“Four years,” Reed responded, and their mother flinched as if she’d been struck.
“Not exactly four,” Rose corrected, glaring at Reed. “Almost. Yet I thought I was widowed for nearly all of them.”
At that, Evelyn’s eyelids snapped open. “Sherry,” she ordered.
“But, Mama, it’s not yet two o’clock,” Rose pointed out, recalling her mother’s usual rule about drinking spirits early in the day.
“Sherry,” Evelyn repeated. “Immediately.”
Reed nodded, so Rose jumped up and ran to the sideboard where they kept the sherry service. She quickly poured a generous amount of the sweet liquid into one of her mother’s delicate short-stemmed green glasses.
Not another word was spoken until Evelyn had taken her first sip and then another.
“I will not pry into the whats and wherefores,” she said at last. “Only tell me, are you still marrying William?”
“Yes, Mama,” Rose didn’t hesitate. “If he will still have me.”
“He knows about your ... about this other man?”
“Yes, Mama. He found out last night. I stayed late with him to tell him everything.”
Evelyn sipped again. “I see. And he still wants to marry you?”
Rose sighed. “It would seem so.”
Their mother turned to Reed. “You are making this happen by procuring a divorce for your sister?”
Reed nodded. “I have the papers ready for Mr. Bennet to sign.”
Rose started slightly, wishing for some reason that Reed hadn’t said Finn’s name again.
Evelyn took another sip and then abandoned the pretense and drained her glass entirely.
“Then we will put all this behind us. As soon as you are div ... free, we will proceed as planned, and no one outside our immediate circle need be the wiser regarding your youthful indiscretion.”
Her mother got up and left, still clutching her sherry glass. She must have been quite upset for she didn’t offer Rose a smile of encouragement or even spare her a backward glance.
“She is very disappointed in me,” Rose said. A bubble of sadness expanded in her chest.
Reed wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m sorry she found out that way. Mama was shocked, obviously, but only because she wants you to be happy with William.”
“I know.” Rose considered the current state of affairs. “I’m sure you want to get on with serving Finn the papers. Should I go to the police station and tell them about last night?”
“Yes, absolutely. In fact, I’ll go there with you first. You never know what nefarious types might be hanging around. I always hated it when Charlotte went to the station on investigative business.”
I should tell him that Charlotte hasn’t finished investigating. I should tell him right now.
“I’ll be ready in a minute,” she told her brother. “Let me get a hat.”
Coward,she berated herself as she left the room.
***
“This is larger than we imagined,” Reed said to Rose when they finally left the police station. “Do you understand that?”
“Of course, I’m not dim witted.” She hurried to keep up with her brother’s long stride.
