Emily pulled out a piece of foolscap and carefully wrote out her request. What was the worst that could happen?
He could say no.
But what harm was there in asking?
When the maid arrived, Emily folded the missive and asked it to be delivered to Prescott as soon as possible. Lord Blakely would never take it upon himself to look into these matters himself. He was far too obstinate for his own well-being.
He obviously required somebody else to do this for him.
Likely, he’d thank her for doing so later.
Kisses in the Rain
Cecily and her husband, Stephen Nottingham, arrived at Eden’s Court later that day along with Cecily’s father and the couple’s small son. Sophia had plans for a walking party but canceled them in favor of indoor activities when the skies turned dark with rain.
Sophia, Cecily, Rhoda, and Emily locked themselves away to catch up. It had been ages since all four of them had been together like this.
Except things felt different now.
When they’d all been debutantes and wallflowers, their loyalties had only ever been to one another. Now Cecily’s first loyalty was to Mr. Nottingham and their adorable son, little Finn.
And Sophia would now always put the duke and baby Harriette first.
And Rhoda, well, she no longer seemed like the same person. She’d recently turned bristly and melancholy and… secretive. She never talked about her feelings or anything personal anymore.
Everything had changed.
“So, you see,” Emily explained, Cecily and Sophia’s gazes focused intently upon her while Rhoda stared out the window. “It’s the perfect plan. Solves matters for Blakely, but more importantly, repairs Rhoda’s reputation.”
Rhoda turned away from whatever she had been staring at and pointed one finger at Emily. “I’ll only do it after you’ve secured an offer though.”
“I know. I know. I’m working on it.” Emily nodded adamantly and then adjusted her spectacles.
“I mean it,” Rhoda added.
Emily turned to Sophia and Cecily and felt some misgivings when they appeared less than enthusiastic.
“I cannot believe you did not tell me about this earlier,” Sophia pouted. “Or that you’d undertake such a scheme without my knowledge.”
Cecily frowned. “It seems awfully…”
“Brilliant?” Emily suggested.
“Desperate?” Rhoda mumbled.
“I was rather thinking… manipulative.” Cecily bit her lip. “I don’t want to see either of you in an unhappy marriage. It’s not a pleasant place. And marriage is forever.”
“It wasn’t for either of you,” Rhoda had the audacity to suggest.
Cecily rolled her eyes, and Sophia dropped her gaze to her hands. How could Rhoda say something so cruel? Although Sophia was now happily in love with Prescott, that didn’t mean she hadn’t suffered through the death of her first husband.
Rhoda immediately realized how mean she’d sounded and flew across the room to Sophia’s side. “I’m so sorry, Soph. That was uncalled for. Forgive me?”
Sophia dabbed at her eyes and then nodded. “No. You are correct.”
Cecily met Emily’s stare. “Blakely is actually willing to go through with such a plan?” Her voice was tinged with more than a little suspicion. “Doing so would end all possibility of a reconciliation for him and his father. It just seems rather drastic.”
Emily was just about to blurt out the request she’d sent to Prescott earlier that morning when the doors flew open to allow Mrs. Mossant, along with Coleus and Hollyhock, to interrupt their meeting. Sending them away would have been rude, so their conversation would have to remain unfinished for now.
