“We are no longer sure,” said Robert. “She likes to suggest that she does, but others say that she does not.”
Charlotte stepped in. “If she doesn’t then I am sure she soon will, and then she will try to control him; if she cannot then she will surely expose him.”
“Then he must take back control himself!” Theodore said sternly. He seemed about to say more but bit his lip and subsided back in his chair.
Adelia tapped his thigh lightly. “You are right,” she said. “But he still needs guidance, Theodore, the guidance of a father.”
“He is a grown man. He will not accept me now.”
“Perhaps he will – because he is a grown man, and has matured into a very sensible one as far as I can see. But however sensible, and however grown, a man still needs his father.” She shot Robert a meaningful look, then. He had business of his own with the Earl of Mareham, after all. “Look, I know you have had little contact for a decade or more, but you are both different people now. He was worried that you would reject him for his art. Now he knows that is not the case, you can bring him back into the fold.”
“In spite of his art? I thought you were against all that circle these days,” he said to her.
“I certainly am,” she replied stiffly. “I shall never go to one of those gatherings again.” She knew she was making it sound as if they were all running around half-naked while supping ambrosia from gilded cups held aloft by nubile actresses. She softened. “But he is still your son, and therefore part of the family. Our family. My family.”
There was another moment of silence, more reflective and less awkward than before.
Adelia broke it, saying in a brighter tone, “And speaking of family, I have news! Felicia is travelling back to England even now. She hopes to land very soon!”
“Before Easter?” said Charlotte, bouncing forwards in excitement.
Smugly, Adelia said, “Certainly before the baby is born, I expect...”
Everyone cooed, gasped and clapped with delight. Theodore hugged her with one arm and said in her ear, “When were you going to tell us?”
“I only had the letter the morning and meant to reveal it at dinner tonight, but I simply could not wait any longer and thought we all needed cheering up.”
Mr Wiseman got to his feet. “You refused my champagne earlier yet I can think of no time more appropriate than this very moment.”
This time, they did not say no.
THE END
THANK YOU FOR READING! If you could leave a review where you bought this book, I would be very grateful indeed.
This was book five in the series. The others are:
Murder at Mondial Castle (already available)
The Viscount’s Deadly Game (already available)
A Murderous Inheritance (already available)
The Earl’s Mortal Enemy (already available)
The Lord’s Fatal Mistake (this book!)
And, coming at the beginning of January 2021 is The Countess’s Deadly Discovery. Adelia and Theodore head north to spend spring in a village on the Scottish borders, uncovering strange rites, secret tunnels, rural strife and more! It is available to pre-order here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08HX7WY7G
THE END
