Page 67 of The Mistletoe Countess
“Oh no.” Grace pouted. “I can’t bear another one.”
“Aunt Lavenia is nothing like my mother.” He trailed a hand down her neck. “She’s unique in her own right and married to a clergyman in Matlock.”
“A clergyman?”
“My mother was not rich when my father met her.”
One of Grace’s brows pitched high.
“However, she was very…enticing.”
“So much so that your father lost all reason and married the wrong sister?” Grace’s eyes widened. “I’ve read about such intoxication in books, you know.”
“I’m certain you have.” Frederick chuckled and placed a kiss against her cheek. “And you may very well be right. I can only imagine Aunt Lavenia a better choice in many ways, but not when it comes to patience.”
“Frederick!” Her call came closer.
Sending Grace an apologetic look, he rounded the door, bringing Grace along with him. He was beginning to regret not taking a honeymoon.
“There you are.” Aunt Lavenia clapped her hands, her pale eyes wide beneath her large-brimmed hat. “And your bride!”
Frederick drew in a deep breath for strength. “Aunt Lavenia Redfern, may I introduce my wife, Gracelynn Percy, Countess of Astley.”
Grace dipped her head. “Pleased to meet you, Aunt Lavenia.”
“Oh, look at you!” She studied Grace for a second, stepping closer. “Well, I never imagined a redhead as the salvation of Havensbrooke, but if God can use fishermen, shepherds, and whales to bring about his plan, why not a lovely ginger?”
Grace shot Frederick an open-mouthed smile, her blue eyes dancing with her resident curiosity.
“Aunt Lavenia, we weren’t expecting visitors.”
“Family, dear.” Lavenia waved away his words and took Grace’s face in her hands, peering over the rim of her glasses for close inspection. “I met your sister in town this morning, and she invited me for tea on Friday.” Lavenia released Grace’s cheeks and stepped back with a satisfied sigh. “But I had to come over straightaway after Eleanor’s glowing report from you.” She raised a brow to Frederick. “Nothing’s glowed in this house since Edward installed electric lights, so you’ll understand my immediate curiosity.”
Grace laughed. “I do prefer glowing to the alternative.”
Lavenia’s sharp gaze slid back to Grace, her smile growing with Cheshire style. “Ah, I see.” Lavenia turned to Brandon. “Have tea brought to the Green Room, won’t you, Brandon?” Her attention turned back to Grace. “I’ve a new niece to interview.”
Grace couldn’t help but like Lavenia Redfern. She broke conventions, smiled often, and didn’t have one negative thing to say about Grace’s hair color. The very fact she caused Frederick to battle with his grin made her even more endearing.
“I wasn’t too keen on this whole idea of marrying for money, you understand.” She waved a scone toward Grace before taking another bite. “I recognize the financial demands of a large estate, but I’m a firm believer in marrying for a partner, not position, and I’m not afraid to admit it.”
“Grace and I are hopeful to have both,” Frederick answered, glancing Grace’s way long enough to send her thoughts spiraling back to his plundering kisses.
Was marriage truly supposed to be this delightful? Clandestine kisses in the study? Stormy nights of passion? Enchanting discussions about anything from fiction to architecture? She hadn’t read a single book that painted a picture of marriage remotely close to this.
What a waste of unwritten words!
“You’ve always been the kindhearted one, Frederick. For all your disappointments in life, you never lost your goodness, did you?”
Disappointments? The unanswered questions in this house breathed in the air, waiting for release. Would Frederick ever trust Grace with the truth? She already knew enough to draw conclusions of her own that rivaled anything he could conjure up. After all, she was currently reading Dickens.
“But I see how it is. You two are well suited.” Lavenia glanced between them, nodding with finality. “Yes, and I predict you will have a child by Christmas next year.”
Grace laughed more at Frederick’s look of shock than Lavenia’s directness. “I’m only now discovering what it is to be a wife, dear Aunt Lavenia. I can’t imagine managing the duties of mother too.”
“You’ll have lots of help when the time comes. Unlike most women in current society, I adore babies.” She took a sip of tea. “And how do you find Havensbrooke?”
“It’s situated so beautifully. Almost fairy-tale-like.”
