Chapter Fifteen
“Betrothed?”
Staring at her mother, Clover sank onto the bed. Her mother calmly nudged her off the dress Clover had laid out to wear to dinner with Cyril Potsdam. She numbly inched aside.
Although she had accepted her mother’s romance with Colin Doogan, she had never fully considered what it might lead to. And so soon! It was only a month since the spring revel and, while Colin and Jonathan had come around nearly every day, she was still surprised at the short duration of her mother’s courtship.
“Did you think Colin and I were just playing some idle game?” Agnes asked.
“No,” Clover answered. “I never really gave it much thought, I guess.”
“One does not work so arduously at something, as arduously as Colin has worked at courting me, without a set purpose in mind.”
“No, of course not. I began to wonder if he and Jonathan ever got any work done because they wereover here so often. Thank you,” she murmured to Molly, who handed her a cup of tea.
“The same can be said for Jonathan Clemmons,” Agnes said with a quick glance at Molly.
“Surely you are not surprised by that,” Molly said. “I thought you had guessed my plans for the man the day we all first met. Although Jonathanwasquicker to fall in with my intention than even I hoped he would be! I suspect Jonathan was inspired to propose when Colin made up his mind to ask your mama for her hand. It certainly did not hurt our cause that Colin’s family and Jonathan’s mother were eager for the matches and willingly freed them of work whenever possible.”
“Are you to be married in a shared ceremony?” Clover almost laughed when her mother and Molly nodded, but her shock was still too strong to allow more than a hint of amusement.
Agnes sat down next to Clover. “You are thinking that I am being disloyal to your father.”
Clover shook her head. “No, not really. To be honest, Mama, I am not sure what I am thinking.” She looked at Molly. “I know you wanted a husband, Molly. I am just a little surprised at how quickly you got one. Do not mistake me, I am pleased for you, but are you sure Jonathan is the one you want?”
“Very sure,” Molly answered. “I was sure the first time I set eyes on the man. I took one look at that big plain face of his and said to meself, That be the one, girl. Decided not to let any grass grow under my feet.”
“You certainly did not. I am glad for you, Molly. I hope this marriage brings you happiness.”
“It will. Now I will leave you and your mother alone so you can talk.”
Molly left. Clover took another sip of tea. She did not really want to talk about Colin and her mother’s impending marriage. Her feelings were too unclear and she knew her mother would want to know exactly how she felt. Clover was afraid her uncertainty would hurt her mother, that Agnes would interpret it as disapproval.
Agnes touched her arm and sighed. “I am sorry this has upset you, dear,” she said.
“Mama, I do not know if it hasupsetme or not. When you told me you were planning to marry Colin, I was plunged into confusion. I simply have no idea what I am feeling or thinking.”
“Are you scandalized perhaps?”
“Maybe just a little, but that has already begun to pass. For one brief moment I thought, Oh, God, what will people say? Then I realized I do not care.”
“There, you just clarified one of the things you are feeling.” Agnes stood up. “We can discuss your other feelings while I help you prepare for your dinner at Mr. Potsdam’s.” She took Clover’s hand.
Even as she allowed her mother to pull her to her feet, Clover protested, “I really would prefer not to talk about it. I do not want to inadvertently hurt your feelings in some way.”
Agnes began to help Clover into her blue brocade gown. “I am not so fragile, dear. And we can only settle what troubles you if we can figure out what it is. The wedding is to take place in one month’s time, when the preacher will be stopping in town. I do not want to spend one day of that time wondering if my daughter approves of what I am doing. In truth, I willsettle for acceptance if you cannot bring yourself to wholly approve.”
“You really want to marry him,” Clover murmured, smoothing down her skirts while her mother fastened her gown. “Do you love him so much then?” She let her mother lead her to a stool and begin to put up her hair.
“Idolove him. I loved him all those years ago. Later, I convinced myself it was just passion. How could I love two such different men? Well, now I can accept that I did. In a way, it was a blessing that he was married and I was betrothed. It saved us both the agony of trying to choose between two people we loved. Our decision had already been made for us. We just suffered that bittersweet knowledge that there could be nothing between us and went our separate ways.”
“And now you have been given a second chance.”
“Exactly, and I have decided to take it. I loved your father dearly, child, and if any other man was trying to court me, I could probably follow all the rules. ‘Tis Colin, however, and I do not want to wait. In a way, I feel fate has thrust us together again, that this has always been my destiny. You must admit ‘twas an unusual sequence of events that led us to Kentucky. Fate has always intended that Colin and I should be a comfort to each other at this time in our lives.”
Clover smiled. She had always believed in fate to some degree. Now that she loved the man she had so impulsively married, her faith in fate had grown. How else could she explain her luck in simply plucking a man off the street yet still getting the perfect partner?
“How have the twins taken the news?” she asked asshe studied the way her mother had arranged her hair, with fat sausage curls draped artfully over one shoulder.
