.
“Why Smith?” Justin asked as he glanced around the table.
He’d arrived to Mr. Christmas Smith’s home on time to find that what he’d expected was not to be. Instead of heading toward the area where the lower-class lived, Justin found himself in a beautiful terrace in Mayfair.
His surprise must have been evident on his face because Alex, who’d worn a very fetching dress in ice blue, said, “He owns the toy shop where I work.” Which explained how the man made his own money but didn’t explain how he’d managed to accumulate so many treasures in his house.
He also didn’t think Christmas the sort to own a toy store.
Since arriving an hour ago, the man hadn’t warmed to Justin in the least, though neither had Mr. Nash Smith nor Reuben Smith. He’d found out quickly that they, along with Ms. Rose, made up the Smith family, a bond formed by circumstances and proximity, yet Justin could feel the true affection as it flowed through the room.
It reminded him of his friendship with Gerard, whom he wished he could have invited along with his siblings, but he'd known Alex was not ready to have more of the ton’s attention.
She’d been seated in the farthest seat from him on the other side of the table, which had been donned with fine china and a good meal complemented with great wine. It was the middle of the main course when he asked his question.
Every eye at the table came to him and silence fell before every gaze turned to Christmas.
Justin looked at the man who sat at the head of the table.
Christmas held his wine glass in his hand and stroked it with his thumb as he stared far off. Then his hazel eyes found Justin's. “Smith was a friend at the orphanage. He died of fever when we were young.” He gave a soft shrug. “I named us after him.”
It was a moving story. “You named the family.” He looked at the other four people at the table.
Rose offered him a smile, which she seemed to do often, as though to make up for the fact that none of the men did. “Chris brought us all together.”
Justin could not believe that. Chris did not seem the ‘come together’ sort.
“That’s not true,” Chris said.
“It is,” Reuben said. “You know it as well as everyone at this table.”
Nash, who was sitting next to Justin, leaned over and said, “Alex all but begged to be let in. At first, it was just the men.”
“Boys, more like it,” Alex cut in and wrinkled her nose. “You needed me.”
Chris grunted but warmth filled his eyes. “I only let you in because you wouldn’t leave us alone.”
Alex wrinkled her nose at Chris, and Justin found himself enjoying the lively banter.
“Rose was the last to join,” Nash said.
“I was practically born at the orphanage,” Rose said. “Chris was the first to hold me after Ms. Mary Francis.” She looked at Chris with abundant love in her blue eyes. “I've never had a moment of loneliness in my entire life.”
“He practically raised her.” Nash leaned in again. “She was the one who got him into making toys. He was good then. He’s better now.”
Now it was coming together for Justin. Christmas had obviously been a different man at one time, but something had happened to change him. That he was a builder didn’t surprise him, though, or that he’d managed to start his own business. There was the need for precision in Chris’ eyes and a ruthless set in his features.
Rose said, “It was Reuben who named me.” She pointed to her mouth. “Because of my lips.” Justin had noticed they were very red in hue. He thought the name fitting and smiled.
Reuben groaned. “I tried changing it to Cryer about a week later, but Ms. Francis wouldn’t let me.”
They laughed around him, except for Chris.
Alex said, “That would not have been a very good name.”
Reuben smiled at her. “I tried renaming you Puppy with the way you followed us around.”
More laughter.
“But we’d not get together as often were it not for Alex,” Rose said. “She enjoys having her dinners.”
The sisters shared a look he couldn’t understand before Alex turned to smile at him. “How was your meal?”
“Divine.” He turned to Chris and said, “Your cook is a hidden treasure. Wherever did you find her?”
Chris held his gaze. “Alex found her.” And though the words were simple, there was affection laced within them, deeply rooted in the man who’d put the Smith family together.
Justin turned to Alex and said, “I understand now.”
She was still grinning when she asked, “Understand what?”
“Why you turned down my offer.” Justin looked around the table before meeting her eyes again. “You have everything you need right here.”
Her smile grew, and he noticed that others were grinning at him as well. Chris, for once, was not glaring.
Reuben asked, “How did your father die?”
Justin’s stomach grew heavy, and he was forced to pull in a breath before he could speak. “We were walking down the road when—”
“You were there?” Chris asked.
Justin turned to him and nodded.
Alex’s voice changed slightly. It deepened when she asked, “What happened?”
Justin looked down at the table and didn’t look up again until he’d finished. “I’m not really sure what happened. A carriage came around the corner and the horses were frightened by something. Everything happened so quickly. My father pushed me out of the way before his body was caught under the horses and then the carriage. There was a great amount of blood, but I think he died quickly.”
At least, he prayed that was the case. His father hadn’t made a sound as he’d gone down, and holding his father in his arms, the words of his mother had returned to him.
Dirty.
Filthy.
He’d been covered in blood. The accident hadn’t been Justin's fault, but he’d been there, just like he had when his mother had died.
When he looked around again, he found every eye on him with open remorse. There was a shared look between the men before Reuben said, “I’m sorry.”
Justin nodded and sipped his water, now wishing he’d accepted the wine offered him. “Thank you.”
“You were close,” Nash assessed.
“I’ve not been the same since his death,” Justin replied. Then his eyes met Alex and he said, “But I wish to be better.” He didn’t know why he’d said it, but the moment the words were out he knew them to be truer than the million other times he’d said them to anyone else. It had been nearly a full day since his last drink and staring into Alex’s gray eyes, Justin felt as though his life was taking on new meaning.
He decided then that his father would have liked Alex as well. He also decided he didn’t want to speak about his father anymore.
Alex, as if reading his mind, changed the topic. “Are you into politics?”
“I hate politics,” Justin groaned.
“Amen to that,” Reuben said.
“Agreed,” Nash said as he lifted his glass.
Justin did the same and the other men followed.
A truce perhaps?
He only hoped he was that lucky.