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Adi turned exasperated eyes to her mother. “At last!”

“I beg your pardon for our late arrival. Albert wanted nothing to do with his cloak. He repeatedly grabbed it and threw it aside. He thought it a rather fun little game.” Pippy scowled at Albert, but her eyes danced with merriment.

Freddie held out his arms. “Let me take him while you put on your pelisse and bonnet.”

Pippy settled Albert in Freddie’s arms, even as the baby reached back for her.

“Make haste, Mama,” Adi prodded. “We shall surely be late for dinner.”

Pippy smiled. “I’m certain Mrs. Hastings will not have Christmas dinner without us.”

The answer did not appease the girl in the least.

“Stop being a pest!” Julian said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Do not be cross with your sister, Jules.” Pippy smiled at their son as she fastened the buttons on Sophia’s coat. “She is simply excited, as we all are.” She grabbed the girl’s bonnet and quickly tied it beneath her chin. Straightening, she tugged on her own cold-weather clothes as she walked toward the front door. “Come along,” she called. She paused at the door, waiting for them to catch up. “Now who is dawdling?”

Porter, their butler, waited until they were all there before he swung open the door and held it for them.

“Is everything ready, Porter?” Freddie asked.

The butler dipped his head. “Just as you requested, my lord.”

“Thank you.” He patted the older man on the shoulder. “We’ll return in a few hours.”

Porter nodded but glanced up at the gray skies. “And if you’re not back by then, we’ll come to fetch you.”

“Ah.” Freddie waved his concern away. “A little snow never hurt anyone.”

“But we’ll appreciate it anyhow,” Pippy said, giving Porter a grateful smile.

He simply dipped his head to her.

They stepped out onto the terrace, and Freddie instinctively pulled his shoulders inward, making room for Albert inside his greatcoat.

“Do you think the wind is too cold?” Pippy looked over at him with concern. “Perhaps we should forgo the quest this year.”

“No,” Adi and Jules cried out.

“It’s not too cold. We dressed warmly,” Jules added.

Pippy looked at the baby snuggled against Freddie’s chest. “I suppose if Albert is warm enough, we may continue.”

Freddie looked down at the bundle in his coat. “I do not believe he’d be sleeping if he were cold, my love.” Freddie took Pippy’s hand in his free one. “Let’s carry on. We can always return early if we must.”

Pippy looked at the children and relaxed. “Very well. Who has the first clue?”

They approached the folly and the children—those not tucked inside Freddie’s greatcoat—ran up the stairs. “It’s here. The chocolate and tea cakes are here!” They danced around the rug laid out on the stone floor. “Can we find the dragon’s hoard now?”

Pippy laughed. Even after ten years, she still felt the tingle of excitement about finding the hidden shield. It was not a difficult task—there were not that many places in the folly to conceal it. “Yes, go and find it.”

She and Freddie climbed the steps.

He leaned against the pillar, one hand under Albert still snuggled in his coat and the other around her waist. Little Albert had slept through the whole of the adventure—a feat, considering how much of a ruckus the other children made each time they found a clue.

Pippy leaned against him, her head resting on his upper arm. It was never lost on her how fortunate she was. How fortunate they were. “When you created this quest all those years ago, did you have any notion of how important it would become to our family?”

He pulled her closer to him. “It would be a bouncer if I said I did. But I hoped we would become a family.”