A Family Affair Read Free Page A

glass of lemonade. He patted her shoulder in a brotherly way, to show affection, and succeeded in jostling her enough to spill some of the drink on the front of her dress.
    The look she gave him was nearly as sour as the lemonade.
    Almost.
    “Don’t you worry, my dear,” Sebastian announced cheerfully. “When Charmaine gets older, all her sins, selfishness, and evil thoughts will turn her hair gray and her face all wrinkly and spotty.”
    “Spotty?” Sin said, arching an eyebrow in a very Darling way.
    Sebastian gave his older brother a smile worthy of a saint. Not an easy task for him.
    “Why, yes!”
    “Spotty?” Fanny had a hard time staying angry at her silly brother, even though he’d just ruined her white debutante dress. She could never stay angry with Sebastian; he was such a happy, loveable clown. And now, thanks to him, she wouldn’t have to wear this horrid dress again.
    “It is common knowledge among those who know things; old age catches everybody, and no one can escape, not even celebrated young ladies. Especially the mean-hearted ones.”
    “Like Charmaine,” Fanny laughed.
    “That’s right, sweet pea. Especially ogres like Charmaine.”
    The three siblings smiled wickedly at each other, unaware of their parents’ approach until their father’s voice cut through their snickering.
    “What on earth are you three up to now?”
    “Papa.” Fanny threw herself into her father’s waiting arms, ignoring outraged gasps from bystanders. With her father, Fanny was always a little girl. She loved the way he made her feel secure and cherished.
    “Fanny, for goodness’ sake,” Caroline Sinclair Darling, Marchioness of Newbury, murmured between her teeth, and Fanny reluctantly brought her arms down from around her father’s neck. Her father gave her a little peck on her faintly freckled nose before he put his wife’s hand in the crook of his arm again.
    “Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?” Caroline inquired, and Fanny nodded with a delighted smile.
    “I love it,” she declared passionately. “It is more than I ever could have imagined. The people are so fashionable, and everyone looks quite elegant. Thank you so much for bringing me to London.”
    “It’s all your grandmother’s doing,” the marquess told his daughter. “I still can hardly believe your Grand-Papa let you leave Chester Park, especially since he kept ranting about the loss of common sense among the ton. My father has a somewhat hostile opinion of the Season.”
    “If it weren’t for Francesca being the first girl to be born in the Berkeley family for centuries and he’s unable to say no to her, Hannibal probably would have locked her in one of the towers and thrown away the key.”
    “True, true,” George agreed with his wife. “But he is too proud of her not to let her attend.”
    They were the best parents imaginable, Fanny thought as she watched them chat away. The love and respect they bestowed on her was endless, lifting her high. They were the solid foundation of her life.
    She had not been an easy child, all curiosity and adventurousness and with no common sense at all. But her parents had managed to find a wobbly path for leading her, one that in the end had worked. Their patience and undeniable love for her and for each other had formed her, until she had become the much calmer person she was today. She liked to think she had gained a little common sense, too, even though her brothers kept telling her she hadn’t.
    “Fanny.” Caroline interrupted her thoughts. “Do you want me to go with you and see if we could remove some of that lemonade your brother so nicely poured over your dress?”
    “It was an accident…” A glare from his mother silenced Sebastian.
    Fanny bit back a smile as her brother gave their mother a sad look worthy of a puppy. But their mother had a heart of stone when it came to her children and puppy-faces. She had seen too many to even consider changing her mind.
    “I can go by