Page 13 of A Lady’s Rules for Seaside Romance (The Harp & Thistle #3)

P latform Six at Brighton Station swarmed with people disembarking from the express train from London. The station was noisy from the steam engines and whistles, as well as porters calling out to match up luggage with passengers—plus, the sheer amount of conversation from hundreds of people.

It was a trip that took less than two hours, and Anne was glad for the respite from activity.

Freddy had returned from school the day before and she had not had a chance to spend significant time with him until the train ride.

And once they arrived at Summerwood, Vivian’s summer cottage, it would be quite busy once again as everyone settled in.

The Winthrops and McNabs had traveled together in the same train car and Freddy talked nearly the entire time.

He admitted to some hijinks to Dantes and Ollie, who were greatly amused, though Freddy’s grandfather the Duke of Chalworth made a few grumbling noises to gently make his thoughts on it known.

None of it was too terrible, in Anne’s opinion, typical childhood mischief like hiding harmless garden snakes in a friend’s sock drawer.

Freddy had also talked endlessly about his new friend Ralph, and Anne was endlessly grateful her son had found this new friend.

In an odd way, Anne found peace in these stories. Freddy’s stories were only mildly naughty and showed that he was still a good lad, even as he grew up.

She would never admit this aloud, but she continued to look for signs he would grow up to be like his father. So far, though, he remained the good-natured, thoughtful boy he always had been. Very different from Bernard.

Anne led her children to the end of the platform to wait for everyone else.

Vivian and Dantes were trailing behind with their small daughter, Lily, and the Duke of Chalworth.

Far behind them, Ollie and Evelyn were doing their best to wrangle the twins.

Valets and lady’s maids—and Mary’s governess, Miss Stewart—were somewhere in the crowd as well.

Freddy, who seemed to have grown an entire foot since last summer and was now as dark-haired and willowy as the rest of the natural-born Winthrops—seemed to be seeking something.

“Freddy, dear, what are you looking for?” Anne asked, looking in the same direction to see if she could figure it out.

“I told you Ralph comes to Brighton in the summer, yes?”

“Yes, darling, several times.” Anne grinned. “I very much doubt he would be on the exact same train as us, though.”

Freddy continued searching for another moment as Mary pointed to a few people and asked if they were Ralph, but he soon gave up, dropping his head a bit with disappointment.

“I’m sure if you ask your Aunt Vivian nicely, she would be happy to have Ralph and his family over for dinner sometime.”

Freddy’s face lit up. “That would be aces!”

Anne’s eyebrows lifted at the new slang, but she kept her thoughts on that to herself.

Slowly but surely, the family reconvened, though Ollie had to take his sons outside due to their boredom from being confined in a train car.

They had had quite enough of traveling and made sure everyone on the platform knew it.

Evelyn stayed back with the rest, still waiting for their luggage and the servants who’d traveled with them.

While the family talked amongst themselves, and Freddy began teasing Mary about her new frocks that she, of course, had talked about during the trip, Anne kept her eye out for her lady’s maid, Dutton.

Twice, her eyes played tricks on her when she thought she saw Victor walking toward them and her heart leapt in response.

But the men she had mistaken for Victor were merely tall strangers and hardly even resembled him upon inspection.

That familiar feeling of regret she experienced each summer when Victor stayed behind settled in for the next few months. It never seemed to get better with each year.

Anne wondered what Victor would have been doing right now.

Here, she could just barely sense the salty sea air, visions of summertime activities swirling in her mind with the scent.

Meanwhile, Victor was in a smoggy, warm London, likely in his office hunched over some kind of paperwork.

Though he always insisted it was where he was happiest. In fact, he probably did not even think about her—them—when they were gone.

She and Victor saw so much of each other the rest of the year, though. Did Victor ever miss her, even a little, when she was gone?

But Anne shook the thought away, embarrassed at herself. Of course he didn’t miss her. Being separated from a good friend for a few months should be nothing at all.

At that moment, Anne spotted Dutton and Miss Stewart walking together. Anne waved high above her head to get Dutton’s attention. Dutton’s eyes landed on Anne’s and she smiled in acknowledgment.

The younger Miss Stewart, clutching a book against her brown dress, didn’t yet notice the family, as she was engrossed in conversation with someone else.

Anne recognized the other servants who traveled with the rest of her family, but for a moment she didn’t recognize the man beside Miss Stewart.

Probably because she couldn’t quite believe her eyes.

Mary and Freddy exchanged excitable whispers as Vivian and Dantes exchanged wide-eyed expressions of shock.

It took a moment for Anne to understand why, to believe her eyes.

It was Victor. In the flesh.

He wore light-gray trousers and a coat with a dark-blue waistcoat, and he carried a hat under his arm. Even with the travel, his black hair was neat and nothing about it was out of place. His thick, short black beard also looked as if it had been trimmed, which was nicely different.

As Anne took him in, Victor’s attention left Miss Stewart and snapped to Anne. They were in a crowded place, but it felt as if they stood close, alone in an empty room. Anne felt her face get hot.

“Mama, Uncle Victor is here,” Mary said at Anne’s side.

Anne blinked in an attempt to recover. “Yes, I can see that.”

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming?”

“That’s what he had said.”

Dantes cupped a hand around his mouth. “Oi! Victor! What are you doing here?”

No one had known he was coming?

Freddy and Mary left Anne and hurried up to Victor but stopped themselves short from hugging him.

It was something they used to do when much younger, but with age had stopped doing.

Freddy gave a short bow and Mary gave a curtsy.

Victor ruffled Freddy’s hair, the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth, and talked to the children for a moment, though Anne couldn’t hear what they said.

There was a warm glow in her heart as she watched the trio together.

Vivian appeared at Anne’s side, holding Lily’s hand while watching the scene as well. “He does adore the children so,” Vivian said airily.

Anne wrinkled her nose. “They’re hardly unlikable, Vivian. And they are his niece and nephew.”

Vivian shot her a wide grin. “Technically, they are not.”

Anne ignored the comment. “You didn’t know he was coming, either.”

Vivian shook her head while Lily made a fussing noise—soon, Dantes may need to bring her outside as well. “Dantes tried to convince him to, but Victor refused and was rather stubborn about it. Apparently, it became quite the heated discussion. I wonder why he changed his mind?”

“Indeed.”

While Victor greeted Dantes and the Duke of Chalworth—they were closest to his approach—the women congregated along with Anne’s children.

Evelyn expressed concern at the unexpected arrival, Freddy had a bit of a frown on his face about the whole thing, but everyone else brushed it off.

Though Anne wasn’t worried, she did agree something was going on.

Perhaps Victor had finally agreed with Anne that the summer would be a good way to test the waters of the aristocracy.

Victor shook hands with the duke and met eyes with Anne. He began walking in her direction but became accosted by the other women, who pelted him with questions. “I changed my mind,” was the only explanation he gave to his unexpected arrival.

Anne’s heart began to beat a bit faster, though, when Victor finally came to greet her. The rest of the family became distracted by the arrival of luggage and they all began to exit the station, Anne and Victor trailing behind.

Victor offered his arm to her, catching her off guard.

This wasn’t the first time he had done so, of course, but it wasn’t a common habit of his, either.

“I have to say…” Anne looked up to him as they walked.

It was rather nice to be walking arm in arm with a gentleman, even if it was only Victor.

“It took me a moment to realize you were you. I can’t believe you decided to come visit.

I heard your explanation, but I don’t believe it for a minute. ”

He glanced down at her, and though he didn’t smile, there was a glint in his eyes. “You don’t believe I’m here because I changed my mind?”

“Of course not. You don’t change your mind. Once you make a decision, that is it.”

He held her gaze for a long moment then looked back up. “I gave some thought to your suggestion about coming this year and agreed it would be a good idea.”

She gave him a triumphant grin. “You should listen to me more often.”

He grunted, and she knew him well enough to know this was a sound of amused agreement.

“Why didn’t you travel in the same car as us?”

“I didn’t realize you all were going to be on this train,” he said. “Then as I disembarked, I saw Dutton and Miss Stewart.”

As the group emerged from the station and out into the sun, Anne had to shadow her eyes over the brim of her hat with a flattened hand.

Victor secured his own hat back upon his head.

“I’m quite glad you are here this year, Victor.

” Anne thought she felt his arm flex beneath her hand.

“Are you planning on staying the entire summer?”

Victor looked down at her and as he stared at her with intensity, in a way that made something inside of her hitch. “I’m planning on staying the whole time, yes.”

Anne tamped back the thrill this lifted within her and placed her attention up ahead, where Vivian pointed out a few carriages waiting for them.

Salty air swept past Anne’s nose, and a gull cried overhead. “I heard Dantes tried to convince you to come this year, too, and you were quite against it. Word is there was a heated argument as well.”

Victor stopped walking. “What else did he say about it?” His voice was low and tense.

Anne stammered. “N-Nothing, just that he couldn’t change your mind.”

His tension eased. Rather odd. “I was, admittedly, nervous about leaving the pub. But Keer has proven himself to be reliable and, I suppose, I feel comfortable enough with him to join you all this year. He was quite happy with the opportunity, thankfully.”

They began walking again. “What are you hoping to accomplish while you are here?” she asked.

Up ahead, Vivian’s footmen began loading up the numerous traveling trunks across four carriages.

“Reacquaint myself with people I used to know as a boy, meet those I don’t know at all.”

“You could also reacquaint yourself with other things as well. Balls, horseback riding—things of that nature.”

Victor frowned.

“You have had some exposure to all of that, though, right? I mean, you won’t be a complete novice to everything.”

“No, I wouldn’t be, but I haven’t been on a horse for many, many years, for example. I may as well be a novice.”

“It will come back to you once you get into it again.”

Victor’s green eyes seemed brighter than usual. “Would you be willing to help me with that?”

Anne blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Horseback riding. There are stables at the house, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Would you accompany me at the stables? Once I get the hang of it, we could go on rides together.” His eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.

Something about this felt off, but Victor’s face held no expression. She was reading too much into it. “That sounds lovely. I would like that.” Anne smiled.

For the briefest moment—and Anne wasn’t even sure she truly saw it—Victor glanced down at her mouth. The unexpected change in attention caused something in her to falter.

What a silly reaction. When someone smiled, others often looked at the smiling mouth. It was nothing more than that.

When the family finally arrived at Summerwood, there was the usual flurry of activity of exiting the carriage, luggage being unloaded and brought in, bedrooms being assigned.

Everyone scattered. Anne joined her children up on the third floor, where their bedrooms and the nursery for the little ones awaited.

Once Freddy and Mary were settled, Anne went down to the second floor and aimed for the bedroom she stayed in every year.

As she passed one room, though, Vivian rushed out of it. “Anne! Over in here.” Vivian waved her into the room.

Frowning, Anne doubled back and found Vivian and Dutton in this other bedroom.

Vivian clasped her hands together and brought them up to her chin. “I’m doing some redecorating and three of the bedrooms are unavailable this year. Would it be all right if you were in this one this summer?”

Anne looked around the bedroom. The wallpaper was cream with thin, blue stripes, and there was nautical-style art all over the room. Several large windows, with sheer, lace curtains, looked out at the sea. “Of course,” Anne said. “It’s a beautiful room.”

“Oh, good. I’m glad you think so.”

Anne walked an exploratory circle around the room. She opened a door and found a linen closet. Anne shut the door and found a large wardrobe down the wall. This room had far more storage space than the one she normally used.

As she reached the other door, though, she realized it had a lock. Curious, Anne twisted the lock then pulled the door open. But it wasn’t a closet. All she found was another door behind it.

“What is this?” Anne looked over her shoulder at Vivian.

“Oh! Um…” Vivian wrung her hands.

Anne turned back to the mysterious door when she realized she heard voices on the other side. What in the world? She tried twisting the knob, but it was locked.

“I’ve been considering what you said.” It was Victor’s muffled voice. To whom was he talking?

“And?” Dantes replied.

“I don’t know. I simply don’t know how to go about it. I feel absolutely mad, though. It’s madness, right? It must be. It can’t feel like this.”

Anne frowned and knocked on the door rapidly, then set her fists on her hips.

The door opened, revealing Victor. And, presumably, the bedroom he would be staying in for the next few months, right beside her own.