Marrying Winterborne (The Ravenels #2) - Lisa Kleypas Page 0,40
a distant Ravenel cousin, took possession. To their surprise, he had allowed all of them to stay, and he had devoted himself to saving Eversby Priory. Along with his younger brother West, Devon was making the estate viable again, learning everything he could about farming, land improvement, agricultural machinery, and estate management.
Kathleen turned from Helen to embrace the twins. In the gray winter light from the windows, Kathleen’s auburn hair was a lively shock of color. She was a little slip of a thing with distinctive feline beauty, her brown eyes tip-tilted and her cheekbones prominent.
“My dears,” she exclaimed, “I’ve missed you—everything is glorious—I have so much to tell you!”
“So do I,” Helen said with an uneasy smile.
“To begin with,” Kathleen said, “we brought some company from Eversby Priory.”
“Has Cousin West come to visit?” Helen asked.
At that exact moment, the sound of high-pitched barking echoed from the entrance hall.
“Napoleon and Josephine!” Pandora exclaimed.
“The dogs were pining for you,” Kathleen said. “Let’s hope they don’t cause trouble, or back to Hampshire they go.”
A pair of black cocker spaniels burst in the room, yapping excitedly and jumping on the twins, who both dropped to the floor to play with them. Pandora was on all fours, pretending to pounce on Napoleon, who flopped onto his back in joyful surrender. Kathleen opened her mouth to protest, but shook her head in resignation, recognizing that any attempt to calm the boisterous girls would be useless.
Devon, Lord Trenear, entered the room and grinned at the mayhem. “How soothing,” he remarked to the room at large. “Like a Degas painting: ‘Young Ladies at Afternoon Tea.’”
The earl was a handsome man, dark-haired and blue-eyed, with a seasoned air that suggested a past full of misadventure. His gaze went to Kathleen and turned absorbed and hot, the look of a man in love for the first time in his life. He went to stand just behind her, one hand sliding over her narrow shoulder, while his chin rested gently on the ruddy curls pinned atop her head. Helen had never seen him touch Kathleen in such an openly familiar manner.
“Have you all behaved in our absence?” he asked.
“Two of us have,” Cassandra said from the floor.
Kathleen glanced at the other twin. “Pandora, what did you do?”
“Why do you assume it was me?” Pandora protested with faux indignation, making everyone laugh. She grinned and stood, holding the dog as he wriggled to lick her face. “While we’re asking questions—Kathleen, why is there a ring on your finger?”
All gazes shot to Kathleen’s left hand. Looking bashfully pleased, she extended it for them to see. Cassandra abandoned Josephine and leapt to her feet, joining Pandora and Helen as they crowded close for a look. The ring, featuring a ruby of the rare shade known as “pigeon’s blood,” was set in yellow gold filigree.
“Just before we took the train to Hampshire,” Kathleen confided, “Devon and I were wed at the registrar’s office.”
All three Ravenel sisters burst out with joyful exclamations. The news wasn’t altogether surprising: In the past few months, the household had become aware of the growing attraction between Devon and Kathleen.
“How wonderful,” Helen said, beaming. “Everyone knows you belong together.”
“I hope you won’t think too badly of me for marrying while I’m still in mourning,” Kathleen said in a muffled voice. Drawing back, she continued earnestly, “I wouldn’t wish for any of you to feel that I’d forgotten Theo, or that I didn’t respect his memory. But as you know, I have developed a very deep respect and fondness for Devon, and we decided—”
“Fondness?” Devon interrupted, his brows lifting. But there was a spark of mischief in his blue eyes. Kathleen had been raised in a strict household where declarations of emotion had always been discouraged, and Devon delighted in teasing her out of her reserve.
Self-consciously Kathleen muttered, “Love.”
He pretended not to hear, cocking his head. “Hmm?”
Blushing, Kathleen said, “I’m in love with you. I adore you. May I continue now?”
“You may,” Devon said, gathering her more closely against him.
“As I was saying,” Kathleen went on, “we decided that it was best to marry sooner rather than later.”
“I couldn’t be happier,” Cassandra said. “But why couldn’t you wait to have a proper wedding?”
“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s have tea.”
“You could explain during tea,” Pandora persisted.
“It’s not appropriate for teatime,” Kathleen replied evasively.
Then Helen understood, with insight gained from very recent experience, that Kathleen was expecting a child. It was the most logical explanation for a hasty marriage and an inability