“Hide it,” April urged. “Hide it well.”
Together, they hurried toward the breakfast room. No sooner had they seated themselves and unfolded their napkins than their mother swept in—a different gossip rag clutched in her gloved hand.
April winced inwardly.Too late.
“What is this I hear about an engagement?” Dorothy demanded, waving the sheet like a battle standard.
“Oh, Mama, it is nothing but Wexley’s bruised pride,” June explained, setting down her teacup with exaggerated care.
“Indeed,” May chimed in. “Poor Wexley, always so dramatic.”
Their mother sniffed. “Wexleyhasalways been one to run his mouth, especially when things do not favor him.”
“You must not credit anything he says,” April added quickly, reaching for the toast as if the conversation did not set her nerves on edge.
Dorothy lowered herself into her chair with a sigh. “Besides, how could there be an engagement? The Duke has not come to call properly, nor has he spoken to your father, and certainly no word has reached August.”
“Exactly,” May said. “Nothing to fret about.”
“Nothing at all,” June agreed, too quickly.
April exhaled silently, forcing her hands to remain steady as she buttered her toast. Across the table, May caught her eye and grimaced.
As they ate, Dorothy began outlining her plans for the dinner party with increasing enthusiasm.
“A small, intimate affair,” she declared, tapping her spoon against her saucer. “Nothing too grand. We must ensure thetonsees it as a true love match—natural, inevitable.”
April choked slightly on her tea.Oh, the irony,she thought, crafting an illusion of romance to cover a practical arrangement.
“I think six couples will do,” Dorothy mused aloud. “No more—it must appear selective.”
“Six couples,” May repeated, eyes dancing. “Shall we include every mother with a marriageable daughter?”
“Not every mother,” Dorothy corrected. “Only those who will speak well of us afterward.”
“Naturally,” June said with a sly smile. “Because nothing says love like careful curation.”
April bit into her toast to hide her laugh.
“And we must press for an engagement as soon as possible,” Dorothy added briskly.
May nearly dropped her fork. “Engagement? But they alre?—”
“Engagements are everything right now, Mama,” June interrupted smoothly, glaring at May. “Everyone is pressing for them this Season.”
“Indeed, indeed,” Dorothy agreed, nodding sagely. “It would be foolish to let the gossip die down without securing one properly.”
April gave May a look that promised retribution later. May widened her eyes innocently and took an enormous bite of scone.
Dorothy, undeterred, sighed dreamily. “I can already envision your wedding, April.”
April looked up warily. “You can?”
“Oh yes,” her mother said, waving her hand. “A crown of spring flowers in your hair—delicate blossoms all intertwined. You shall look like the very spirit of the season.”
April bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.A flower crown. How very fitting for a pawn masked as a blossom.
“How charming,” May said, grinning wickedly.
