Mistletoe and Mayhem - Cheryl Bolen Page 0,54

Vyne himself in lavish style. He appeared to be in a merry mood, indeed. The smile he wore tonight instantly gave Hector pause. He was gregarious, expansive, and keen to foster any conversation involving Ruby and Blackwood trading confidences.

Hector was feeling left out long before the dessert course was set before him. His part of the conversation had amounted to very little, since most frequent topics seemed to be rural pursuits and family connections. He looked down at his bowl of brandy custard and discovered that not even a favorite food could cheer him up.

Ruby laughed. “I should have liked to see that,” she promised Blackwood before tucking into the custard with undisguised relish. She licked her lips. “Hmm, delicious.”

Hector lost all discontent in the evening then and there. He couldn’t take his eyes away from the glossy shine of Ruby’s lower lip. He wanted to lean over the table, kiss those pretty lips, and whisk her away from everyone.

In all of his liaisons with pretty women, Hector had not once felt quite so desperate to have a woman all to himself as he did Ruby. He didn’t know her well, but he wanted to know her better than anyone that had ever lived. Better than her late husband had, certainly, and better than her son.

For a man who routinely avoided entanglements, he found the prospect of an intimate, more profound connection with Ruby Roper didn’t scare him in the least.

He finished his custard and declined to partake of anything more to eat or drink. As a group, they left the dining room. Vyne tottered instead of strode, leaning heavily on a footman, and Ruby and Blackwood followed side by side, which left Hector to bring up the unhappy rear on his own. When they seated themselves around the fire, Hector again found himself on the outside, pushed back from the woman he’d rather be closer to.

Blackwood began regaling Ruby with stories of his lifelong escapades in London—highly sanitized, Hector decided—to make her laugh. It was clear she was enjoying Blackwood’s company more than his tonight. She had hardly looked at him all night and he missed having her attention.

It occurred to Hector that he could push himself forward, make a definitive step toward singling Ruby out for notice—remind her of the heat of their earlier kiss. But no matter how promising that kiss might have been, Hector was mindful of the fact that Ruby’s interest was in achieving a marriage, not a brief dalliance that might cause a scandal.

If he chose to pursue this woman, he could not have any doubts that he was headed toward becoming a husband, and a father to her young son. Not a decision to make lightly.

The way things seemed to be going with Blackwood, she was well on her way to charming the man into falling in love with her. But Blackwood had not yet met young Pip, so it remained to be seen if a child made a difference to Blackwood’s interest in the end.

Ruby and Pip had both charmed Hector. He could certainly offer them everything Blackwood could and more, since he held a title. Ruby could once again be welcomed by society and any estrangement with her family might end, too, if that was what she wanted. The boy would certainly benefit, though indirectly, from a connection to the Stockwick title. Hector would never skimp on the boy’s education and upkeep—if he married Ruby, that was.

If.

Hector made an excuse and left the room, mulling over his future and his interest in Ruby.

Despite his claim of relishing his bachelor status, there had been times when having someone around made him happier than being alone. He had been eager to see his family this holiday, yet despite Meg not having arrived yet, he was not unhappy.

Ruby was a delightful woman. Pretty and calm. He’d enjoyed the time they’d spent together. There was not a hint of shrew anywhere about her. And he did like young Pip and wanted good things for him.

He absolutely did not want Pip taken away to Scotland and separated from his mother.

Hector reached the top of the stairs and turned when he heard a commotion coming from the family wing. Two men emerged from a chamber.

Caught between them, and struggling, was Pip.

Hector raced down the hall. “Unhand that boy!”

The men saw him but still tried to get away with Pip. Hector chased them down before they reached the servants’ stairs, and forced them away from the boy by