“Then why make me accompany you to London? You can find your perfect wife almost anywhere.”
“You are a good judge of character.” Then he grinned. “And your soon-to-be-wife has had four Seasons, therefore I intend to rely on her judgment.”
“Do not discount love, Alec,” Preston said seriously.
“I don’t. But as it has already visited and then abandoned me, I don’t intend to indulge in it a second time.”
Preston still didn’t know the name of the woman Alec had loved and likely never would. As Alec had not confessed while they were both enjoying brandy, he certainly would never tell him while sober.
At the sound of the door to the church, Preston straightened and watched anxiously for his bride.
Instead, it was Winifred, who had dirt on her pale lavender dress about where her knees were, and her matching hair ribbon was askew. Preston quickly surmised that she must have knelt on the ground. Given it was Winifred, the reasons could be vast.
The youngest of his nieces skipped down the aisle while grinning at him.
Following was Lila who clutched a small bag.
“What do you have?” he asked.
“Lemon drops,” she answered with a grin then took a seat next to Alec. His cousin held out his hand. She eyed him with suspicion, then reached into the bag and plopped one single lemon drop into his hand.
“I buy your sister a stack of books and I’m rewarded withonelemon drop?” he complained.
“You didn’t buy me books,” she retorted.
“Then I won’t take you to the pantomime performance this afternoon,” he vowed.
Lila’s eyes grew large and just dropped the entire bag of lemon drops in his hand.
Alec chuckled and gave them back to her. “I will not go back on my promise.”
Alec had offered to entertain the girls this afternoon so that Preston and Althea might be alone. As much as he wished for that privacy, he was having misgivings since only three of his nieces were accounted for when the inn where they’d taken rooms was a short walk away.
Where the blazes was everyone.
Theodora was next to enter, and Preston hoped that Delia and Althea would soon follow so that he could finally be married.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Preston,” Theodora cried.
What happened now? “Why are you sorry?”
“It’s all my fault.”
Now he was becoming even more concerned, especially since there was still no sign of Althea.
“There was the most beautiful black Arabian and I had to stop. The gentleman even let me pet her.”
A horse was the only thing that could distract Theodora, but he still wasn’t certain why she was sorry.
“That’s when Winifred saw a bunny.”
Preston blew out a sigh already anticipating what happened next.
“Miss Claywell told us to stay put as she went after Winifred, but we were in front of a confectionary, and as we did have a few coins.” She looked to Lila.
“When we came back out, Delia was stalking down the walk and started scolding us, then Miss Claywell, returned with Winifred, Delia gasped, then sent us here so that she could help Miss Claywell.”
“Help her how?” Preston asked slowly.
