His voice had turned low and smooth, and Jane wriggled behind him, sliding a hand down from his waist to where his body met the saddle.
“You think we might do that?”
“Keep that up and we might have to stop here on the road and start right now. In the snow.”
“Trick,” she laughed. “I’d freeze my arse.”
“I’ll make sure I keep it warm, sweetheart, never fear.”
But it was an idle threat, for Mr and Mrs Jones did, in fact, make it back to Fivetrees, where they acted as if they were the newlyweds, which—for all intents and purposes—they were.
*~~*~~*
As the house quietened, Giles walked through the now-empty rooms to the rear where his study was tucked away from the normal ebb and flow of life at Wolfbridge.
He had some important duties ahead of him, and although he deplored the fact that he must leave so soon after the weddings, there could be no delay in his mission.
He lit a few candles and took his seat at his desk, reaching down into the large bottom drawer for a box which he placed in front of him. Opening it, he pushed the lid back and stared at the papers within. There were more than a few, neatly stacked in a pile, each with a name on top.
He pulled them all out and moved the box aside.
“Now,” he mumbled to himself. “Let’s find the right one…”
He moved a candle closer and began to work his way through the pile, reading the name and the notes beneath with great attention, then sighing and putting it to one side.
Occasionally he would nod, or purse his lips in thought, then add one to a different pile, a much smaller one.
After about an hour or more, he’d finished; both piles were tidied and there were no more. It was growing cold, so he lit the fire in the fireplace, knowing he’d probably sleep here tonight. There was a large sofa and several soft blankets—he’d often spent the night after staying up much too late reading or working. It was his pied-à-terre and he relished the fact that nobody ever questioned it.
Kicking off his boots, he took the smaller pile of papers with him and settled comfortably in the corner of the sofa with the blanket and a couple of candles.
He read the sheets again, taking time to consider the contents after each one.
There were ten pages, containing the names of ten men that Giles considered suitable for a position at Wolfbridge.
Each had strengths—and more importantly, each had weaknesses. It was a matter of finding the right combination, of combining those factors within four men, so that the whole would indeed be greater than the sum of their parts. Aristotle had the right idea as far as Giles was concerned.
Having Evan and Jeremy already in residence made the job a little easier. Evan’s gentle nature, and Jeremy’s humour were strengths he need not seek in a new candidate. But Evan might easily be overlooked at times since his nature was also somewhat shy and retiring.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was like a bright light. And sometimes one needed to shield one’s eyes from the dazzle.
Both fine young men, both excellent members of the Wolfbridge family.
For such was the way Giles viewed the men under his direction. They were family, they would care for and protect the Lady of Wolfbridge, and she would draw from them whatever she needed to become the complete woman she was destined to be.
That was the directive of Wolfbridge Manor. Illuminabit ad te.
Bring light unto thyself.
He had often wondered what the inscription scrawled beneath the large mantel in the hallway meant. And he wondered who had patiently crouched before the fire and carved it. It was Jeremy who had noticed his curiosity and attacked the ancient smoke-stained beam with cloth and wax, cleaning it up enough to be legible.
Giles had served in loco parentis at Adalyn’s wedding, and walked her down the aisle with the knowledge that he had indeed fulfilled the directive of Wolfbridge. Adalyn had brought herself to light, and she shone with that knowledge as she took Daniel as her husband.
Now it was time to close that chapter of Wolfbridge and look ahead. To begin re-staffing with new faces and preparing to welcome a new Lady.
As far as that matter was concerned, Giles had another list in a different drawer of his desk; one that he added to now and again, as information arrived on various matters from diverse places around the country.
He believed he knew who he would seek out when the time came, but for now his priority was to find replacements for Trick and Daniel. More Daniel than Trick, since managing an estate was not a trivial matter and he knew himself to be poorly qualified for the job.
The morrow would see the departure of the Fitzroys, and that would be difficult. After that, a few days to celebrate the Christmas season, though it would be a quiet time this year. The weather was cold, snow could be expected at any moment, and he predicted he would be delayed by the weather, if nothing else, on his anticipated journey.
But it must be made, and soon.
Sighing and rubbing his eyes, Giles put aside the papers. He’d made his decision and having done so knew where he must go to pursue it.
There was time to put travelling arrangements together, but not a lot. He wanted this done, and done soon. Pulling the blanket around him, he blew out the candles, settling down by firelight to catch a few hours’ rest.
A chill danced across the back of his neck and for a moment he thought he felt the touch of icy fingers. He shivered.
