“She’ll be cut.”
“Likely.”
“You really don’t care?” Blakewood asked with skepticism.
Sam ground his teeth as he pulled his gaze reluctantly from the passing scenery. “Why should I care?”
“They are still family.”
“You are my family,” Sam said.
Blakewood huffed. “As warmed as I am by that sentiment, it has always been my duty to play devil’s advocate. Think of all the outcomes.”
“I have.”
“And? What about Daisy? She’s already been affected by my an Amelia’s hasty marriage. This will only add to the savage gossip.”
“We’ll marry out of town. Once all this is done, let’s quit the season. We’ll stay at Alston Abbey and enjoy the quiet.”
“Your life hasn’t been quiet enough?”
“Don’t be obtuse. We can fish, take walks, picnic, play lawn games, and enjoy life without the presence and pressures of loathsome people like Chase and Nelson lurking about. I want to move past all of this, and I cannot do that without a change of scene.”
Blakewood twisted his mouth and looked away. “I suppose that is warranted.”
“I want peace, Blakewood. I want to feel like I can breathe and not worry about what I could lose. Alston Abbey is a refuge. My home. Daisy will love it there.”
Blakewood smiled. “She will.”
“Have you heard from your parents?”
Blakewood nodded. “I received a message this morning. They’ll return in two days.”
“Will Daisy have to return home?”
“Likely. It wouldn’t be proper for her to stay, not once the truth is revealed.”
“I’ll speak to your father first, shall I? Ask for her hand properly.”
“That would help.”
“How entrenched is their friendship with Lady Claystone?”
Blakewood shook his head. “Lady Claystone and my mother are childhood friends, but she’s always been a strict woman. And as Daisy got older, Lady Claystone became more demanding and chiding. She tries to hide it, but I know she considers our father beneath her. She thinks our mother married down. It causes a lot of tension between Lady Claystone and our father, so he avoids her and our mother doesn’t press it. In the beginning, Daisy looked up to Lady Claystone. Daisy was trying so hard to please her. I thought this connection, this marriage, was what Daisy wanted—we all did. So we placated Lady Claystone. I never imagined Daisy would be unhappy and hide it from us.”
Sam fought his rising anger. “Daisy wants to make everyone happy.”
“To the detriment of herself,” Blakewood said somberly.
“But now I can be the one to guard her happiness,” Sam said.
Blakewood half smiled. “I still don’t see it.”
Sam frowned. “See what?”
“The two of you together. It doesn’t make sense.”
“What the devil does that mean?”
