Her playful scowl made him grin. “What could you possibly require when you have me for your wife, and a child on the way?”

“You make an excellent point,” he allowed. “I take back my question.”

She sniffed. “I should think so. But if you are very good tomorrow and play your part well, perhaps you may have a trinket on Christmas morning.”

“I suddenly have a very clear image of the mother you will be, and the efficiency is astounding.”

He caught a slight laugh she tried to restrain. “So you see the potential, then. Excellent. I was concerned you would wait until the child was born before you saw anything maternal in me.”

Though she was bantering with him and teasing herself, Harrison found himself sobering, eyeing the tender manner in which her hand traced over the bump that was their growing child.

“No, my dear Adelaide,” he murmured, stroking his thumb over her arm, “I have no doubt you will be a marvelous mother to our child. I can see it already.” Before he could stop himself, he leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair, rubbing her arm again.

She looked at him in surprise, her smile sweet and hesitant. “Thank you, Basset.”

He nodded once and moved away from her, striding down the hall to find something else to do. Anything else. Just so long as it was away from the mess of feelings twisting his stomach and the scent of his wife lingering about him.

“Have you embroidered unicorns on those slippers?”

Adelaide hummed a laugh and showed the items to Julia. “Indeed. They are part of the Basset family crest, you know. But I have also included the letter B, and if I can manage it, this will become an olive branch.”

“Extendin’ peace, Addie?” Emblyn laughed from her position near the window where she continued to work on a scarf for her brother. “That’ll be the day.”

“Addie?” Julia repeated with a smile. “That’s an adorable moniker.”

“Only Emblyn calls me that,” Adelaide informed her, giving her sister-in-law an affectionate smile over her shoulder. “I shouldn’t like it from everyone, but it suits from her.”

Emblyn snorted loudly, looking up. “Because I be common stock, an’ fine names shouldn’t fall from my lips.”

“Nonsense!” Adelaide scolded. “Because you are my sister-in-law, and I’ve grown rather fond of you, so our closeness renders a familiar moniker appropriate!” She narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t cease your self-disparaging, I shall start calling you Emmie.”

“You shall no’!” came the insistent bark. “I am no’ so brough’ up tha’ I cannot box a lady’s ears, Addie, an’ you know I’d do it!”

Adelaide chortled with laughter, setting the slippers in her lap as hilarity filled her. “Oh, bless you, Em. I can see it now, and poor Basset standing between us not knowing which way to turn!”