Chapter Four
“Are ye sure ye are doing the right thing, Ballard?” Shelton asked as he, Lambert, and Ballard stepped out of a carriage in front of the Sherwood home.
Ballard cursed, then muttered an apology to the Reverend Denning as he helped the elderly preacher out of the carriage. He had been so busy all morning delivering his horses to Mr. Grendall that he had barely had time to prepare for his own wedding. It had been advantageous in that he had had little time to ponder the big step he was about to take. Now he wished he had set aside a few moments to have a serious talk with his young relatives.
“Shelton, ye have been asking me that almost continuously since I announced my marriage plans,” he answered.
“Needs to be asked,” muttered Lambert.
“Marriage is a serious step,” Reverend Denning intoned as he brushed off his black frock coat.
“It is forever,” grumbled Shelton.
“For a lifetime,” added Lambert.
“I reckon I ken that weel enough,” Ballard snappedas he lifted the heavy brass knocker on the Sherwoods’ front door.
Agnes opened the door, greeted Reverend Denning, and led them all into the parlor. Molly served a light refreshment as Agnes left to fetch the rest of the Sherwoods. Ballard grimaced when his family cornered him by the window overlooking the side garden. He wished they would just quietly accept the arrangement as they had said they would, for he had a qualm or two of his own. A sigh of resignation and exasperation escaped him when he saw that Shelton and Lambert intended to prod at those qualms yet again.
“Leave off it, laddies,” he said.
Shelton shook his head, then hastily finger-combed his thick dark hair. “I ken that we are being pests about this, but ye dinnae leave us much choice.”
“Quite right,” agreed Lambert. “In but a few minutes the deed will be done and there will be no turning back.”
“Dinnae ye like the lass, Lambert?” Ballard studied his young cousin closely as he sipped his tea.
“Oh, that is not the problem. I do not know her, do I? Fact is, she does not trouble me like that Sarah Marsten did.”
As he nodded his agreement, Shelton continued, “This lass does seem to be a nicer sort. ‘Tis just that this is all happening so cursed quick.Tooquick.”
“I explained about the lass’s troubles—” Ballard began.
“Aye, aye.” Shelton sighed. “Ye could still wait a mite longer, couldnae ye? She and her kin are nae being tossed out on the street today.”
“There is no point in waiting.”
“How can ye be so sure of that?”
Ballard did not have a good answer for Shelton. He was not sure why he felt so confident of what he was about to do. After his first surprise over Clover’s proposal, he had never considered refusing. Each word he had since exchanged with her, each look, had made him even more certain. He had considered everything that could go wrong and was not at all deterred. It was just as easy to think about everything that could go right. And there was the lingering memory of her sweet kisses.
“I am sure,” Ballard finally said, “but I ken there isnae much I can say to make ye feel the same. Ye will just have to set back and see that I have made the right choice. Ye willnae be letting the lass see your doubts either.”
“She sees them already,” Shelton said.
“Aye, she is a clever lass, but as soon as the wedding vows are said, the two of ye are to act like those doubts have disappeared. I will need help to make this work. Clover will be my wife and ye are to treat her as such, with all due respect, kindness, and assistance. If ye let her ken that ye still have doubts, or get stroppy with her, then ye could make a fine mess of something that could turn out to be verra good.”
“Ye dinnae need to fret about us,” Shelton assured him. “We will gladly do all of that. Once ye and the lass are wed, there isnae any turning back and we want it to work out well as much as ye do.”
“True,” agreed Lambert. “We are just trying to stop or delay it.”
“Weel, ye cannae,” said Ballard. “So let that be an end to it.”
“Aye, let that be an end to it, for here she comes,” Shelton murmured. Even though his eyes reflected admiration as he looked at Clover, he sighed. “Ye sure as Hades cannae turn around and walk out on the lass now.”
“Nay, I cannae and I willnae,” Ballard said in a hushed voice as he set his teacup down on a small table and went to meet Clover.
As he neared her, Ballard was glad he had stopped by the inn to bathe and had had a boy fetch his cleaned and pressed courting clothes so that he could change out of his homespuns.
