“An interesting lot, are they not?” Roman, a tall man with a slightly severe brow offered up an empty glass as he joined Cillian.
Married to Clementine, the only redhead sister, the marquis was clearly desperately in love with his wife. Cillian couldn’t help what an intriguing match the two made. He couldn’t think how they had met then realized he had yet to ask Ivy.
He’d yet to ask her a lot of things.
Cillian nodded.Interesting.That word kept coming back. In the past, he’d heard it uttered about him, but there was nothing complimentary about it.
Interesting.
It usually meant odd. Different. Strange.
But with the Musgraves it felt right. They were interesting. Ivy’s father was a self-made man, married to a duke’s daughter. He’d gained his title through toil and service to the crown. The sisters were equally intelligent women and as for the aunt...well, she was the mostinterestingof them all. Add the cat who had taken to occupying the armchair he preferred, and it was quite the group.
“You’ll get used to it,” confided Roman. “It just takes a little while.”
Cillian glanced at the man. “It took you a while?”
“Longer than I’d like to admit. I didn’t come from the warmest of families.” He offered out his glass as Cillian pulled the stopper from a crystal decanter of whisky. “Of course, a little of this helps.”
Cillian poured a generous slug of alcohol and topped up his own. “I can’t imagine many families of thetoncan claim to be like this.”
Roman smirked. “Not a one of them, I suspect, and they would all be better off if they could be as open and loving as the Musgraves.” He gestured with his glass toward the family. “There would be a lot fewer grumpy bastards like myself.”
“And like myself, I fear,” Cillian muttered.
“We should start a club.”
Cillian swung a look at his brother-in-law to catch the amusement in his eye. “Well, we could but we’d all be too annoyed at the interruption to our day to attend.”
Roman laughed. “That sounds about right.” His wife looked his way and Cillian saw the instant softening of the man’s brow. “They get to you, these Musgraves, you know. Before you know it, you’re laughing with them and finding yourself looking forward to the next family gathering.”
“I’m not sure it’s that easy to change.”
“Anyone can change, Cillian. You just have to be open to it and have a very good reason for doing so.”
Cillian looked to Ivy who had her head bent close to her twin as they discussed something in hushed tones. When she looked his way, his heart gave a kick so hard it almost made him cough on his next sip of whiskey.
Ivy was a good reason. An excellent reason. He had no idea who he was marrying all those weeks ago and he only hoped she would fulfill all the things he needed her to.
She did that and more.
She ran the house beautifully, even with a rebellious set of staff, and she was kind to everyone, animals included.
Hell, she was kind to him when he probably didn’t deserve it.
Add in the fact she was utterly beautiful, could apparently knit a huge blanket within hours, and made him feel as though no matter what was going wrong in his world, she would always be there, and he was fairly certain he was in danger of getting entirely lost to her.
“Oh let’s play Bullet Pudding!” Aunt Sarah declared after a debate about what parlor game they should play next. Charades was too difficult apparently because everyone talked over each other, and the sisters became far too competitive.
“Bullet Pudding?” Cillian repeated.
Roman nodded. “You’ve never heard of it?”
“I’m not exactly the parlor game playing type.”
“Me neither but that won’t mean you can get out of it.”
“Wonderful.”