The food is lovely.”
His mother shook her head. “I don’t know what I will do with the two of you.” Her gaze was soft as she looked at her daughters, though, and Max knew his mother was all bluster and no bite.
“We could have a dinner party to introduce you to local society. Get your feet wet, so to speak.” Olivia’s quiet suggestion surprised him.
“I think I could handle that. How many people are we talking about?” He filled a plate with two cucumber sandwiches and a lemon biscuit, all Olivia’s favorites. He offered her the plate, and before she could protest, shoved it into her hands.
“Let’s see; there are four or five families in the area that are part of the quality. I’m sure they will all know you are in town before the end of the day now that Mrs. Kirk knows you are at Belhaven. We could start with them.” She nibbled delicately on a sandwich triangle, then as though finally realizing she was hungry, she consumed it in two bites.
“Lovely!” His mother clapped her hands together. “Christmas Eve is in one week. Let’s do it then. I do love the Christmas holiday.” She turned to Olivia. “Unless there is another party happening already?”
Olivia shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She stuffed the lemon biscuit into her mouth.
Ginny scooted to the edge of her seat. “A Christmas Eve dinner party sounds wonderful. We can decorate and play games, and I can play the pianoforte and lead the singing of carols.”
Olivia’s skin paled and her eyes flicked back and forth between his sister and mother as they started planning the dinner party. Louisa rolled her eyes and snatched another sandwich from the tray before she plopped down next to Olivia. “You’ll get used to them. They are forever planning parties. The only thing they love more than a party is a Christmas party.”
Olivia rose to her feet. She clasped her hands tightly in front of her. “If you will all please excuse me, I will just go check with the housekeeper that your rooms are prepared.” Then she turned on her heel and fled the room.
It was the only word to describe her mad dash toward the door. In less than a moment, she was gone. Max frowned. It must be all the talk about Christmas. Hadn’t she just confided in him about her aversion to celebrating this year? Unfortunately, there would be no getting around celebrating Christmas with his family around. He would make it his mission to make Christmas as wonderful as possible for Olivia. After all, Henry would have wanted her to enjoy the season.
“Maxwell, what is Lady Rivenhall still doing here? Shouldn’t she have vacated Belhaven by now?” his mother asked once the door had shut behind Olivia.
“It took almost a year for the solicitor to find me. She has been taking care of the estate. Plus, this is where she has always lived.”
“What do you mean?”
Max took a sip of tea and debated how much to tell his mother. “Olivia’s father was the land steward for Belhaven for years. She has always lived on this land.”
His mother sniffed and exchanged a knowing look with Grand-mère. “Well, it’s not proper. It’s a good thing we are here to protect your reputation.”
“My reputation?” Max chuckled.
“From a social climber like that.”