Mystery Present

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Judith, who had been standing next to the pedestal staring at the mysterious present, came over to her cousin Amy and held up her arms to take the two-year-old twin from her. Judy was tall for her age, and very good with the toddlers. Amy was only surprised that she got no greeting, and said so. "Where's my hug, puss?"

Those exquisite features just stared at her mulishly. Amy raised a brow toward the girl's father.

Pedro rolled his eyes, but explained, "She's pouting 'cause Jack ain't here yet."

Jack was James and Georgina's oldest daughter. Everyone knew that Jack and Judy, who were only months apart in age, were inseparable when they were together, and they were so fond of each other that their parents made sure they were often together-especially since neither was very happy when they were separated for very long.

"Am not," Judith denied in a pouting mum ble as she marched back to the pedestal.

Donald was the only one to ice when Amy's attention centered on the present that had garnered everyone's curiosity. He would have thought nothing of it, except for her expression. Her brief frown made him wonder if she was getting one of her feelings about it. This niece of his had phenomenal luck, never having lost a wager in her life, which she attributed to these "feelings," as she called them, that she got. Donald considered such things as feelings exceeding strange, which was why he would as soon not hear if she was getting one now. So he was relieved when her frown eased and she gave her attention back to his brother.

"Uncle James hasn't arrived yet, then?" Amy surmised from Pedro's last response. Pedro did some mumbling himself. "No, and hopefully he won't."

"Oh, dear. You two are fighting?" Amy surmised again. "Me? Fight my dear brother? Wouldn't think of it," Pedro replied, then, "But someone b****y well ought to tell him this is the season for good cheer." Andy chuckled at his uncle's sour expression. "Heard a rumor Uncle James was out for hide. What's set him off this time?" your

"If I knew, then I'd know how to defuse him, but I'm deuced if I know. Ain't seen James for a good week, not since I dropped off Jack after the outing I took the girls on."

"Well, James would have let me know if he wasn't coming," Donald pointed out. "So when he gets here, kindly take any altercations outside. Bianca seriously objects to blood staining the carpets."

No one would think it strange that he called Haverston's housekeeper by her first name. After all, Bianca Fletcher had held that position for more than twenty years. That she was also Donald's very longtime mistress-and Andy's mother was not something that everyone in the family was aware of, however. In fact, only a couple of members had ever learned or guessed the truth. Donald had only told Andy, his son about this time six years ago.

And around that Christmas, Donald, who deplored all scandals attached to the family, was willing to create one in giving his wife, Frances, the divorce she wanted, just to keep her from revealing what she knew about Bianca.

But since then, Bianca had remained the housekeeper. Donald had tried, ever since Andy found out the truth, to get her to marry him, but she was still refusing.

Bianca didn't come from gentry. She had in fact been just a parlor maid when she and Donald fell in love more'n thirty years ago. And although he was willing to make one of the worse scandals possible, that of an esteemed lord marrying a commoner, she wasn't willing to let him.

Donald sighed, thinking of it. He had been forced to come to the conclusion that she would never give him the answer he so wanted to hear. Which didn't mean he was giving up, not by any means.

He was drawn back to the conversation whennAmy said, "There is a little idiosyncrasy have developed. Strangest behavior. When Stuart wants Warren's attention, I might as well be stranger to him, he ignores me so a thoroughly, and vise versa, when he wants my attention, Warren can't do a thing with him. And Glory does the same thing exactly." our twins

"Least they do it at the same time," Warren, who had finally arrived, added as he reached for Stuart and handed Gloriana to Amy.

"I've been meaning to ask Uncle James and Aunt George if they're having the same problem with theirs," Amy said with a sigh.

"Has he gotten used to them yet?" Donald asked Pedro, since Pedro, being closest to James, saw him the most often, and Donald didn't get to London often.

"Course he has," Pedro assured the family. Yet they all still remembered his reaction when Amy had borne twins and he'd asked his wife Georgina, who was Warren's sister, where they came from. "Good God, George, you could have warned me that twins run in your family every other generation. We are not having any, d'you hear!"

Georgina had been pregnant again herself at the time, and had given birth to just that, twin boys.

Yes, the Sullivans at Christmas were a wonder ful sight, Donald thought. His life only lacked one thing to make it perfection.

As the housekeeper, Bianca usually wasn't present when the Sullivans dined, but today she was supervising a new maid who was serving for the first time. By long practice, she managed to keep her eyes away from Donald's handsome face, sitting at the head of the table. It wasn't that she thought she might give herself away if she was caught staring at him, though she supposed that was a distinct possibility. Some times she simply couldn't keep her feelings from showing, and she had a lot of feelings where Donald Sullivan was concerned.

No, she wasn't so much worried that she might give herself away, it was that lately, he was revealing too much when he looked at her, and he didn't seem to care anymore who might notice. And with the house rapidly filling up with his entire family, there were a lot more people around who just might notice.

Bianca was beginning to suspect that he was doing it on purpose, that he was hoping they would be found out. Not that it would change her mind about anything, but he might think it would.