him a tumbler of lemonade from a jug and passed it to him.
“What are the dogs’ names?” he asked, restlessly getting up to wander the room.
“Dogs?” Mina looked up to see him gazing at the china Staffordshire dogs on the mantle. “Fiddly and Dee,” she improvised.
Two dimples appeared in Teddy’s cheeks. “You made that up!” he accused.
“Of course,” she agreed with raised brows. “That is my prerogative. I have another china dog upstairs that an-ex pupil of mine named and you would not believe the preposterous name she gave it.”
“Bill Barnicoat,” Teddy guessed promptly.
Mina gave a startled laugh. “Now that is a funny name.”
Jeremy smiled, sitting in a seat by the window. “It’s a local Cornish name,” he said. “And don’t go poking and prying into all your aunt’s personal things,” he admonished the boy.
“I don’t mind,” Mina assured Teddy who was peering in her workbox. He extracted two silver thimbles and set them on his thumbs.
“They’re taking their coats off for the first bout, my son,” Jeremy said, taking a sip of brandy.
Teddy rushed over to the window. “Colfax is out there!” he said, pointing. “Can we not go outside Papa?”
“You’ll cramp his style. Besides, your aunt’s feelings will be hurt if we abandon her.”
“You may carry a chair over to the window if you like, Teddy,” she offered. He made haste to take up her suggestion.
No sooner had he clambered into his seat; his face next to the glass then he gave a startled exclamation. “Grandpapa from the picture!” he gasped, pointing a finger to the pane. “There!”
Jeremy looked amused. “That is not my father, but your uncle Nye,” he explained. “He does look very like that portrait of the fourth Viscount Faris, does he not?”
Teddy frowned. “But why does my uncle Nye look like grandpapa?” he asked.
Mina’s gaze darted to Jeremy, but he looked perfectly composed. “Because Vance blood flows in his veins too, my boy. Why else?”
“But my aunt…?”
“Your aunt has no Vance blood like us,” Jeremy reminded him gently. “You know she shares my Mama but not my Papa’s lineage.”
Teddy’s frown cleared. “Oh.” He glanced sidelong at Mina. “So, if my aunt and my uncle had a little boy, he would be more like a brother than a cousin to me.”
“He would still be your first cousin.” Jeremy laughed. “But a very close one indeed.” Teddy seemed satisfied with this and pressed his nose to the glass. “Mind you do not fog that windowpane,” Jeremy admonished him. “Your aunt is forced to clean those with her own fair hands.”
“Have you no servant, Auntie?” asked Teddy in surprise.
“Only one,” Mina admitted. “It is too bad, but no one wants to work for us here at such a lonely spot.”
“You have not yet replaced Ivy?” Jeremy asked with a yawn.
Mina shook her head. “Nor like to, apparently.”
He nodded. “Let me ask my housekeeper if they can find you someone,” he suggested. “We often turn people off if they displease my wife,” he observed with a grimace. “What was the name of that unfortunate girl your mother flew at last week?” he asked, turning to Teddy.
“Corin,” Teddy supplied sadly. “Mama pulled her hair and slapped her cheek so hard, it turned quite red.”
“She’ll be a local girl and looking for work, no doubt,” Jeremy hazarded.
Mina lowered her voice. “If she’s respectable, I have been reliably informed she will not want a position here.”
“Ah,” said Jeremy holding up a finger. “But that was before. All Penarth now knows there’s a mistress now in residence and a highly respectable one at that. She attends church every Sunday and has swept through with a new broom. Is that not so?”
Mina regarded him in surprise. “All of Penarth?”
“Assuredly,” he agreed. “I promise you.”
“Well, if you can find us another pair of hands, we would indeed be grateful, but we are badly in need of bar staff and I’m sure a former maidservant from Vance Park would not fall so far in grace as that.”
“No, but a footman might,” Jeremy suggested wryly. “Only Colfax stays the course, we get through them at a rate of knots as well.”
“What about Herney?” suggested Teddy without taking his eyes from the window. “He said he will work his notice and not another day. I heard him tell Harbottle so only yesterday.”
“I did not realize he was working his notice.” Jeremy looked startled. “Ah well, our loss may be your gain, sister.”
“Well, that would be wonderful indeed if you may work such a miracle,” Mina said doubtfully.
“Leave