“Do I have to promise this every time you tell me a secret, or can I just promise it once and that covers every secret?”
“No, you have to promise it every time,” Clara said with a serious expression.
“Very well, I promise not to tell anyone.”
“The Duke said that I can have the biggest slice of cake.” As the words slipped between her lips, she grinned, and the expression took up her entire face.
Charlotte arched her eyebrows in surprise.
“Did he? Well, that is incredibly generous of him. Are you sure you’re going to be able to manage it all? You have to eat a lot of your dinner too. We can’t just eat cake all the time.”
A thoughtful look came over Clara’s face.
“Hmm, that’s another thing I can change. We can have cake for every meal!”
“I think you might grow tired of that,” Charlotte said, but Clara shook her head, adamant that she knew best.
Before anything more was shared between them, they were shown to the table, joining Agatha and Beatrice.
Nathaniel took the seat at the head of the table while Alfred sat beside him, opposite their mother. Mary sat beside Alfred, then came Clara, and then Charlotte. Edmund took a seat beside Agatha, and Lydia sank into a chair beside him. A course of soup was served—carrot and coriander. It was thick and flavorful, but before they ate, Alfred cleared his throat and rose.
“I just want to make a small toast, thanking you all for coming. I have been enchanted with Mary ever since I first met her, and it brings me such joy to host her family at our estate. I sincerely hope that this is the first of many dinners we share.” He raised his glass. Everyone else raised theirs in turn, including Nathaniel.
Charlotte wondered if he would use this opportunity to give his blessing to the wedding.
He did not.
Was he going to wait until the very last moment? Was there still a chance that everything might fall apart for Mary? Charlotte took her napkin and dabbed beads of sweat from her temples. She wanted to believe that Nathaniel was a man of his word, but there was still so much mystery surrounding the man’s motivations.
As dinner continued, the conversation around the table became lively.
“Are you looking for Hector and Brutus as well?” Clara whispered.
Charlotte caught her gaze and tore it away from the door. She and Clara had both been glancing in that direction, but for very different reasons.
“Yes, just in case you miss them,” she said, hiding her true motivations. In reality, she was watching out for the arrival of Lady Honoria. Her natural curiosity drove her thoughts about the woman who was going to marry Nathaniel.
Would she be as formidable as the so-called Iron Duke, or would she be softer to contrast his strict nature?
Edmund was complimentary about every dish, taking as much food as he could. Beatrice kept leaning over Agatha, attempting to engage Edmund in conversation, but Agatha never seemed to run out of stories to tell.
“I think we should go out for that long-awaited ride tomorrow, Lydia,” Mary said. “You should come as well, Charlotte. We could pack a picnic and make a day of it. We must make as much use of this good weather while it lasts.”
“Just us ladies?” Charlotte asked.
“That sounds like a fine idea,” Mary said, beaming.
“Can I attend?” Clara asked.
“Are you a lady?” Mary replied.
Clara considered the matter for a moment and then nodded.
“Then you can ride with us,” Mary agreed.
“I have longed to feel the wind through my hair. The horses all seem well-bred here. I am looking forward to putting them through their paces,” Lydia observed.
“I suppose I shall be barred from attending then,” Edmund lamented with a mocking sigh.
