Winterberry Spark: A Silver Foxes of Westminster Novella (The Silver Foxes of Westminster #2.5)(20)

“Three? Well, Master James, that is impressive,” Ruby told him with a smile.

“In one of them, I’m a knight,” he went on, holding her hand with one hand and the railing with other, and jumping down two stairs at a time.

Ruby gripped his hand hard enough to lift him up if he stumbled, while cradling Faith in her sling with her other hand. Annie was supposed to be minding Faith in the servant’s hall, as she usually did, but a sudden increase in her duties meant that Ruby had to carry her restless darling around with her. It wasn’t an accident, she was sure, but whoever had manipulated the situation so that Ruby was forced to enter Mr. and Mrs. Croydon’s presence with her baby clinging to her hadn’t accounted for Mrs. Croydon’s feelings about babies.

“She’s growing so big,” Mrs. Croydon said with a bright smile, meeting Ruby as she entered the library. “Can I hold her?”

“Certainly, ma’am.” Ruby managed a curtsy as she untangled Faith from her sling and handed her to Mrs. Croydon.

Faith was as fond of Mrs. Croydon as she was of her and went willingly into the elegant woman’s arms. “She’s how old now?”

“Fourteen months, ma’am,” Ruby answered.

“My, what a big girl.”

“Macky, I’m singing three songs in the concert tomorrow,” James said, rushing across the room to his father. “Are you coming?”

“Of course, I’m coming,” Mr. Croydon laughed, lifting James and hugging him. “And you know who else is coming?”

“No?”

“Uncle Edward and your soon-to-be Aunt Evangeline.”

“Hurrah!”

Ruby couldn’t help but smile over the domestic scene. Everyone was so happy. At the same time, her heart ached to see it all. The wistful look in Mrs. Croydon’s eyes as she cuddled Faith hinted at how much the woman would have loved a child of her own, but that wasn’t meant to be. Just as Ruby keeping her place as a tiny part of this outpouring of love and family wasn’t meant to be either. She drew in a breath, wanting to capture the moment and bottle it forever.

“If you’re ready, ma’am, I’ll take Faith so that you can have your time with Master James,” Ruby said, reaching for her daughter.

“Thank you.” Mrs. Croydon smiled at her with such kindness that a lump formed in Ruby’s throat. “She really is a darling.”

“Mari, Macky says Uncle Edward is coming today,” James called from across the room.

Mrs. Croydon turned to James and her husband. “Yes, he is. He should be here soon.”

Just like that, Ruby was no longer part of the picture. Mrs. Croydon left her to go give James a hug, which was Ruby’s cue to leave. She sighed as she tucked a squirmy Faith back into her sling, then crossed into the hall toward the servant’s stairs.

“I know, sweet girl,” she said as Faith let out impatient sounds of protest. “But it’s not our place to stay with them. We don’t know where our place is.”

No sooner had the words left her mouth when she turned the corner and nearly ran headlong into Gil. She was so startled that she flinched. Gil caught her arms, as if to keep her from falling over. For a moment, they stood face to face, his hands warm on her arms, staring at each other.

A whisper of guilt swirled through Ruby’s gut. She shouldn’t have been so short with Gil at the vicarage. “Hello,” she said hesitantly, as though they were meeting on a foreign street.

“Hello,” he replied.

Silence fell between them. Gil continued to hold her, studying her with a flash in his eyes, as though there was something he needed to say, but couldn’t get the words out. The only thing keeping the moment from blossoming into something poignant was Faith’s restless complaints and wiggling. When she kicked Ruby’s side in an attempt to break free of her sling, the hushed expectation of the moment was gone.

“Sorry,” she laughed, trying to keep Faith from flailing her way into a temper. “She doesn’t like being dragged around on errands.”

“Isn’t Annie supposed to be watching her?” Gil asked, the emotion in his eyes dulling into concern.

Ruby arched a brow. “She suddenly had other work.”

Gil took the information with a look of suspicion that mirrored her own thoughts on the subject. “It’ll get better,” he said.

Instead of rushing to contradict him, Ruby attempted a smile. “It will.”

It was the first time she’d said anything that came close to optimistic, but after her long chat with Clara the day before, that spark of optimism had begun to take hold and grow inside of her. It pulsed brighter when Gil smiled at her. Flutters of hope filled her belly, and she leaned closer to him.

“Gil, I’m sorry if I—”

“No, I’m sorry,” he cut her off before she could apologize. “For so many things.”

Ruby blinked in surprise, her heart racing. She studied his face, the warmth in his eyes. The censure and disappointment that had been there for so many months was gone. The Gil standing in front of her now was more like the Gil of last summer.

“Listen,” he said, shifting. “We need to find time to talk. Mr. Croydon has me busy with this new valet business, but as soon as I—”

“Well, well. It looks like the harlot has found herself a customer,” Mary said as she crossed through the hall, carrying a steaming bucket of water.