“And what about Papa?”Rose asked.“Mama must be numb by now, for she’s the one who has to do all the work to put these weddings together.We’ll help her out, of course.You needn’t worry about that, Tulip.”
Daisy glanced up, but kept her ear to the door.“Papa’s awfully calm, too.I think he has stopped being surprised by us.But how are any of us at fault when trouble seems to follow us around?”
“And always with a handsome bachelor ready to leap in to rescue us,” Holly said with a grin.“Perhaps there is something to this Chipping Way curse after all.Didn’t you knock down Davenport right here on Chipping Way when you first met him, Tulip?”
“Oh, that?I was across the street at Marigold’s house when Mallow, her imp of a dog, slipped through the gate and darted onto the street.I had to chase after him.I didn’t actually knock Davenport down.I ran into him, and then bounced off him because that man is built like a wall of granite.He caught me before I fell.There was nothing more to it.”
Her cousins laughed heartily.
“The Chipping Way curse,” Dillie insisted.
Perhaps, but how odd that this very thing should have happened again tonight.She refused to believe there was any significance to it at all.
The study door suddenly opened and Daisy toppled in.
John sighed and helped his daughter up, then frowned at the rest of them who had also been hovering by the door.“Tulip, come in.The rest of you, go home.”
Of course, no one was going home until they got all the scandalous details.
John shut the door to keep the rest of the family out.
Tulip took a seat beside her aunt.
However, she spoke up immediately because she wanted to get a word in before the elders started hurling questions.“I think what needs to be answered is, how do we quietly end this betrothal with the least harm done to me and Davenport?”
“Are you still going on about that?”Davenport was standing by her uncle’s desk and now folded his arms across his chest so that he looked quite big and massive, like a warrior guarding an impenetrable gate.“There is no going back from this without irreparable harm to you, Tulip.The right question is, how soon do we marry?”
“Why are you still going on aboutthat?Weren’t you supposed to leave for Somerset tomorrow?Well, since it is past midnight, you should be leaving this very morning.We can settle things when you return.”
He shook his head.“No, I have no idea when I will be returning and this needs to be addressed now.I cannot leave you here while Caruthers is still angry and bent on getting his revenge.You are at risk so long as you remain unmarried.”
He had a point, but were they not making too much of that lord’s animosity.“Surely, he will calm down in a day or two.”
Davenport arched an eyebrow.“Oh, you think so?”
She gulped.“Well, one can never be certain.I have no experience in such matters.”
“But I do,” he insisted.“I will postpone my departure for a few days.Mrs.Farthingale, does this give you enough time to assemble a wedding breakfast?I shall undertake all the costs, of course.”
“No, that is my responsibility,” John intoned.“You just let my wife know who you would like us to invite.”
“In truth, no one but the Thornes.I have no close family.”
John nodded.“They’ll have to be verbal invitations followed by a confirming note since there’s no time for formal invitations to be printed.I’ll leave the responsibility of a Somerset wedding celebration up to you.”
“I’ll take care of that,” Tulip assured, then realized she may have spoken out of turn.“I am very close to my mother’s family, Your Grace.It does not have to be anything lavish, just a simple dinner party will do to introduce you to the Hesters and perhaps a few friends of mine.Would that be all right?They’ll be so sad to have missed my wedding, but there’s no time for them to join us here.”
Her uncle, William Hester, and his wife, Perty, had taken primary responsibility for raising her after her parents had died.
“Of course,” Davenport said with surprising gentleness.
“That takes care of the wedding plans.”John gave a nod of satisfaction.“Tulip, I’ll let you and Sophie get to work on those details right away.His Grace and I shall next discuss the betrothal terms.”
Sophie rose, but Tulip hesitated.“Should I not be involved in that discussion?”
“No,” John and his brothers said in unison.
Rupert smiled at her.“You are best served by having us act as we deem best without your presence.”
