Page 5 of The Twelve Days of Love

Chapter Two

Luke returned to the tearoom and saw that Kitty, one of their longtime servers, was settling the children at a table.

“How are you, Kitty?” he asked, taking a seat and lifting Thomas into his lap.

“Right well, my lord. Business is booming.”

“And that husband of yours?”

She grinned. “Staying out of trouble. For now. I’ll be back with food for the little ones.”

He saw that Daisy, another of the young women he had hired years ago, beat Kitty to it. She approached them with a large, round tray.

“Good day, Lord Mayfield,” she said brightly as Kitty began lifting plates off the tray and setting them on the table.

“Hello, Daisy,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

She glanced down to her burgeoning belly. “This one is kicking up a storm today.”

“How long do you have?”

“The midwife says another eight weeks or longer.”

“Should you be carrying heavy trays?”

Daisy shrugged. “I did with the last one, right up until the day he came. Don’t worry, my lord. I’ll be fine.”

The two women left and Luke spent a happy hour with his children. They had plenty of sandwiches, which he instructed them to eat first. After one macaroon, that is. It was his little secret with the children anytime they came to Evie’s and dined. They were each allowed a macaroon to start before they ate something more substantial, then he allowed them to try bites of several desserts the kitchen would send out. He didn’t think one tiny macaroon would spoil their appetites. It was a small way he could indulge his little ones.

They finished with the sandwiches and Mrs. Stinch brought out a tray filled with biscuits and scones, telling the children about each one and letting them make their selections. For Luke, she brought a piece of cherry pie.

“Made fresh this morning, my lord,” the cook said.

He took a bite and groaned. “The flakiest piecrusts are to be found at Evie’s. A job well done, Mrs. Stinch.”

She left them and they dug into their sweets. Kitty was thoughtful enough to bring wet rags to wipe messy hands and mouths.

“Wouldn’t want any sticky fingers touching the books, would we?” she teased.

Luke cleaned Thomas’ hands and face as Lucy helped Cora wipe away any traces of the meal. Edgar took care of himself.

“Ready to explore?” he asked. “Remember, we probably have at least half an hour to an hour to browse the shelves and make our selections.”

Standing, he carried Thomas as the others followed him. They had made many visits to Evie’s and the three older ones knew exactly where to go, heading off in different directions within the children’s section.

Stinch joined them. “Might I take Lord Thomas about, my lord? We have expanded the play area for children.”

He placed Thomas on his feet and knelt so he was at his son’s level. “Go with Mr. Stinch, Thomas. He has things to show you.”

Happily, Thomas nodded and took the manager’s hand, waving goodbye to Luke.

“I see you have all your children with you today,” a familiar voice said.

Turning, Luke saw Lord Merrifield, an old friend of the family who had once been sweet on Rachel. Now, Rachel and Evan counted Merrifield and his wife, Diana, among their closest friends.

“Doing some shopping, Merrifield?” he asked.

The earl chuckled. “You know I cannot enter Evie’s without buying out half the children’s section. When is your sister-in-law going to write another book? My little ones clamor for every title she publishes. The Kind Caterpillar’s Christmas is still a favorite.”

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