“What? Where did you hear that?”
“That’s what Momma said. That you lost your head and your honor over a pretty girl and you had to rush to the altar.”
“You shouldn’t eavesdrop. It’s not polite.”
“Neither is being in such a hurry that you forget to invite your family to your wedding,” she retorted. “So did you?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t you wait for us?”
And wasn’t that the sticking point? How to explain the reasoning for rushing a non-existent wedding to a child. “Do you remember every summer when the first raspberries appear on the bush out back?”
“Of course, it’s like torture.”
“Right. So when they first appear, they’re small and brown. Then they turn a yellow white. And then a light pink. But you can’t have them then, because they aren’t ready yet. Right?”
“Right.”
“So once they turn the perfect red, you’ve been waiting for days, and you can’t even wait to get them to the kitchen.”
“So you waited days for Miss Davina?”
“Years,” I breathed, the truth of the word settling into my spine.
“Uncle Kit?”
“Yes?”
“That sounds a lot like losing your head and rushing down the aisle. You just used more words.”
My chuckle brought a smile to her little heart-shaped face. “When did you get so smart?”
“It’s the raspberries,” she grinned.
We were interrupted by the clump of boots and the excited cries of the children still downstairs.
“Papa!” Sarah cried as she jumped up and raced down the stairs, abandoning me to my vigil.
It was only a minute before the heavy steps made their way up the stairs. I scrambled to my feet, feeling the stiffness of the day setting into my joints.
“Kit!”
“Sydney,” I replied, shaking his proffered hand.
“What the devil happened to you?”
“Carriage accident.”
“And yourwife?”
“She was in the carriage too.”
He raised a single brow at my evasion. “Sarah dragged you out here to interrogate you?”
“Yes, but I deserved it.” I felt the truth of those words settle in the depths of my chest. The weight of this lie threatened to drown me and I struggled to keep it from my face.
It must have worked because he merely tipped his head in silent agreement with my assessment. “Lizzie said you need the wagon?”
