She remembered acutely the disappointment which had filled her chest every time the post came, and no letter from him had arrived. And that disappointment had turned to panic when her father informed her of the marriage he had arranged. She had sent a last desperate missive to both Max and Henry asking for help. Henry had been the one to show up at her door. He had been the one to listen to her frustrations with her father’s orders and her tears over Max’s silence. Yes, pain, even old wounds, had a way of sticking with you.
“I can speak with her privately and ask her if she is willing to tell us about it. But I can’t promise anything,” Charlotte said. “She is a second mother to Daniel and Miles and I won’t do anything to cause her hurt.”
“Yes, of course.” Ellie gave Susanna a quelling look when she opened her mouth to protest.
Susanna was the most impetuous of all of them and it often got her into trouble. But she was also fearless, straightforward, and the sort of friend who would help you bury the body without asking any questions.
Olivia laughed outright at Susanna’s mulish expression. “Let’s change the topic of conversation. You all are invited to a Christmas Eve dinner here at Belhaven Hall.”
“Lovely!” Ellie exclaimed.
“We are happy to attend. But I thought you were boycotting Christmas festivities this year?” Charlotte asked.
Olivia grimaced. “Drake—I mean Rivenhall’s entire family has come to visit for the holiday.” She cocked an eyebrow. “They adore throwing parties, and they adore Christmas, so here we are having a party to introduce him to the local quality. My job is to invite the right people.” She shot her friends a smile. “So, I intend to make sure it’s intimate. Charlotte, your whole household is invited of course, and don’t worry I will not invite your parents.”
Charlotte sighed. “My mother will be beside herself if she doesn’t get to meet the new Rivenhall. You should just invite them. Besides, my brother Edward and his family are in residence at Markham House for the holidays, and I do feel bad for Katherine having to manage my mother all alone.”
“All right, I will invite them as well. I’d hoped to get through the season with as little fanfare as possible, but Max and his family love Christmas.” She rolled her eyes.
“You used to as well, my dear,” Ellie said. “Belhaven always had the most fabulous Twelfth Night parties.”
The other ladies exchanged looks across the table.
“That was always Henry.” Olivia swallowed around the lump that formed in her throat. “I don’t know how to do this without him.”
Sophia wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “With your friends by your side.”
Chapter Seventeen
Max enjoyed theride into Marbury. He was beginning to adapt to the cold, or at least remember to dress warmer. His trousers had a warm woolen lining and he had on sheepskin-lined gloves, and his wool knit cap. The ladies rode in the sleigh, wrapped in capes with fur blankets on their laps, and hot bricks at their feet. The sky was clear and blue. It would be a perfect day to browse the holiday market.
He was grateful to be on his horse and away from the constant chatter of the women in his family. The constant banter could be cheerful and exhausting all at once. Max found that he had missed being with those few people who knew him well. With his family he didn’t have to be on guard, to constantly analyze his environment or every nuance of the conversation. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in years.
He slowed the horse’s pace to match the sleigh as they entered the town. “This is Marbury. It’s a charming town. Lots of shops, a coaching inn, and a new brewery just opened.”
His mother sniffed derisively, but her sharp eyes took in everything as they rolled into town. Louisa and Ginny craned their necks to glance up and down the streets they passed. The coachman pulled to a stop at the square in the middle of town. Max dismounted and strode over to help his grandmother from the conveyance. Then he handed down his mother and sisters.
“Look at all the tents! There must be at least two dozen,” Ginny said.
Kit tied Max’s horse to the back of the sleigh. “When should I come back for you, my lord?”
“Perhaps in an hour? Would that be enough time, ladies?” Max asked.
His mother nodded. “Yes, any longer, and we’ll turn into icicles.”
Max gave Kit a shilling. “After you take care of the horses, get yourself a lager to warm up.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kit tipped his hat with a smile. Then he jumped back onto the box and snapped the reins.
Ginny and Louisa each slipped a hand through Grand-mère’s arms, flanking her as they headed down the first aisle of tents. Max offered his arm to his mother, and they followed at a slower pace. Louisa and Ginny pulled Grand-mère from booth to booth, but his mother spent time assessing the wares at each tent carefully.
After perusing a selection of nuts, she ordered two bags of walnuts and three bags of almonds. Max paid the vendor, and they strolled again. “It’s nice to spend time with you, Maxie,” his mother said. “Even if we did have to chase you all the way to England.”
“It is nice to spend time with you all as well. This inheritance came at exactly the right time. Italy was dangerous, and I don’t think I will return any time soon.”
“Were you able to procure the Vasari?” she asked.
He nodded. “But I was ambushed en route to the sale. The painting was taken.”