Hugh stopped in his tracks, their drinks in hand, at this very out of character display of affection from his brother. ‘Will wonders never cease,’ he thought to himself. ‘Next thing you know he’ll actually be holding her hand in front of everyone.’

As he returned to the built-in wet bar to retrieve drinks for Colin and Selina, Victoria hurried over to him, giving him a little jab in the ribs as she whispered urgently, “Can you believe what you’re seeing? I know what Colin told us a little while ago, but I thought he was pulling our legs. I never thought I’d see this day.”

Hugh followed her gaze discreetly, his eyes widening as he glimpsed the way Ian and Tessa were - well, snuggled was probably the first word that came to mind - on a narrow, cream leather loveseat. Ian’s arm was draped possessively around his fiancée’s shoulders, hugging her close against his body, their thighs pressed together. Tessa kept her hands clasped rather demurely in her lap, but there was no disguising the look of pure love on her face as she gazed at Ian adoringly.

But it was when Ian gave her cheek a gentle caress before placing a soft kiss on her temple that Hugh’s eyes really bugged out, and Victoria nearly dropped the champagne flute she’d taken from a shelf.

“On second thought,” she told her husband as she replaced the flute, “I think I need something a bit stronger than the bubbly. Pour me a glass of whatever you’re having, will you?”

It would have been very easy for Tessa to feel completely ill at ease, and twenty different kinds of awkward at the dinner table. Despite Victoria’s offhanded assurances that this was going to be a casual affair, the enormous dining room table had been set with exquisite china, silver, and crystal, the silk table linens a pristine shade of pale blue. The children were dining separately from the adults, with the boys’ nanny supervising their meal, and Tessa thought that was likely a good thing, unable to imagine how five rowdy youngsters would have coped in such a formal setting.

But she was pleasantly relieved to discover that, in spite of the elegant table setting, the meal was in fact a very relaxed one. The food had been beautifully prepared by Mrs. Kingsbury, the housekeeper, but was rather simple fare, consisting of a salad of mixed greens, a mouthwateringly tender filet of beef, saffron risotto, and grilled vegetables. As Tessa’s nerves began to settle, she found herself eating hungrily of the delicious meal, belatedly aware that she’d barely touched her lunch due to her anxiety about meeting the rest of Ian’s family.

And every one of the family seemed to be going out of their way to make her feel welcome and at ease, including her in the conversation, and rarely discussing people or events that she might be unfamiliar with. Ian was seated to her left, and continued to give her hand reassuring squeezes throughout the meal, or lean over to whisper something in her ear.

“Are you enjoying yourself, love?” he asked in a low voice, as the main course was cleared away by Mrs. Kingsbury and the young niece who’d been helping her in the kitchen.

She nodded and offered him up a warm smile. “It’s been a wonderful evening,” she murmured softly. “Everyone is being so kind.”

Ian brushed his knuckles over her cheek, which was a bit flushed after two glasses of wine and a pre-dinner cocktail. “Of course they are,” he replied easily. “Because they all adore you. And they already consider you a member of the family, darling. So, no more worries, hmm?”

“I promise,” she assured him. “Though I still have to meet your uncle tomorrow.”

He waved a hand in dismissal. “Uncle Richard is the last person you’d ever need to worry about impressing. He and Hugh are very much alike, and you’ve seen for yourself how easygoing my brother is. My uncle will love you, just like the rest of us. And I’ve successfully dissuaded my mother from parading any additional relatives or friends out over the next couple of days. Time enough to meet all of them when we return in December.”

While Selina, Colin, and Hugh went to check on the children, Victoria offered to give Tessa a somewhat abbreviated tour of the house before they all re-adjourned for dessert.

“It’s still a work in progress, mind you,” cautioned Victoria as she guided Tessa through all of the downstairs rooms. “We’ve lived here nearly five years, and have had to re-do practically everything. Hugh jokes and calls the place our own personal money pit, but he loves it as much as I always have.”

Tessa regarded her future sister-in-law inquisitively. “Did the house belong to your family then?”

Victoria nodded as they began to climb the wide staircase to the upper level. “The estate has been in my mother’s family for more than a century. And I grew up here, raised mostly by my grandparents. I promised my grandmother on her deathbed that Hugh and I would make this into a real family home again, that we’d never sell it. Though there were more than a few times we were tempted, especially once we realized just how much work would be involved in modernizing and upgrading everything.”

“Your parents weren’t - that is, I’m sorry,” stammered Tessa. “It’s really none of my business.”

Victoria shrugged. “Nothing to be sorry about. And it’s no secret, really. My parents were both spoiled brats, liked the good life a little too much, and didn’t take to the idea of being tied down with a child. They’re what’s referred to as jet-setters. Of course, they split up before I was old enough to start school, and the pair of them have both remarried several times by now. My grandmother, bless her heart, flat out refused to let me live that sort of lifestyle, being shifted back and forth between two scatterbrained parents, and insisted that I’d be much better off here with her and my gramps. Knowing my parents the way I do, I’m sure they were incredibly relieved at the offer, and didn’t hesitate to agree. I rarely see them, it’s better that way, and especially for my boys. And I have wonderful memories of my grandparents, of growing up here. That’s why I wanted to hang onto this old place so badly.”

“It’s a beautiful house,” assured Tessa. “I confess to having been completely intimidated when we drove up through the gates, but I can see now that you’ve made this into a real family home. It’s very warm and welcoming. Just like Ian’s house in San Francisco, though of course this place is so much larger.”