desire to fit into my father’s world.
It had never escaped my attention that my father had always happily waited for Mum indulgently, without a word of complaint. Evidently, he’d known why my mother fussed, too, and he hadn’t minded waiting until she was comfortable.
I was fairly certain that he would have kept his ass planted in that chair by the door until he collected dust if necessary, as long as my mother eventually descended the stairs and took his hand.
“You must be Nicole,” my mother said as she pulled out of my embrace. “Damian was right. You’re absolutely beautiful.”
Nicole blushed as my mother came forward and hugged her, and then shot me a dirty look over Mum’s shoulder as the older woman greeted her enthusiastically.
Like it was my fault that she was a stunner? It wasn’t like I’d told Mum something that wasn’t true.
Nicole greeted my mother with the same warmth she’d been shown, although she stopped short when my mother tried to drag us into the sitting room for tea.
“Shouldn’t we grab our luggage?” she asked hesitantly.
Mum looped her arm through Nicole’s. “Barnaby will make sure it gets up to your rooms,” she assured Nicole.
I watched as Nicole tried to cover up her puzzled expression. Yeah, it was obviously going to take her a while to figure out that here at Hollingsworth House, there was someone to do almost any mundane task that she was used to doing herself. She recovered well as she followed along with Mum. “Of course,” Nicole said breezily. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
My mother tapped her arm lightly. “No formalities. Please call me Bella.”
I nearly choked on my tongue. My mother rarely invited anyone to call her Bella since it had been the nickname my father had chosen to use throughout their very long marriage.
Certainly, no one outside of the family used that name, so I was already suspect about my mother’s motivations.
Tea was casual at our house, and I noticed that everything had been set out on the side table as we entered the living room.
“Please help yourself,” Mum said with a wave toward the table.
I snatched a cup from the sideboard, and started to fill it from the teapot. “Silver Tips Imperial,” I said as I caught the aroma of the brew.
“Of course,” Mum said. “One of your many favorites. Just because I don’t touch the stuff is no reason not to serve something you enjoy.”
Nicole raised a brow. “You don’t like tea, Bella?”
Mum made a face. “Can’t stand the stuff. I tried for years to force myself to drink it. I’m too old to do that anymore. The other pot is filled with café con leche.”
“Coffee with milk,” I informed her quietly.
“Thank God,” Nicole said fervently as she grasped the handle of the coffee pot. “I was afraid I was going to have to suffer until I got back to the US.”
“I could never abandon all of my Spanish roots,” my mum informed Nicole as she took the pot from her. “We Spaniards love our coffee.”
I stacked some sandwiches and scones on a plate for Nicole, and then piled food on another one for myself.
My mother was already happily seated in her highbacked chair when Nicole and I sat across from her on the sofa.
“Is there a right way and wrong way to eat this thing?” Nicole asked in a whisper as she gently lifted her scone.
Grateful that my parents had never stood on formality, I told her, “No. If you like jam and cream, pile it on top and eat it. Eat it plain. Dunk it in your coffee. Whatever makes you happy.”
She proceeded to slather the scone with jam, and then plopped a healthy portion of cream on the top.
She appeared to stifle a small moan as she closed her eyes and savored the taste of the freshly baked scone.
Her orgasmic expression nearly killed me, but I suffered through every moment of it, and would willingly bring her more if she liked them that much.
I held back a groan as she delicately licked some cream off her finger once every morsel was gone. “I think that’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever tasted.”
“So is it possible that you’ve found one good thing about British tea?” I asked her with a wink.
“If it comes with scones and coffee, then I’ve definitely changed my mind.”
I sat back and devoured everything on my plate, washing it down with one of my favorite blends.
As long as Nicole was here, tea would always