Lover Be Mine A Legendary Lovers Novel - By Nicole Jordan Page 0,80

join our trek.”

The elderly Lord Cornelius muttered something about female coercion as he removed his spectacles to polish the lenses. Then more audibly, he complained of stiffness and fatigue.

Aunt Bella concurred with a lighthearted laugh. “Yes, it has been a long journey and I am parched. May we have some tea, please, Jack?” Without waiting for a response, she tucked her arm in Sophie’s. “Pray, will you show us to a drawing room, my dear, where we can enjoy a comfortable coze? I am on tenterhooks to meet this royal father of Jack’s, but I am even more eager to know you better.”

As Sophie was led off, she cast Jack a glance that was half amused, half pleading for assistance. In turn, he smiled and shrugged his shoulders as if to reply, I have less control over my family than you might think.

They gathered in the salon and, over a substantial tea, proceeded to become better acquainted. Jack was incredibly touched that his family had chosen to rally around him. Growing up, he’d often felt like an outsider, holding himself alone and apart from the others, not allowing himself to fully belong. As a child, it had been hard for him to risk forming attachments, since he’d feared losing them as he’d lost his adored mother. Moreover, being an adopted bastard had always made him feel like a lesser member of the Wilde family.

But no longer. Not, in fact, since their last summer together at Beauvoir when he was seventeen. He’d been just as devastated as his cousins by the unexpected deaths of their parents, and their anguish afterward had actually brought the remaining Wildes closer together. They loved one another dearly and were fiercely loyal to one another, as they were proving now.

An hour later, the prince quietly entered the salon. A hush fell over the room, and it was up to Jack to make the formal introductions.

Prince Raoul looked taken aback to see both Kate and Skye. “You remind me greatly of Jack’s mother, Lady Clara,” he murmured as he bowed over Skye’s hand.

Jack agreed with the comparisons to his mother. Skye had her fair hair and blue eyes and Katharine her figure and regal carriage. Both had her bold liveliness.

The prince made a concerted effort to welcome the newcomers to his home. The Wildes, on the other hand, maintained a strict politeness, although their air of disapproval was tempered by Prince Raoul’s obvious illness. They were patently protective of Jack, however, and for once he was glad for his nosy, intrusive, sometimes vexing family.

Sophie was also glad as she watched Jack interact with his relations. To her great despair and regret, she’d lost her only sibling at a young age, and so had only fading memories of the sibling love she’d shared with Theo. Therefore, Jack’s large, vivacious, outspoken family seemed a bit radical, even overwhelming, although wholly captivating. She relished the way they laughed and teased one another and the deep bond of affection they clearly shared. And she couldn’t help longing to take part in their warm, loving camaraderie.

It was also clear that Jack inspired fervent loyalty and devotion in the other cousins. When the ladies went upstairs to change for dinner, Sophie found herself cornered by Skye and Katharine, who followed her into her bedchamber, eager to quiz her about her romance with Jack.

“We are so pleased you decided to give his courtship a chance,” Skye said at once.

Sophie hesitated to contradict her, not wanting to expose Jack’s abduction if they weren’t aware of it. “How much did my Aunt Eunice tell you?”

“We know that you didn’t come here willingly,” Katharine said. “But you can’t fault Jack for acting as he did. Abduction is a romantic expression of passion.”

Sophie withheld a grimace. “There is such a thing as taking passion to extremes,” she replied, opting for diplomacy. “And my abduction was not as pleasant as romantic novels purport it to be.”

“Wasn’t it? Truly?”

Lady Skye laughed at her cousin’s show of surprise. “Kate, you know you would be livid if some man abducted you against your will.”

“Very likely I would. I’m known to have a temper in keeping with my reddish hair,” she said agreeably, brushing back a rich auburn tendril. “But I suppose my reaction would depend on the man and the reason for my abduction. And even if you don’t consider Jack’s gesture romantic, Miss Fortin, your legendary lovers tale more than makes up for it. I know Romeo and Juliet was a