London Loves - Book 3 - Love's Great Adventure Series (2 page)

“Have you seen Lily while making the rounds?” Sebastian inquired with hesitation.

“I heard she was at Ascot, but I didn’t see her. We usually bump into one another at Wimbledon, but that’s not until next month,” Penny replied.

“Are you worried about bumping into her?” Tess asked him with concern as she took his hand.

“A little,” he admitted. “I don’t want her to know about Mattie.”

“Sebastian, London is a big town. I’m sure you’re worrying for naught.” Penny commented.

“I suppose you’re right. We don’t travel in the same social circles anymore. We should be safe.”

“I did see your brother, Maxwell, at a charity event last month. He’s making quite the name for himself since your grandfather died and he became Earl of Sutton,” Penny said rather impressed.

“Maybe he’ll settle down and marry soon. I’m sure Lily won’t let up until an heir is born,” Sebastian smirked.

“Yes, he’s quite the eligible bachelor at the moment.”

“You should marry him—then you’d be my sister-in-law,” Tess chimed in.

“Oh, I don’t think Lily will approve of me,” Penny laughed.

“You dated a prince, why wouldn’t you be good enough for an earl?” Tess inquired, somewhat confused by the whole conversation.

“Let’s just say, I’m not a big of Lady Lily Irons, either.”

“Glad we all agree on that,” Sebastian muttered, finishing off his scotch. “We’ve got a full day tomorrow. Tess, we should head off to bed.”

“Goodnight, you two,” Penny said. “I’ll have breakfast ready at eight thirty.”

“Thanks, Pen.” Sebastian leaned down and kissed her cheek before taking his wife’s hand and heading to the guest room.

The four of them sat around the dining table, eating breakfast.

“Daddy, when can we go to the train station?”

“Mattie, we have to meet with the real estate agent today to find our new home. We can’t stay with Aunt Penny forever.”

“I like it here! There are pretty pink flowers on by bed.”

“I’ll buy you a blanket with pink flowers for your new bed when we find our home.”

Mattie placed the spoon in her cereal bowl and pouted. Sebastian gave her a warning glance.

Penny couldn’t contain her laughter. “Let me take her for the day. This way you and Tess can focus on the house hunt without interruption.”

“Where will you take her?” Tess asked.

“We can go to Hamley’s, have tea at Harrods…”

“And visit Paddington Station?” Mattie asked, sliding to the edge of her seat.

“Yes, we can even visit Paddington Station.”

Sebastian looked to Tess, who nodded her head in approval. “Pen, have you ever watched a four-year-old before?”

“No, how hard could it be? She’s perfectly behaved. Let her spend the day with Auntie Pen.”

Now Sebastian and Tess chuckled in unison. “Fine. Have a lovely day.”

“Are you sure about leaving Mattie with Pen?” Sebastian asked as they sat in the back of the black cab on the way to the real estate office.

“She couldn’t do any worse than I did when I first started out,” Tess reassured.

“Mattie was a baby. She couldn’t talk back then.”

“Exactly—and now she can. Her vocabulary skills are off the chart, thanks to being raised by you. I’m sure they’ll get into some very in-depth conversations today. I only hope they hit it off so we have a babysitter when you and I need a night out.”

“I like how you’re thinking, Mrs. Irons,” Sebastian agreed before kissing her on the lips.

Since they had talked with the agent prior to their arrival, he knew what type of home they needed and had selected some to fit their criteria. They really didn’t have a lot of time to fret over a decision; they needed to procure living arrangements quickly and start packing to have everything shipped over from the States. Tess and Sebastian visited six properties. The London housing market was brisk and the agent advised they take the night to talk it over and get back to him first thing in the morning.

“My head’s swimming in a sea of confusion,” Tess said wearily as they sat down for a late lunch at Harrods.

“I know, but we said we were going to make the decision today.”

“We will,” she agreed. “Can we start by eliminating any properties?”

“We should knock out the two in Camden Town. I don’t feel completely safe there. I’d be worried about you and Mattie.”

“I liked the two near Regent’s Park. We can take Mattie there to play and it’s near the zoo,” Tess explained.

“I liked them, but the prices—two hundred thousand pounds. Are you okay with spending that much? They are smaller than the condo we have back home.”

“I know. You warned me about that, but it was still shocking to see. The kitchen was so tiny—and that mini-refrigerator. Are you going to be happy cooking there?”

“I can just go to the market every day and buy fresh food to prepare our meals.”

Tess looked back and forth between the two photos of the properties. “I guess it all comes down to the garden. If we take the first floor unit, we gain outdoor space. If we take the third floor unit, we get the view.”

“You decide. I like them both,” Sebastian said, taking her hand.

“It’s so much money.”

“I’m twenty-five now. The money Nanny left is ours. We can afford it, and I’m sure the prices will only swell as time goes on. It’s a good investment, Tess.”

“Let’s go with the ground floor unit with the garden.”

“Excellent—I’ll ring Mr. Hume in the morning and we can stop by the agent’s office to let him know our decision before we head home.” Penny and Mattie walked over to their table. They were carrying shopping bags from various stores. “Well, what have we here?” Sebastian said, picking Mattie up and setting her on his lap.

“We had a brilliant day,” Penny said, taking a seat at the table.

“Were you on your best behavior for Aunt Penny?” Tess asked.

“Yes, Mummy.”

“And did you find Paddington Bear today?” Sebastian asked his daughter.

“Not the real one,” she replied with a frown. “Only stuffed animals.”

Sebastian wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that, so he asked another question. “And what did you buy at Hamley’s?” It was the local upscale toy store on Regent Street.

Mattie’s face lit up and she grabbed for the bag that Penny had set on the floor. Reaching inside, she pulled out a twelve-inch Steiff teddy bear. “Look, Daddy. He’s the baby brother of Charles!”

The mohair bear did resemble Sebastian’s own teddy bear. “He certainly does look like Charles. Do you think he’ll like having a little brother after all this time?”

“I’m sure he’ll love it!”

“What did you name him, Mattie?” Tess asked.

“I’ll call him Bas.”

“You’re naming the bear after
me
?” Sebastian asked.

“Mummy calls you Bas all the time and she loves you,” Mattie replied. “I love you, too.” She reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Sebastian shook his head. Mattie was too observant and smart for her own good. She definitely took after Tess in that regard. “Well, you know, Charles has been an ‘only bear’ for many years. I’m not so sure he’ll take kindly to a sibling.”

Penny tried to conceal her smile as she watched the two interact. She leaned over and whispered to Tess, “I think that is the most adorable thing I have ever seen. If you would have told me this is how Sebastian’s life would have ended up ten years ago, I would have said you were mental.”

Tess watched Bas and Mattie as they carried on a conversation about two stuffed animals. This was her family and her life couldn’t be better.

Three weeks later, most of their belongings were packed in a freight container and sailing across the Atlantic toward their new home in London. They decided to keep the condo and not sublet it. If Tess or Sebastian had to travel back and forth for business, they would need a place to stay. The fact that Henry and Alice lived in the same building also gave them peace of mind that the property would be looked after.

Sebastian spent the last morning in New Jersey sipping his coffee while staring out over the Hudson River. Tess walked up behind him and placed her arm around his waist. “What has you so deep in thought?” she asked.

“I was just remembering the first time we stood in this spot and talked about our future. So much has happened in five years.”

“Ready for the next step in our life together?”

Sebastian looked down at his wife and smiled. “Yes, I’m excited. I’m also sad because I didn’t think I would become so attached to this place. I’m glad we’re keeping the condo. It will be comforting to know it’s here waiting for us to return.”

“That’s very sentimental of you, Bas.”

Just then Mattie came running into the room. “Is it time yet?” she asked with excitement, leaning up against Tess' leg.

“Yes, today is the day,” Tess confirmed.

“Yippee!” Mattie exclaimed, jumping up and down.

“Come and get dressed. Uncle Henry and Aunt Alice will be here to take us to the airport soon,” Tess explained as they walked to Mattie’s bedroom.

Sebastian smiled to himself—his two girls, giddy with excitement about their new adventure. He was happy he could give them this life, but even more happy that they were his family.

There was a knock at the front door. “It’s open,” Sebastian called out as he washed his coffee mug in the sink.

Henry and Alice entered the condo. “Good morning. All set to go?” Henry asked.

“Just waiting on Mattie to get dressed.”

Mattie came walking out of her bedroom, holding her teddy bear. She made a beeline for Henry, who scooped her up in his arms and gave her a hug. “I’m going to miss you,” he told the little girl.

“You’ll just have to come and visit us, Uncle Henry.”

“Yes, please say you’ll come and visit once we get settle in,” Tess agreed.

“We’ve never been out of the country,” Alice revealed. “We can’t wait to come and visit.”

“But when?” Mattie impatiently asked.

“As soon as we get our passports, okay?” Henry explained.

“Okay, let’s go!”

“Henry, can you take Mattie to the car and give Tess and me a moment alone?” Sebastian inquired.

Henry nodded while Alice grabbed Mattie’s carry-on. They left the condo, giving Tess and Sebastian some privacy.

Sebastian walked over to Tess and took her in his arms. She looked up at him, her eyes brimming with excitement. He leaned in and kissed her. “I love you, Tess.” He grabbed the last carry-on bag and took her hand in his.

“Thank you for doing this for us, Bas.”

“Anything for my girls.”

They locked up the condo and took the elevator to the garage, where Henry waited to drive them to the airport.

Mattie was becoming an old pro at international travel at the ripe old age of four. Sebastian marveled at her resilience. She was completely unfazed by crowds, long queues of people, and changes in time zones. He was so proud of his little girl.

They followed the same routine as three weeks earlier and took a cab into Kensington. They were staying with Penny again until Sebastian and Tess could get their flat unpacked and safe for Mattie.

“Why can’t we live with Aunt Penny?” Mattie asked Sebastian in the cab.

“Because, it’s not polite to be a permanent house guest.”

“But she doesn’t work. She likes the company,” Mattie announced.

“Oh, really, did she tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“But we have a wonderful flat with a nice garden you can play in. Not to mention, we’re near Regent’s Park and the zoo.”

“I think Aunt Penny is lonely. We should find her a boyfriend,” Mattie thoughtfully added.

Sebastian looked to Tess in exasperation. He had no clue how to stop her barrage of questions.

“What type of boyfriend do you think Penny would like?” Tess questioned.

Sebastian rolled his eyes. He wanted Tess’ help to squelch the inquiry, not encourage it.

“He should be rich and like to shop,” Mattie explained.

“Well, London is full of bachelors, I’m sure we can find her a few candidates.”

“What’s a candidate?” Mattie asked.

Sebastian chuckled. “Yes, Mummy. What’s a candidate?”

“A man who would like to be Penny’s boyfriend,” Tess replied, not missing a beat.

“When can we start looking?”

“As soon as we are unpacked and moved into the flat.”

The next day, Sebastian took the call from the movers. Placing the receiver back on the phone, he said, “They’re delivering the container at one o’clock today.”

“Right on schedule. If we start with the bedrooms, we can stay in our own place tonight,” Tess said, excited by the prospect. “Do you think Penny will mind watching Mattie today?”

“Considering they’re upstairs going through Penny’s closet right now, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

“We should go check on her,” Tess suggested.

They walked up the staircase and down the hall toward Penny’s room. The door was open and Sebastian and Tess stopped to watch what was happening inside. Penny had pulled several dresses out of the closet and spread them out on the bed. A half dozen pairs of designer shoes where neatly stacked on the floor. Mattie sat on the floor looking over the contents of Penny’s jewelry box.

“What are you two doing?” Sebastian questioned as he walked into the room.

Mattie stood up from the floor and rushed to Sebastian’s side. “I’m helping Aunt Penny pick out a dress for the ball.”

“So what did you decide?” Tess asked.

Mattie walked over to the black silk Chanel evening gown and pointed to her choice.

“She has great taste,” Penny agreed. “We’re going with the Chanel. Thank you for your help, Mattie.”

“You’re welcome. You should wear these shoes,” she added, picking up a pair of leather pumps decorated with crystals. She walked back over to her father and said, “Daddy, can you buy me a Chanel dress?”

“Darling, you’re four years old. Where are you going to wear it? You have to wear a uniform for school in the fall and your mother and I won’t be throwing dinner parties anytime soon.”

She gave a pout and it tugged at Sebastian’s heart.