I don’t feel like a bride. I feel like a piece on a chessboard.
A letter arrived late that morning. April took it and broke the seal after recognizing Lady Darnell’s crest:
My dear Lady April,
Tulip and I are in need of better conversation than the newspapers offer. Come have tea with me this afternoon?
Warmly, Eugenia Darnell
April exhaled then nodded to herself. She penned a reply in the drawing room and sent it.
Later that afternoon, she walked the familiar path to Lady Darnell’s house. With each step, her heart thudded faster,hoping—praying—Theo would not be there. She might have accepted, but that did not mean she was ready.
When the butler showed her in and she found Lady Darnell alone with Tulip snoring at her feet, relief flooded her.
“Lady April,” the older woman greeted, gesturing her to sit. “You’re prompt. How refreshing.”
“Lady Darnell,” April replied with a small smile, taking the offered seat. “I’m pleased to see you well.”
“Now, now,” the older woman chided gently, “if you’re to marry my nephew, you’d better start calling me Eugenia. I insist.”
“Very well.”
“Tea will be in shortly. Tulip has already been told she may not have any.”
April laughed softly as she sat. “She doesn’t look especially distraught.”
“She never is. She believes herself royalty and expects the world to adjust accordingly.” Eugenia leaned forward in her chair. “Tell me. How do you find the weather?”
“It seems lovelier than last week,” April answered as the tea arrived.
“Oh, the rain was good for something after all,” Eugenia chuckled, gesturing to April to pour the tea for them. “Tulip hates it of course. It frizzes her ears.”
April laughed. “Does she ever forgive you for letting it rain?”
“Not until I offer her a bone or a rub on her belly. Sometimes both.”
April’s smile warmed. “She’s very clever.” She poured the tea into two cups and handed Eugenia a one.
“She’s a tyrant but yes, clever,” Eugenia agreed. “Now, shall I tell you a story about Theo?”
April raised her brows.
“Oh, do not look at me like that!” Eugenia laughed. “Did you think I called you here to truly talk about the weather? No. I wish to tell you more about the man you are to marry.” She smirked and took a sip of her tea. “And yes, I read the announcement in the papers this morning even though I have not seen him.”
“When Theo was five,” the Countess said, after pouring tea, “he ran away from a music lesson and climbed a tree. Wouldn’t come down until his governess promised to cancel all future lessons. He was not fond of music, you see.”
“And did she cancel the lessons?” April reached for a sugar covered biscuit and bit into it, savoring the taste.
“Certainly not. But he didn’t climb trees after that, either. At least, until he was six years old.”
They both laughed.
“At seven, he challenged a boy twice his size to a duel over a dog. He won. Bloody nose, black eye, and all. But the victory was his.”
“Was it his dog?”
“No. He just thought the boy had been cruel to it.”
