Gallant gesture number four, Callie reminded herself. Or was it five? Or six.
After the ladies withdrew to leave the gentlemen to their port and cigars or whatever it was gentlemen did after dinner, Callie found time for a quiet word with Tibby.
Lady Gosforth had swept off in a frenzy of happy planning, consulting with her butler, chef, housekeeper, and secretary. Callie had felt a little uncomfortable letting a relative stranger take on the burden of organizing her wedding and had suggested that she could arrange something suitable herself, but Lady Gosforth told her instantly she was not to think of such a thing.
It was soon borne home to her, most forcibly, that the planning of social events was the breath of life to Lady Gosforth, and that the lady’s only regret was that there was so little scope for her talents.
“Leave it to me, my dears. I know just what to do. All you have to do is be the radiant bride.” And she’d swept out, leaving Callie and Tibby alone.
Be the radiant bride indeed, Callie thought and caught Tibby observing her. She gave Tibby a rueful smile. “I expect you’re wondering what brought this on.”
“I can’t say I’m totally surprised,” Tibby admitted. “I have noticed a certain intimacy developing between you and Mr. Renfrew.”
“Intimacy?”
“Perhaps I should have said a closeness—I wasn’t implying anything improper,” Tibby corrected hastily.
“There is no intimacy. It is not a love match,” Callie explained quickly, unable to bear any misunderstanding between her and Tibby. Bad enough that she had to play the radiant bride for Gabriel’s friends and relations, she needed at least one person who knew the truth.
Two people, she amended. Three if you counted Mr. Nash Renfrew. The others might suspect that this hasty wedding had something to do with protecting her son from Count Anton, but Gabriel was pretending to be happy about it, so the least she could do was feign happiness as well. But not to Tibby.
“I do not want it widely known, for obvious reasons, but you are my oldest and dearest friend, so I want you to know. Count Anton has instituted a legal move with the English government to have Nicky returned to Zindaria under his authority as the regent.”
“Oh, my dear!” Tibby clasped her hands in horror.
“Yes, so Mr. Nash Renfrew, he is some sort of diplomat in government, he says marrying Gabriel—Mr. Renfrew—will help me keep Nicky here with me. That is why it’s to be so soon.”
Tibby looked thoughtful. “I can see the logic behind it all, and of course I understand you must do whatever it takes to protect Nicky…but have you thought about how this will affect you in the longer term?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean…what we were talking about the other day, how things were between you and Prince Rupert.”
“No. It’s not the same at all.” She was not going to let it be the same. “Tibby, dear, this wedding is nothing but a stratagem, a—a chess maneuver. It’s all been very clear from the start.”
Tibby’s eyes were troubled. “You have a tender heart, my dear, and Mr. Renfrew is very handsome and can be enormously charming and persuasive.”
“I know. And knowing how charming and persuasive he can be is what will prevent the same thing happening again. He is charming and persuasive to everyone—when he is not riding roughshod over their opinions, that is.”
Tibby looked unconvinced.
Callie continued, “I am not the foolish girl I once was. I was married for nine years. Now I am a mature woman of five-and-twenty and I have put all that nonsense behind me.”
“Do we ever put all that nonsense behind us?” Tibby wondered a little wistfully.
“I cannot speak for every woman, of course,” Callie said with all the confidence she wished she had. “But I can for myself. Now I truly understand what a convenient marriage is and can avoid any pitfalls. And I can deal with Mr. Gabriel Renfrew.”
Shortly after the gentlemen rejoined the ladies, Callie rose and excused herself. All the gentlemen rose and she felt ridiculously self-conscious, as though she was wearing a sign saying she was off to a secret tryst.
Tibby immediately jumped up, too, and said that if Lady Gosforth didn’t mind, she had some lessons to prepare. Lady Gosforth said she quite understood and had lists to make.
It was a signal for the evening to break up. Gabriel’s brother Nash and his other friends took their leave and Gabriel sauntered out into the street to farewell them.
Callie hurried upstairs to her bedchamber, grabbed the fabric bundle, and went back down to the library to wait. A few minutes later the door opened and Gabriel entered.
He seated them both on a chaise longue. “Now, what was it you wanted to discuss?”
“If we are to go shopping tomorrow, I will need money.”
