Kimberly Nee - The McKenzie Brothers (18 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Heather?”

She pulled open her bedroom door. Jeremy stood on the far side of the threshold. “Yes?” she asked, unable to keep the wariness from her voice. She hadn’t felt comfortable in his presence since that awful afternoon he’d tried to kiss her.

“Your knight in shining armor is here.”

“Thank you.”

She closed the door again, moving to take one last peek at her reflection in the mirror. Her stomach roiled with a combination of a nausea and nerves. Tonight she was meeting Drew’s family for the first time.

Had he really proposed to her? She had to keep reminding herself that he really did ask for her hand, that she wasn’t dreaming. Her lips refused to come down from their smile even as she turned away from the mirror. Her spirits were higher than ever before, despite her nervousness.

The nausea rose sharply, forcing her to sit on the edge of the bed for a moment until it passed. She wished she could just retch and be done with feeling so terrible, but that didn’t happen. Instead, she carried the awful queasiness with her throughout the day and had done so for the past two weeks. She took a deep breath, swallowing hard against the brackish taste rising in her mouth. The last thing she wanted was to feel so ill at supper. Drew’s parents were bound to notice and wonder about her condition.

“Well, I don’t suppose I can put this off much longer,” she murmured, slowly getting to her feet and moving to the door.

Drew’s deep voice resonated through the house and she smiled as she made her way below. She stepped into the parlor. Her stomach lurched and a sharply sour taste rose into her mouth. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to smile. “Good evening.”

Drew’s brows lowered as he rose from his chair. “Is everything all right, love?”

She pressed her lips together, shaking her head. “Not exactly. But I will be fine.”

He eased an arm about her waist, guiding her to his vacated chair, and gently pushed her down.

Christina’s eyes narrowed. “Heather? What is it?”

“Nothing,” she replied softly, digging her nails into the arms of the chair as she fought down the rising tide. “I am nervous, I’m afraid.”

“May I fix you a cup of tea?”

“That would be lovely. Thank you.”

As Christina left for the kitchen to brew the tea, Drew crouched down beside her, covering her hand with his. “Feeling sick, love?”

She nodded slowly, a fine mist of perspiration beading across her forehead. “Yes. Terribly so.”

His hand was gentle as it moved against her, sweeping her hair away from her face. “Do you wish me to fetch a doctor?”

“No. It’ll pass. I’ve barely eaten today.”

“The babe?”

“Yes. Don’t look so worried.” She tried to make her voice playful. “Please don’t fuss over me. This is all perfectly normal, I’m sure.”

He didn’t look convinced, but took a deep breath. “Very well. We can reschedule supper, if you wish.”

“No. That won’t be necessary, Drew. I think I’m nervous as well, which doesn’t help.”

Christina returned several minutes later with a cup of hot, sweet tea. “Thank you, Christina.”

Christina lowered herself into a chair across from her. Her crystal blue eyes were filled with concern. “Do you need Doctor Morrison?”

“No. That’s unnecessary.”

Her nausea abated as she sipped the tea. When she finished the brew, she placed the cup on its saucer got to her feet. “We should be on our way, Drew. I’d hate to be late.”

“There’s no hurry, love. Take all the time you need.”

“I’m fine. Really. Now, shall we?” She eased her silk gloves over her fingers and turned to him. “I just wish to have this over and done.”

“I assure you, Heather, you’ve nothing to fear. They aren’t ogres, you know.” He turned to Christina. “Please tell her what my family’s like.”

Christina gave her a reassuring smile. “They’re perfectly lovely people, Heather. You’re working yourself into lather for nothing.”

For some reason, Christina’s attempt to reassure her fell flat. Although Christina wasn’t a rival, Heather wasn’t as comfortable with the situation as she originally thought.

She shoved the irritating thought from her mind, only to have it replaced by another, even worse, thought.

Drew had yet to profess any sort of love for her, any sort of feelings for her at all. His proposal was the result of a strong sense of honor, of responsibility. He was a gentleman. That was the only reason —

No
!

She managed to hold back her wince even as a sharp pain sliced through her skull. No, she wouldn’t think that way. She couldn’t. It hurt too much to think about.

Drew’s hand at the small of her back brought her back to the present. “Shall we?”

Forcing a smile to her lips, she looked up at him. “Yes. Good evening, Christina.”

Christina gave her a warm smile. “Good luck, Heather. And smile. They’ll love you.”

Heather’s palms felt clammy through her white gloves as they rolled up the curving drive to the front door of Stonebridge. The windows blazed with welcoming golden light, but did nothing to ease her nervous stomach.

Drew curled his fingers about hers to lift her hand to his lips. “Are you certain you don’t need a doctor?”

She wasn’t certain at all. How was she to know if she needed a doctor or not? Either way, she didn’t want him hovering over her any more than he already did. That would be a dead giveaway and she wanted to keep her condition a secret until after they were safely wed.

“I’m fine, Drew. Now please, stop fussing over me. You’re going to raise eyebrows if you don’t.”

They rocked to a halt and he reached for the door handle. “I apologize, Heather. This is all new for me as well.”

His admission brought her a sense of relief as he descended from the carriage. It was nice, knowing she was the first for
something
where he was concerned.

She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow, allowing him to help her down. Stonebridge rose above them like a silent stone sentry, imposing and cold despite the soft light glowing in several windows.

Her belly rolled over with agonizing slowness, but she didn’t hesitate as Drew guided her up the walk toward the white stone portico.

Inside, beautiful crystal chandeliers aglow with flickering white candles bathed everything in buttery golden light.

A narrow staircase loomed directly across from the double front doors, and a dark haired woman paused on the second to last step. She shifted the small girl in her arms, and grinned at them.

“I was wondering what this family supper was all about,” the woman said in a light, teasing voice. “Megan, give Uncle Drew a kiss.”

The dark-haired girl smiled, her even darker eyes luminous as she reached for him. “Unkie!”

He laughed as he accepted the little girl, squeezing her and crooning, “How’s my little angel?”

Heather melted as she watched him with the child. He seemed so comfortable holding Megan, and the little girl certainly seemed enthralled by her uncle. She screeched with delight as he tossed her into the air, then caught her to blow into her neck.

“Who’s that?” Megan demanded, pointing at Heather.

He ruffled his niece’s hair. “That, princess, is Heather.” His eyes flicked to Megan’s mother. “Emma, I’d like to introduce you to Heather Morgan. Heather, this is my sister, Emma McCallister.”

Emma’s smile widened as she turned to Heather. “Ah, finally! It’s about time he’s brought you by. I’ve been going mad with curiosity about you. Simply mad. How wonderful to finally get to meet you!”

Emma seemed so warm, so friendly, that Heather was at ease with her at once. “I feel the same. He’s told me so much about his family, I feel as if I already know you.”

“Well, at least he wasn’t tightlipped about us. He certainly has been about you. If it weren’t for Garrett, we most likely wouldn’t know you even existed.” Emma’s eyes, the same deep blue as both of her brothers, danced with merriment as she turned to him. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Drew, for not bringing her around sooner.”

He chuckled, tossing Megan. “I wanted to surprise everyone.”

“Well, mission accomplished.” She linked her arm through Heather’s. “Come along now, and don’t be shy. Everyone is waiting in the dining room. I had to go change this little moppet.” She tweaked a lock of baby-fine black hair and tickled her daughter’s neck.

“Why didn’t you hand her to Julian?” Drew trailed behind them as Emma steered Heather down the narrow hallway.

Heather’s attention wandered, as did her gaze, along the corridor. Beautiful paintings adorned the pale blue walls. Mostly landscapes, but she smiled when she saw several seascapes as well. Apparently a love for the sea was felt by more than one McKenzie. Emma pulled her into cozy parlor, where most of Drew’s family awaited them.

Drew gave Megan one last kiss before passing her back to Emma. Then, he pressed a hand into the small of Heather’s back. “Good evening, all.”

A dark-haired man with dark eyes sat in a dark green leather chair near the fireplace. He looked up, smiling. “I thought we were going to have to start without you.”

“I’m afraid we were a bit delayed, as you can see. I apologize for our tardiness.” Drew flushed and cleared his throat. “I would like to introduce you to Heather Morgan.” He smiled down at Heather. “Now, pay attention, Heather. You will be tested on this later.”

She cast a glance around the room, recognizing Julian and Garrett from their encounter at Eagleton’s office. Seated on the sofa, a needlepoint in her hands, sat a willowy red-haired woman who looked vaguely familiar, but Heather couldn’t quite place her. She assumed the man on the sofa was James McKenzie, but couldn’t be certain. As for the remaining women, seated with the red-haired woman, she could only assume they were Drew’s mother and another sister.

Drew pointed to each family member, starting with the man she thought was his father. “My father, James McKenzie. The young lady seated beside him is my sister, Mary. You’ve just met Emma and her daughter, Keely. Garrett’s wife, Katherine, is there on the end.”

He smiled at the woman seated nearest to them. She was petite and slender, with snowy white hair and blue eyes. “My mother, Rebecca. My brother, Garrett. Emma’s husband, Julian.”

Heather offered up a pleasant smile. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you all. Drew’s spoken of you so often, as I said to Emma, I feel as if I already know you.”

Each one of them replied in kind, with a friendly — if curious — smile. Drew guided her to an empty chaise.

Katherine McKenzie reached for the silver tea urn. “Would you care for some tea?”

“Thank you.” Heather accepted the cup and sat back. Hopefully, the tea would settle her stomach. Of course, it wasn’t quite so upset now. Everyone seemed friendly enough.

By the time Drew escorted her into the dining room, Heather’s stomach was settled. He showed her to her chair, then settled in the chair across from her, and offered up a reassuring smile.

Everyone else took their seats, and the chatter resumed. The McKenzie family was a noisy one, with playful arguments and frequent admonitions from the elder members of the family.

Katherine leaned over to nudge her. “Interesting group, wouldn’t you say?”

She smiled at the willowy redhead. Katherine looked very familiar, but she still couldn’t quite place her. Still, she recognized the soft English accent and said, “Where are you from?”

Katherine’s smile was wistful. “London. I’ve only been here just over a year. And you?”

“London as well.”

“Heather Morgan,” Katherine mused, sipping her wine. “You aren’t, by any chance, related to Susan Morgan, are you?”

Heather felt a familiar pang. “Yes, actually. She was my mother. Did you know her?”

“Not very well, I am afraid. I just recall hearing her name in relation to one of the Season’s biggest balls.”

“Oh, yes. That was my mother’s doing. Were you ever able to attend one?”

“I was invited but it was not meant to be.” Katherine’s reply was dusted with wistfulness, and Heather didn’t miss the flicker of sadness in her eyes.