Page 32 of Married By Twelfth Night
Once they had shed their outer clothing, they followed Mr. Reed into the drawing room, which hummed with the chatter of guests. Something in the air smelled of the holidays almost upon them—perhaps it was the wood burning in the grate, or the smell of punch, or a mere idea in his head, but it was there all the same. Several tables had been set up about the room, but no one was sitting quite yet. They were clustered in small groups about the room, visiting.
“It’s a larger group than I anticipated.” A thrill of excitement filled Bridget’s voice. With Mother gone, Richard did not think it inappropriate for her to attend a party. They couldn’t keep her at home forever.
“Enjoy every minute,” Richard instructed. “That’s an order.”
Bridget laughed at his playful tone. “Look, there is Ruth. She must be expiring with the sheer numbers. Perhaps I should go and set her at ease.”
Richard had always thought his sister kind, but her age was known to be a selfish one. He was notably impressed with her thoughtfulness.He intended to follow Bridget, but in a moment of weakness, his eyes sought out Grace.
He found her by the fireplace, her gown an elegant but simple pink muslin. She was speaking to . . . to Mr. Craig. He had not realized the Steeles were acquainted with Craig. He wasn’t from Wetherfield, and Richard only knew him from his time at Oxford, as they were in the same graduating class together. Craig was a decent sort of fellow—handsome and obnoxiously driven. He took one step toward him, with the intention to greet him, when Grace laughed.
Richard’s jaw reflexively flinched. He continued his path toward them, stopping to take a quick bow to Mrs. Steele in passing before reaching the pair by the fireplace.
“I had no idea Wetherfield had such fine company,” Mr. Craig said to Grace, his smile lined with pleasure.
“Until you showed up,” Richard inserted, stepping beside Grace.
“Graham!” Craig grinned. “What the devil are you doing here?”
Richard’s own smile was not so wide, but he didn’t quite understand why. Shouldn’t he be happy to see an old school chum? “My estate neighbors Callis Hall.”
“So, I have you to blame for not telling me about the hidden gems here.” Craig’s gaze shifted back to Grace’s.
Was she blushing? Why did she blush so easily for Craig when it took Richard so much effort? “Yes, you can blame me. We do not give up our treasures easily.” He set his hand on the small of Grace’s back. Besides the kiss to her hand, he hadn’t touched her like this since their ice-skating, and it wasn’t as acceptable here as it was there. But he couldn’t bring himself to remove it. Instead, he shifted ever closer to her until she was firmly by his side.
Craig’s brow rose.
Well, they were courting, weren’t they? Shouldn’t everyone know it?
Grace’s voice came out strained. “I see my mother is waving me over. Excuse me.”
Richard’s hand instantly fell, and both he and Craig instinctively followed her line of vision to see Mrs. Steele with Mrs. Peterson and a young woman he did not recognize. She was pretty in a showy sort of way, her dress overtrimmed next to Grace’s, and a large bow pinned to her hair. Was this Mrs. Peterson’s niece? He heard that she might visit, and it was clear Mrs. Steele wanted Grace to befriend the woman.
Craig nudged him with his elbow. “My sister is a diamond of the first water. Don’t you agree?”
“Your sister?”
“Yes, we decided to come visit our aunt and uncle for the holidays. How fortunate to find we are among friends as well.”
Richard wasn’t feeling overly friendly, but he did possess some manners. “I welcome you both then.”
“Come, let me introduce you.”
Once they met the others, Richard put himself beside Grace again. He felt like he was standing guard, protecting Grace from the Craigs as the brother and sister answered general questions about their lives. Mr. Craig was not a pariah, but Richard didn’t want him getting any ideas of romance. Grace might not be for him, but he was positive Craig was not her equal. The man was a flirt of the highest order and in no hurry to settle down. Richard doubted that anything had changed in the eighteen months since they had seen each other last.
After a few minutes of visiting, they were ushered to a table to begin a game. He had hoped to end up at a table with Bridget and Ruth, but instead sat down with the Craigs and Grace. Bridget and Ruth took a table next to theirs. Richard caught Ruth’s eye and sent her afriendly smile. It was reciprocated, followed by a pointed look at her sister Grace, seated next to him, and a slight nod.
What was that supposed to mean? Was she encouraging him to court Grace? Or beat her at whist? He would have to think about it more later.
He glanced at Grace, who was oblivious of the small exchange. She was too busy whispering with Bridget, whose chair was back-to-back with her own. The two of them complimented each other’s gowns and hair before turning around to begin their prospective games. In the meantime, Miss Craig sat opposite him and would be his partner in whist. Lucky him.
“I have no doubt that you are an excellent card player, Mr. Graham,” Miss Craig said, commanding his attention. Her chin dipped toward one shoulder and her lashes fluttered in a practiced pose.
“I am fair,” he admitted, feigning focus on his fingernail.
Miss Craig picked up her fan. “No need to be modest.”
“Mr. Graham is never modest,” Grace quipped. “He is objectively fair at whist when paired with a partner of equal skill.”
