Faith glanced down at the Beta at the other end of the table, only to find Professor Lyall eating quietly with a small, indulgent smile on his face. Clearly, he was entirely unthreatened by his Alpha’s obvious affection for the rest of their pack.
Is that what it’s like to be loved by a werewolf? So confident in his adoration and fidelity that you can watch him tease others without rancor? Or is that a Beta trait? Not for the first time, Faith wished she knew more about werewolf pack dynamics and courting rituals.
“But Hemming is very occupied with the children at present.” Biffy formulated a well-crafted excuse. “He has no time for romance.”
Mrs Iftercast jumped desperately on that opening. “Oh, yes, you have two infants in residence, I’ve been given to understand. Do please tell us about the dear little things?”
Biffy was willing to temporarily give over his game of Torment Channing in the interest of common courtesy. “My pleasure. Gracie came along with the nanny we hired for Robbie, our foundling. So, we find ourselves looking after two of the darlings. Or Mrs Whybrew does. Powerful presence, Mrs Whybrew, but a very good nanny. Robbie’s recently started talking. And Gracie crawls everywhere and gets into everything.”
“Are you fond of children, my lord?”
“Fond enough, fond enough. It helps when they are not one’s own, I feel. Not that Robin isn’t considered part of this pack, but it’s mostly Quinn and Hemming who take an active interest in his upbringing.”
Mrs Iftercast took that as an opportunity to probe. “Not Major Channing?” She turned to glance pointedly at Channing, who was obviously in a fine temper and as a result ought to be ignored. She quickly returned her attention to Biffy.
“Channing’s relationship with children is… complex.”
Mr Bluebutton, looking crafty, undid all of Mrs Iftercast’s good work. “So, what about Channing then, Alpha, for our Miss Wigglesworth here? Would he not do in a pinch?”
Biffy gave him a gleaming look of approval. “Oh, I don’t know, what do you think?”
Comments instantly erupted from all of the werewolves now that permission had been given.
“He’s near as bad a flirt as I am, although his preferences are more confined.” Mr Bluebutton was clearly referring to having been accused of philandering.
Channing said, “You forget yourself, Adelphus, that was decades ago.”
“Oh, of course, you’ve been a positive monk since when? Eighteen-seventy or so, when Lady Maccon came to the pack and you insulted her to her face.” Adelphus sneered at him. “Self-flagellation, perhaps?”
“And don’t even get him started on vampires. He’s much worse than I am,” added Quinn.
“To be fair, he has a greater right to be,” said one of the other werewolves, Faith thought his name was Zev or Zeb or something odd like that, coming to his Gamma’s defence.
“Good point,” conceded Quinn.
Faith was wildly curious. What exactly had the vampires done to Channing that justified such ire?
Canning stopped eating, crossed his arms, and glared about the table. “Would anyone else like to assassinate my character at dinner?”
“Ooo, me!” said Hemming.
“Yes, Hemming, why am I unsuitable?”
“Well, you don’t like children at all, simply because, you know, that happened.”
One of the others said, “Which is why he doesn’t want to marry, either. You know, because of her.”
Murmurs of agreement.
Her, thought Faith, her who? She glared at Biffy, suddenly annoyed by the whole thing. What on earth is going on here? What are you trying to tell me?
Biffy was looking pleased with this outcome.
Faith began to get a little angry about the whole thing. It seemed almost cruel to expose Channing thus, even as he had been unkind to her and neglectful. His private feelings and reasons, his past hurts, should stay that way, private and in the past.
She said, staunchly, “Well, thanks, for my part, gentlemen. Your Alpha continually effacing you all as not good enough flatters me greatly. Although it obviously doesn’t flatter any of you.” The table chuckled.
Faith gave a thought to throwing Teddy to the wolves, diverting attention that way. Encouraging them to offer themselves to her friend in a similarly ridiculous manner. But Teddy’s engagement to Mr Rafterwit (and his stables) was now widely known (it had appeared in the papers yesterday); no doubt the werewolves were honoring that commitment by not flirting with her.
(Mr Rafterwit had taken knee to hay bale when he made his offer. He’d been showing her about his stables at the time. Teddy said it was the most romantic thing ever and that she was incandescent with happiness. Mr Rafterwit promised her the next filly out of his favored stallion for her very own, and swore they would spend at least half the year in the countryside. Teddy was in ecstasies.)
Biffy said, “Surely, one of you might do?” As though he were some matchmaking mamma and it hardly mattered which. “I hadn’t even finished the table, Miss Wigglesworth. Don’t you find any of my pack handsome enough to suit?”
“Very. All of them.”
Biffy nodded. “And, of course, there is also Rafe, who is away and very appealing if you like the rough and ready. And Riehard. Well, Riehard could be anything you wanted him to be.”
What if I want him tall and blond and moody, with icy eyes and a sour disposition? What if I want him to throw me up against the wall and press against me with his whole body, as if he needed me to breathe? Would he send me rocks and take me to geology meetings? Would he learn my history and not care that some other man had taken me first?
“Enough!” said Channing, at last.
Biffy sat back, expression smug.
Faith hid a smile.
In classic wolf fashion, Channing’s Alpha sat at the head of the table. His Beta, however, sat opposite, at the foot, a position ordinarily occupied by the lady of the house.
Channing preferred this arrangement; it meant Lyall and Biffy couldn’t bill and coo and share private secrets during meals. They still made eyes at one another, engaging in that silent form of communication which all couples develop over time and reminds those who are not entangled of what they are missing. Channing thought such displays of affection were vulgar, emotional wealth worn wreathed about a man like too many strands of pearls.
Channing looked at Faith, wondering if he could do that with her, right now. Silently communicate. And what would he say if he could?
But she was not looking at him.
Which of course made him burn with the need for her immediate attention.
His Alpha had warned him. He had known he would be in for it at this gathering. So, here they all sat, the pack backing Biffy, worrying at Channing as if he were a juicy bone to pick at.
It had worked. Of course it had worked. He’d lost his temper and barked at them all.
Fortunately, the bickering and pseudo match-making had carried them through the entirety of dinner. They adjourned to the drawing room for wine and light petits fours instead of a pudding course.
Channing watched Faith’s lithe figure as she was led through by Professor Lyall. He thought her dress was very daring and impossibly flattering. There was nothing to distract or detract from the delicacy of her bone structure or the trimness of her waist. The gown’s neckline was low, the decoration a simple cream ribbon.
He wanted to rip it off her.
Naturally, the pack arranged it so he was seated next to her.
At that juncture, the pack put in a concerted effort to distract the Iftercasts and give Channing and Faith some measure of privacy. Adelphus and Biffy held Mrs Iftercast and Teddy’s attention with gossip of the ton, making up outrageous stories about who was engaged to whom and whether it was a love match or merely a polite arrangement. Lyall and Quinn talked matters of politics and business with Mr Iftercast in serious tones. Ulric and Hemming chatted amiably with the Iftercasts’ male children on inconsequential matters over cards. There was much laughter among them.
Zev and Phelan, the most reserved of the pack, made their excuses and went about their evening’s business. Channing wished he could do the same, but he was under orders to remain.
So, he sat in one corner, out of human hearing, with Miss Wigglesworth. To whom he had indeed been rather shabby.