After Ella finished her story, she asked her brother, “So am I getting more hugs or a scolding?”
“Don’t think there won’t be one—later.”
Ella just laughed at him through teary eyes so like his, until he pulled her across the sofa onto his lap for a bear hug that made her shriek and push away from him, giggling. “I hope you don’t crushherlike that. And when is the wedding to be?”
He grinned. “You assume?”
“She told me a lot about your time together. Iknowyou, Brother.”
“Today would be nice,” Anna put in.
Dominic laughed. “I quite agree. We can find a priest on the way to Whitworth House.”
Surprised, Brooke, sitting on his other side, leaned close to whisper to him, “I don’t need to be married in my parents’ house.”
“Why not? We’re joining two families and everyone appears to be in London for it.”
“But Robert might be there,” Brooke warned.
“Your brother has been forgiven—by me. What about by you?”
“No, some things can’t be, but after everything I discovered in the last two days, I might have to allow that the man might not be quite the same as the boy. Of course, I could just be so happy that I’ll forgive anyone, even him, maybe even my father with his icy heart.”
She wished she hadn’t said that. Speaking of the devil, Thomas was just coming down the stairs at the Whitworth town house when they all arrived a while later and were let in the front door. Harriet was beside him, helping to keep him steady on the steps.
Brooke called out to her, “We’ve brought a priest with us, Mother,” and then with a laugh at Harriet’s look of surprise said, “You were right. He loves me and doesn’t want to wait another day for our wedding. Will the parlor do?”
“Certainly!” Harriet stopped when Anna stepped into the foyer.
But Anna, seeing the glare she was suddenly getting, said, “Don’t hold a grudge, Harriet. You know what I thought. If we’d had all the facts sooner—actually, our children might not even have met if we did. You and Brooke both had a part in bringing my girl home to us. I can never thank you enough for that, but know that I will love your girl as my own, I promise you.”
Harriet blushed a little at those words. But Thomas demanded, “A wedding today?” And then squinting at Dominic: “Is that the Hamilton boy?”
“It’s a love match instead, Thomas, and a good one.” Harriet got him down the last few steps and steered him toward the parlor. But in a much-lower tone she mumbled, “About bloody time someone gets one of those.”
“Eh? Speak up, you know I can’t hear that well.”
“The Regent’s edict, surely you remember we had no choice in this matter?” Harriet reminded him.
Thomas’s memory might be deteriorating, but it wasn’t always faulty. “I thought that reprobate was bought off,” he stated clearly.
“He changed his mind,” Harriet lied. “Or did you want to add to the bribe to try and get him to change it yet again?”
Thomas snorted. “A love match will do, no need to waste more coin if the chit actually loves the wolf. I suppose she wants me to give her away?”
“That isn’t necessary,” Harriet assured him.
Brooke realized what her mother was doing and could feel Dominic tensing up when it occurred to him, too, that Thomas Whitworth could withhold his permission for this wedding, and the priest wouldn’t perform it without parental consent. Not that they couldn’t find a way to marry some other way, but she’d rather return to Rothdale without the worry that her father might come pounding on the door to demand her back. So she took Dominic’s hand in hers and gave him a reassuring smile before she said quite loudly so Thomas couldn’t help but hear her, “Actually, yes, let’s make this official with you giving me away, Father.”
But as soon as Thomas passed into the parlor, Dominic looked down at her and asked without inflection, “Has Archer been courting you without my notice?”
His eyes had just turned feral, making her roll hers. “Your wolf is showing,” she teased. “As it happens, it’s rather funny how his name came up in this house. Remind me to tell you later.”
Ella started to follow her mother into the parlor, but paused to ask, “Is Archer still available? Now that I’m going to be a widow with a recovered memory...”
Dominic gave his sister an indomitable look. “Leave my friends alone, minx. I don’t want to have to kill Archer after I’m done with Benton.”
“You swore—”
