Chapter Six
By the time Thursday morning came around, Christopher had managed to convince himself that the strange attraction he’d felt over his fake betrothed was a momentary lapse.
He had barely thought about her in the two days that had passed since he had last seen her, and he was only thinking of her now because he was wondering how long he had left in this game of hide and seek before he had to go and get ready.
At around three and a half years of age, his niece, Charlotte, still didn’t quite understand how to play this game.
Although they had moved on from the days where she expected either everyone to hide or everyone to seek, there was still some confusion over the rules.
He wasn’t hiding in a place that was hard to find, under a chaise longue against a wall, and, after a scare where they had thought they had lost Charlotte last year, his head was free so that he could keep his eye on her and make sure she did not run off.
Even so, the game was taking an age. It seemed Charlotte could not begin to seek him until Dolly, her favourite toy, was also hidden.
As she was the only one allowed to touch Dolly, it made the whole thing rather pointless, but all he and any of his brothers cared about was that Charlotte was happy.
They were going to have to make sure she didn’t become the most spoilt girl imaginable, because they all indulged her far too much.
Christopher didn’t mind. It gave him more time to lie on his back and stare at the ornate painting on the ceiling above him, a scene that never failed to amuse him.
He often wondered if his parents had decided to have the design placed there and, if they had, what on earth had possessed the people he could not remember to have it done.
It had to be they who had commissioned the illustration, because the alternative was Tobias and that was an impossibility.
His oldest brother was as serious as night and would not have paid someone for the frolicking, naked cherubs.
The scene was wildly odd and quite disturbing if one pondered it for any length of time.
‘Dolly, you hide there. No, I can see you.’ Charlotte’s laughter rang out, pure and full of joy.
Christopher would never admit to his friends, who saw him as something of a rakehell, that his heart squeezed whenever he heard his niece so obviously happy.
The soft, gentle emotion didn’t fit in with the image of a Corinthian he had cultivated over the last few years, but it was the part of him that valued her happiness over everything else in his life.
His own childhood had been… not as good if one were being polite about it, and to be part of bringing happiness into his niece’s world was one of the best things he had done with his life.
Heavy footsteps sounded on the floor, followed by a squeal of joy. ‘Tobis!’
No one greeted his older brother in such a delighted way, or was allowed to call him by this shortened version.
While Christopher called Edward, Teddy, all the time, he would never call Tobias, Tobis.
Not known for being demonstrative or loquacious, Tobias held himself aloof from his brothers, only managing to show affection to Charlotte, their collective ward.
Even then, there was only a lightening of his demeanour in her presence, a slight softening of his eyes and the merest hint of a smile when she did something funny.
Despite this, Tobias appeared to be his niece’s favourite uncle, which, as Christopher was currently squashed under a chaise longue all in the name of keeping her entertained, seemed unfair.
From his prone position, Christopher could not make out whether Tobias and Charlotte were having a conversation, although he could hear her quiet giggles, so something must be going on.
Deciding that he, and the game he’d been playing, had been summarily forgotten, he began to climb out from his hiding place.
He managed to work his torso out from beneath the chaise longue with very little difficulty, but before he could get all the way free, his foot became wedged and no amount of wiggling it back and forth released it.
Those heavy footsteps sounded again, this time making their way over to him.
They came slowly enough that he had time to think about whether it was worse for Tobias to find him in this ridiculous position or one of his other brothers.
Upon reflection, none were good. Edward and Freddie would find it hilarious and go on about it forever, but there was something about the indignity of being prone on the floor that Christopher would have preferred the duke not to see.
He closed his eyes, unsure why he was doing so but somehow thinking it would be easier to avoid being embarrassed if he couldn’t see Tobias’ expression.
Charlotte gasped. ‘Kissyfur is stuck.’
And there it was; the muddled version of his name he was trying hard to avoid anyone hearing.
Thank goodness it wasn’t Freddie or Edward who had heard it.
Christopher would not ever, not in this lifetime or the next, allow himself to be called Kissyfur.
But at least Tobias was sensible. He would not go around telling everyone that name.
There would be no teasing glint in his eye, no smirk that hinted at future torture.
Christopher opened his eyes and found that his guess was true.
Tobias was carrying their niece and the two of them were looking down at him, Charlotte with open-mouthed panic, Tobias with no expression at all.
Charlotte scrambled down from her perch. ‘Kissyfur, are you hurt? Do you need it kissing better?’
Damnation, but she was adorable.
‘It is only my foot, Lotte. I shall be out in no time.’
Charlotte stepped back, giving him space to prove his words. Smiling encouragingly at her, he attempted to slide his foot around whatever was blocking his way. The chaise longue shuddered with the move but nothing happened.
‘Oh no,’ exclaimed Charlotte, running to the back of the chaise longue as though to find what was causing the problem.
Tobias crossed his arms as if he had all the time in the world to watch his brother squirm about on the floor, which couldn’t be true, because running the dukedom took up most of the hours of his day.
‘It is fine. Do not worry, Lotte.’ The last thing any of them wanted was for Charlotte to start crying.
Not just because they did not like to see her upset but also because it hurt them.
Seeing Charlotte distressed was worse than a right hook in the boxing ring.
Or at least it was for him, Edward and Freddie.
Tobias always bore it with his usual stoicism, and Edward and Freddie’s wives were much more practical over the whole matter.
He shifted around again, this time banging his knee and biting his lip hard to stop a swear word from bursting out. ‘Some assistance would be useful, if it is not too much trouble.’
Tobias raised an eyebrow.
‘Perhaps your ducal hands could be put to use in lifting the chaise longue.’
‘You said you were fine.’ From his tone, Christopher could not work out if his brother was teasing him or not.
‘I am fine, but I would also prefer not to be lying on the floor having this conversation.’ Not that they were talking but he rather thought his brother had been seeking him out. It was unusual for him to be in this part of Glanmore House at this time of day. He was normally holed up in his office.
‘Very well.’ Tobias disappeared from sight and the chaise longue was lifted.
‘Tobis so strong.’
Normally Christopher would jump in at that point and repeat the sentence, adding the missing is, because that’s what Edward’s wife had told them all to do to strengthen Charlotte’s speech, but he was not going to add insult to injury by complimenting his brother.
Besides, it was not as if the chaise longue was particularly heavy.
If he wasn’t stuck on the floor, Christopher would surely have been able to lift it with as much ease.
Tobias didn’t correct her either. Possibly, hopefully, because he had already used up his allocated words for the day.
Scrambling to his feet, Christopher straightened out his clothes and smoothed down his hair.
There was something about Tobias that made you want to present yourself tidily.
In the short time that he’d lived with his brother as an adult, he didn’t feel he was any closer in getting to know the man.
Most days he didn’t give it any thought, but he briefly wondered if his older brother was lonely.
‘We need to discuss your engagement,’ said Tobias and all thoughts on getting to know him better flew out of Christopher’s mind.
He hadn’t discussed with anyone other than Sophia herself that the engagement was false. If she wasn’t telling her sisters, then he felt he shouldn’t tell his brothers, although he rather thought they would keep the secret, especially Tobias, who didn’t talk to anyone anyway.
Adjusting the cuffs of his shirt, he tried to come up with a reply that would show interest in the idea of talking about it at some point in the future but not right now. ‘I am to see Miss Jacobs shortly.’
Tobias didn’t answer that, which was not surprising as it was not a question or indeed anything to do with the engagement itself.
‘We are to go to Gunter’s for an ice.’ Still nothing. Surely a normal human would at least make a sound of interest. He tried again. ‘I have never had an ice.’
That last statement caused the flicker of an eyebrow, but it could have been Christopher’s imagination.
‘I should go.’ He glanced at his pocket watch. He had a good hour before he needed to present himself at the Jacobs’ household, but he didn’t want to blurt out something he shouldn’t in front of Tobias in order to fill the silence.
‘Kissyfur is going.’ Charlotte looked up at him, her dark eyes full of sadness.
‘I have to, my darling Lotte. But I am sure Tobias would love to play hide and seek with you.’ Christopher knew he was throwing his brother under the wheels of a carriage in order to prevent a meltdown, but he would promise Charlotte the earth so long as she stopped looking sad.
‘Will you play, Tobis?’
‘Of course, Lotte.’ Nobody had ever spoken to Christopher in such gentle, loving terms. Not that he wanted to hear it from one of his brothers; that would be downright awkward.
But it would have been pleasant to have someone be like that with him when he was a child.
His mother perhaps or their guardian after his parents had died, but there had been no one.
Christopher almost wished he didn’t have to go now; he would have loved to see his older brother stuck under a chaise longue, although undignified things probably didn’t happen to the duke. He had certainly never witnessed it.
‘When you return, come to my study.’
‘Very well.’ It gave him a few hours to come up with something to say.
He supposed he would have to give his family a version of the truth, if not the whole thing.
They would know he was too young, too wild to marry now, and he was sure they would understand why he had acted in the way he had.
He might have already told Freddie and Edward but they’d been quite busy over the last couple of days, Freddie with his daughter, who was only a few weeks old, and Edward, who was recently married and still enjoying the early days of marital bliss.
Something that Christopher didn’t overly want to dwell on.
The other thing holding him back was that he wasn’t sure they would approve.
Blissfully happy as they were in their own marriages, they would not understand why he did not want to be tied down to a woman who, to all appearances, was lovely and entirely respectable.
They would certainly be angry at the idea of him bringing scandal to the family.
Dropping to his knees, he held out his arms. Charlotte flung herself against him, almost knocking him to the floor. He managed to keep his balance as he squeezed her tightly. ‘I will see you later for more fun and games, Lotte.’
Her whole body squirmed excitedly in his embrace, and he couldn’t stop his grin. Popular though he was with his friends, nobody wanted to spend as much time with him as Charlotte did, even if he wasn’t her favourite uncle. ‘Bye, bye, Kissyfur.’
Wriggling out of his arms, Charlotte held up her hands, waiting to be lifted by Tobias, who obliged her immediately, before flicking his gaze over Christopher. ‘A brush before you leave might be in order.’
Christopher reached up to touch his hair, which was indeed standing on end. ‘Thank you for the note.’
Tobias nodded. ‘I hope the meeting with your betrothed goes well.’ A pause and then he said, ‘Good luck, Kissyfur.’ A grin, wild and wicked, the likes of which Christopher had only seen in the mirror before, spread across his brother’s face before he whirled around and strode in the opposite direction, carrying Lotte with him.
Christopher could only stare at his retreating back, wondering what the hell had just happened.