Others depended upon him now. Not for spiritual guidance, but for shelter, food, security. And he imagined a great deal of other vital necessities required by ladies of qualities who now fell within his care.
And his fiancée.
And possibly her sisters and mother.
“I’d be happy to share mine with you.”
He’d forgotten the barmaid’s question. Meeting her pretty gaze, he shook his head. “Not tonight, Miss.”
She pursed her lips into a sultry pout at his words.
He’d make a stop at Carlisle Manor before returning to London. It wasn’t too far out of the way, and upon doing so, he could at least know what he was dealing with.
One Small Obstacle…
“But of course, under normal circumstances, we’d be more than happy to host a pre-wedding ball at Prescott House.” Sophia’s mother-in-law had made one of her rare appearances at the main manor that morning to add her two pence to the wedding plans. “But it hasn’t yet been a year.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Rhoda’s mother chimed in.
Sophia’s gaze met Rhoda’s apologetically.
“We really needn’t have a pre-wedding ball,” Rhoda insisted. She wished Carlisle had not been so adamant about a London wedding. Lucky Emily!
She missed Emily and hoped she and Blakely returned before her mother dragged her back to London.
Just the thought of facing the ladies who’d ignored her at the garden party, even worse the gentlemen who had not, sent her innards flip-flopping.
She was engaged now, though. Surely, that ought to put a stop to all that nonsense.
“My father’s house in Town has a good-sized ballroom. We could host it there,” Cecily suggested.
Rhoda’s mother’s grimaced.
Cecily’s father, although immensely wealthy, wasn’tton.
“Or not,” Cecily muttered.
“Doesn’t Carlisle’s new estate come with some sort of property in Town? It’s an earldom, for heaven’s sake. Surely, the former earl would have maintained a residence for when Parliament is in session?”
Sophia wasn’t usually the practical one, but Mrs. Mossant apparently saw this as a viable option.
“But of course, he must have!” she exclaimed. She turned to Rhoda. “As soon as we are back, you must have your betrothed take you to examine the residence. See if it is large enough.”
Ah, large enough. Her mother had drawn up a guest list of over three hundred people and this was just for the ball. She wished to invite close to five hundred of her dearest friends to the wedding breakfast.
Rhoda hadn’t realized her mother evenknewfive hundred people.
“It will be the first thing I ask when I see him again,” Rhoda said with an expressionless face.
Cecily lifted a hand to cover a choked laugh.
“I do wish he hadn’t asked us to wait here,” Rhoda’s mother complained. “Not that we don’t appreciate your hospitality, Your Grace,” she said apologetically to Sophia’s mother-in-law. “It’s just that there is so much to do.”
“What kind of flowers will you have, Rho? Not rhododendrons.” Leave it to Coleus to make such a ridiculous suggestion. Rhoda could have knocked her upside the head. Instead, she glared ominously in the younger girl’s direction.
“Of course, she’ll have rhododendrons.” Mrs. Mossant frowned at her middle daughter.
“It’s not very romantic, Mother.” They’d had this argument before. “For heaven’s sake, it’s practically a bush! And it means ‘danger’ of all things!”
