Page 17

Two Countesses Converse

L ater that day

Upon their return to the riad , the travelers enjoyed a late luncheon while Diana and David described their tour of the inside of the pyramid.

Helen told of her encounter with an especially insistent street vendor who was peddling miniature carvings of sphinxes and pyramids.

An anecdote of his experience with his camel was shared by Harry, which resulted in peels of laughter by everyone.

When the dishes had been cleared, several headed off to their rooms to take naps while three of the women moved to the parlor.

Reunited with Bradley, Helen immediately moved to join him on the carpeted floor.

“I always wanted a daughter,” Barbara said, her gaze on Helen as the young woman played a clapping game with her younger brother.

“Well, you cannot have mine,” Stella countered, her wan grin fading when she saw Barbara’s serious expression. “Besides, you might yet find yourself with child.”

“Oh, no,” Barbara said, her head shaking to emphasize her answer. “I’m afraid David was my last.”

“I thought Helen would be my last,” Stella said softly. “So imagine my surprise when I discovered I was with child a couple of years ago. My oldest had just met and married Margaret. I thought to surprise Everly with my news after their wedding, but he already knew.”

Barbara tittered. “We think they could not know such things, but Will was much the same when I was expecting David.” Tears filled her eyes as she remembered the babe being placed into her arms after she had given birth, the relief she had felt at learning it was a boy.

That Will had a legitimate heir.

Now that babe was over twenty years old. He had already been secretly betrothed for a time. He was no longer—Diana’s brother, Marcus, had already taken Jane Fitzsimmons to wife—but then, Barbara wouldn’t expect David to be in the market for a wife until he was several years older.

Stella angled her head to one side. “There are babes without mothers,” she whispered. “Mayhap you could take an orphan as your own and raise her,” she suggested.

“I’ve put out the word in Bampton of my intent to do so,” Barbara explained. “I suppose it’s fortunate we’ve not had any motherless babes in the past decade or so.”

Her attention once again darting to where Helen was playing with Bradley—her daughter was attempting to teach him how to throw a small rubber ball—Stella said, “Well, I rather doubt Everly would let you have Bradley, but there have been times on this trip when I would have gladly handed him over.”

Barbara once again tittered. “Boys,” she said in agreement. Her brows puckered. “You don’t have a nurse for him?” she asked, her gaze scanning the area in search of a servant.

“We left London with one,” Stella replied. “But we lost her in Malta.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Oh, I am so sorry.”

Stella blinked. “Oh, she didn’t die. She.

.. she met a young man, fell in love, and stayed on Gozo.

Our itinerary didn’t allow for us to look for another nurse before we had to depart the island, so Helen has been a dear to help with him.

I see to some of his feedings, of course.

I have nursed him since he was born, but I could use the help. ”

Barbara held a hand to her mouth to cover her surprise at hearing Stella was nursing the boy. “Well, I suppose that’s not so bad, and Lady Helen does appear to enjoy his company.”

“She wants desperately to be a mother someday,” Stella said.

“Did she leave behind any suitors in London?”

Stella shook her head. “She did not. A pity, really. She had two during her second Season, but nothing serious. I think she’s is paying the price for me being half-Greek.”

“Stella,” Barbara gently scolded. The countess was a duke’s daughter, and she had inherited her Greek mother’s beauty and blonde hair.

Stella displayed an expression of worry as she watched her daughter. “I think she’s a rather handsome young lady?—”

“She is. Amiable as well.”

“—but she has yet to host a serious suitor,” Stella went on. “Her dance card is usually full, but there are never any flowers delivered to the house the following day. Everly assures me he has a dowry set aside for her, so I do not know what else it can be.”

The giggles of the babe reached Barbara’s ears, and she turned to see Helen racing the boy for the ball. His white gown, stained with the red sand of the desert, barely hid his knees from view. “Now there is a sound I miss,” she said, grinning.

“Everly delights in it. Lifts him over his head and sends my heart into palpitations, I worry so that he will accidentally drop him.”

“He won’t,” Barbara assured her. “He is his spare heir, after all.”

Stella nodded. “I so appreciate you spending time with me, but I can see that at any moment, Bradley will be seeking sustenance.”

“Will I see you again on this trip?” Barbara asked, sounding almost desperate with her query. “I have so missed the company of other women,” she added. “English women.”

Stella inhaled softly. “Well, I suppose that depends on where you’re off to next,” she remarked. “And when?”

“The boys wish to go to Luxor. Something about some half-buried temples in the sand,” Barbara replied with a wave of her hand.

Stella displayed a brilliant grin. “I do believe the men in our lives have the same destination in mind,” she said. “Which means we really must see to it that we travel together.”

“That would be capital,” Barbara replied with excitement.

“Everly says it’s four-hundred miles south of here.”

Barbara’s mouth dropped open in shock. “That will take weeks ,” she whispered.

“We’ll go on a boat,” Stella stated. “A sailing barge of some sort. It’s about a fortnight heading south on the river. It’s not necessarily faster coming back even though the river flows north—something to do with the winds—when we’ll be going with the current.”

“Oh,” Barbara said with relief. “That’s not so bad, I suppose.”

“The heat shouldn’t be as bad this time of the year, but there may be some insects, so we’ll need to sleep with mosquito netting,” Stella explained.

“We’ve been doing so on the ship we were on coming from Alexandria,” Barbara said.

“We really must have our men discuss this. Will you join us for dinner this evening?” Stella asked. “The cook here at the riad is excellent, and there is plenty of room at the table.”

“For all six of us?” Barbara asked.

“Indeed. Come by at six o’clock. We can convene in the parlor and learn about everything you’ve done over the past year,” Stella said with excitement. “I haven’t seen your new daughter-in-law since she and Helen attended finishing school together.”

The comment had Barbara blinking in surprise. “I... I wasn’t aware Diana was in London long enough to attend Warwick’s,” she commented, referring to Warwick’s Grammar and Finishing School.

“She wasn’t, not really. But she did attend for a time,” Stella said, “In between trips to Sicily.” At seeing Barbara’s thoughtful expression, she added, “If you’re worried she won’t make a suitable countess for Lord Forster when he inherits?—”

“I am not,” Barbara quickly interrupted. She dipped her head. “I cannot say the same for Randy’s mother, however.”

Stella sighed. “She’s probably fluent in at least a few languages.”

“Ancient Greek, Latin, Sicilian...” Barbara lifted a shoulder.

“Actually, despite spending several weeks traveling with her, I don’t really know all that much about her.

I do know she wishes to continue her archaeology avocation, and she can paint beautifully.

Oh, and she remembers everything she has ever heard or seen or read. ”

Tittering, Stella said, “Well, I’ll see what I can discover during dinner this evening. She’s probably a fascinating young woman. It’s no wonder your nephew thought to take her as his wife. She’ll never bore him.”

Barbara nodded, her attention once again on Lady Helen and the babe. Helen had the boy hoisted onto her hip and was making her way in their direction.

“Apologies, Lady Bellingham,” Helen said, managing to dip a curtsy despite the way she held Bradley. “I fear my brother is about to make his hunger known to all.”

“It’s fine, Lady Helen,” Barbara said, coming to her feet. She chucked the boy under the chin and made a cooing sound, which had him displaying three pairs of teeth when he grinned. “I will see all three of you later this evening,” she added, curtsying to Stella before she took her leave.

Although she hadn’t had much say in the itinerary of their travels, Barbara was about to make her wishes known to Will. Having Lady Everly as a like-minded traveling companion would certainly improve the trip.