Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 383(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
He was ten years older than my mother, seventy at the time he passed, and enjoyed a merry, meaningful life. He adored his wife, his children, his work, and his hunting dogs, and passed peacefully in his sleep the day after his last happy Christmas.
The people who loved him couldn’t have asked for a better end for the sweet man who glued our quirky, sardonic, often feelings-averse family together.
I miss him like a vital organ, and strongly suspect Christmas will never be half so happy without him.
Still…
My father wouldn’t want me to cringe at the sound of children’s voices lifted in holiday song. He also wouldn’t want me to keep my mother in suspense, even if I have already confirmed my attendance at the luncheon.
Twice.
Fetching my cell from my vest pocket, I tap out a quick text to the Dowager Viscountess Vivian Marie Featherswallow, a well-meaning woman who can’t resist the urge to manage her grown children—Of course, I’ll be there, Mother. Promptly at noon. Wouldn’t miss it. I will, however, be demanding half your pudding as tribute. The pine scent they pipe through the halls at Spencer House makes me hungry.
A moment later, Mother types back—Not a problem at all, dear. You know I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. See you, then, and please shave immediately before you come. You look a bit villainous when the whiskers start to grow in, and we wouldn’t want you to frighten the ladies. There will be so many nice young people in attendance. Including that lovely Kelly Campbell you went with at Oxford. What a handsome young woman she is, Oliver. And so accomplished. I heard she’s a partner now at Frederick and Swan.
I sigh, beginning to rethink the wisdom of texting Mother after five p.m.
She tends to be in a matchmaking mood after dinner. And now that she has Edward happily married off, I’m the sole focus of her efforts to ensure her sons are prepared to continue the family line and fulfill our duty to God and country.
I’m sure, once Edward and Matilda produce an heir, she’ll ease up a bit, but until then…
Well, until then, thanks to a string of abdications and a tragic mountain climbing accident, I am still fifth in line to the throne behind my brother’s fourth. Far enough away that becoming “King Oliver” is about as likely as Swallow House sinking into the sea, but not impossible.
After all, our country estate in East Sussex isn’t far from the shore, and ocean levels rise every year…
With a gentle roll of my eyes, I assure her—Yes, I will be freshly shorn. But I will not be asking for Kelly’s hand in marriage as she’s currently dating Hannah, her old rowing teammate, and is no longer interested in men.
Mother sends back a thumbs up emoji, and—How lovely for her. There are so few men like your father on the market these days. Young women have to find happiness where they can.
I’m briefly tempted to explain that some women simply prefer women—whether a “man like my father” is available or not—but decide it’s best to quit while I’m ahead. Mother’s actually open-minded for a woman of her age and upbringing, and any text thread that ends without her setting me up on another awkward date is a good one in my book.
I’ve just tucked my phone away and reached for my copy of Great Expectations—a favorite holiday reread—when the children launch into an especially ear-shredding version of Silent Night.
I love a holiday carol, but good God…someone should have told the tone-deaf shepherds in back to lip sync and tiny Mother Mary to keep her volume to a more respectable level.
Fighting a wince, I scan the assembled parents, but they don’t seem to care that their progeny won’t be winning any talent awards.
They actually look chuffed to be here. Tired, but chuffed, which seems to be the norm for modern parents. Most of my friends with children are perpetually exhausted, even with night nannies and maids who come in several times a week to take care of the washing and housework. I can’t imagine how an average family without the funds to hire help manages it all.
And due to the circumstances of my birth, I will never have to find out. Should I find my perfect match and start a family someday, the way Father assured me I would, I’ll be able to afford all the nannies and diaper services London can provide. Not only do I receive a healthy income from our family holdings, but I’m also the owner of a successful architecture firm, specializing in sustainable housing solutions.
It’s how I found The Crown and Thistle.
Those unreasonably expensive lofts that now fill the old textile factories? My design and the project that launched my firm to national acclaim eight years ago.