He was at a nearby table, eyes closed, head tilted back, and mouth open. The age gap between him and his wife couldn’t be more obvious.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He could prove it. He could prove he wasn’t the man they thought he still was. Could prove he wasn’t one bad decision away from being who he used to be. That he was worth Lacey. The thought split through his brain like an ax through kindling, leaving him feeling like he’d just had a lobotomy.
“Carolina.” He approached the woman cautiously. “William’s fallen asleep. Do you want to take him up to bed?”
Carolina looked at him like he’d just suggested she strap William on a rocket and blast him to the moon.
“Lashey knows which rooms we’re staying in. LASHEY!” She shrieked across to the other group, and Lord Busby took his chance to make a quick getaway. “Can you show Vance where our rooms are? I can’t leave here. I’m hosteshing.”
He was pretty sure his mother would disagree. Thankfully, she didn’t appear to be in earshot.
Peter appeared at Carolina’s other side. “Can you take him upstairs? I’ve got this.”
Fine. She was now officially Peter’s mother-in-law. Of the many things he’d envied Peter in his life, Emelia’s stepmother wasn’t one of them. Turning, Victor headed for the ballroom door.
“I can take him.” Lacey’s voice came from over his shoulder.
“It’s okay. I’ve got it. I know what wing they’ll be in.”
“Then we had might as well take her up as well.” Lacey nodded to a nearby table. He’d totally missed Charlotte sprawled across two chairs, half her small body hidden by a tablecloth. Also totally fast asleep.
“Besides, I could use a reason to escape.” She tossed a damning look across the still-crowded ballroom. “There’s enough silver spoons in this place to stir all the tea in Britain.”
There was the chip on the shoulder he’d met on the bus. He needed to hold onto that Lacey, not the one he knew.
Bending down, Lacey gathered Charlotte into her arms and tucked her across her torso, shushing the girl when she stirred. You could practically hear the testosterone in the room surge as every single man imagined her as the mother of their children. “Lead the way.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Leaving the ballroom, he made short work of heading up the main stairs and onto the second level. His mother had probably put Emelia’s family in the Rose Wing with its three bedrooms, so he turned left.
Bypassing the master bedroom, he opened the next door and flicked on the light. Suitcases and children’s clothes were strewn across the room. Whether this was the littles’ room or the older kids, he figured one night in the wrong bed wouldn’t hurt anyone, so he lay William on the closest one.
The little boy had long since discarded his shoes, socks, and waistcoat, so Victor pulled the cover over his still-suited body.
Lacey appeared through the doorway with a sleeping Charlotte, took her shoes off, and laid her on the other bed. Then she unraveled the tattered remains of her flowery headpiece from her hair then brushed a kiss on her forehead.
They both backed toward the doorway. Victor turned out the light, and darkness swamped the room. “Do you think we’re okay leaving them here? What if they wake up?”
He tried to ignore the sensation of Lacey at his side, so close that she’d be resting against him with just one small shift.
She shrugged. “I figure we’ve gone beyond the call of duty as it is. We can leave the door ajar, so there’s some light coming in if they wake up.” She reached out and pulled the door, both of them moving back into the hallway. “Now, come on. We have a job to do.”
“We do?”
“Yes.” Lacey said the words decisively. “This has been a lovely classy wedding and all, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t bring a little bit of America with me. Are you in or not?”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“Nope.” Lacey shook her head.
Victor paused, torn. His immediate instinct was to follow wherever Lacey led, just to spend more time with her. But his instincts hadn’t served him particularly well in life, and Emelia’s accusing eyes as she told him Lacey was her person were still fresh in his mind.
He shoved his hands in his pockets. He was already regretting it as he shook his head. “Look. I don’t know what Emelia has told you about our family,